Beginning of the end?

[prestond]

Just talked to my local Ventrac dealer in Kansas City. They were told recently that they are no longer a Ventrac dealer.

They were the only Ventrac dealer in the Kansas City area. Is this the beginning of the end for Ventrac? I guess I'll have to continue with the 'wait and see' approach before I shell out big bucks for a Ventrac.

 

[Andy2dotO]

One hopes not. It is likely that the sale to Toro has changed the distribution network, and they are just working things out.

I had a weird experience today ordering seasonal parts for my brush hog from my usual dealer, and got redirected to a call center. That is weird as can be, given I usually deal with the same guy, and I have never been unable to raise him by phone. Ever.

If the dealer network has changed, that is sad, as we just started getting these things with regularity in California. We went from dealers saying they had never heard of Ventrac to having 16 in stock in a year.

I hope that if it is a Toro distributor problem, they get this worked out quickly. I have all the attachments I need. I suppose I can do a little research work to find my next reliable source, but dang. I liked my guy in Stockton.

Anyway, the tractor is solid as it can be. Do not let a dealer network screwup stop you. You will only need oil, and filters for the first few years.

Waytogo Chiefs!

A2

 

[prestond]

I sure hope they get things ironed out. The Ventrac would really be a great fit for my needs. I demoed one in the fall and was quite impressed.

I was actually ready to purchase one (and several attachments) this week when my local salesman told me that they were just informed that they are no longer a Ventrac dealer.

On a positive note, I read the transcripts from the Toro earnings call recently, and Ventrac was mentioned a couple of times. There were questions about possible overlap between Ventrac and the current Toro product line, and the response was that Toro sees Ventrac as more of a compliment to the Toro line without much 'overlap'.

 

[stuckmotor]

One hopes not. It is likely that the sale to Toro has changed the distribution network, and they are just working things out.

I had a weird experience today ordering seasonal parts for my brush hog from my usual dealer, and got redirected to a call center. That is weird as can be, given I usually deal with the same guy, and I have never been unable to raise him by phone. Ever.

If the dealer network has changed, that is sad, as we just started getting these things with regularity in California. We went from dealers saying they had never heard of Ventrac to having 16 in stock in a year.

I hope that if it is a Toro distributor problem, they get this worked out quickly. I have all the attachments I need. I suppose I can do a little research work to find my next reliable source, but dang. I liked my guy in Stockton.

Anyway, the tractor is solid as it can be. Do not let a dealer network screwup stop you. You will only need oil, and filters for the first few years.

Waytogo Chiefs!

A2

As far as I'm concerned, the most important person at a dealership is the parts man.

 

[Tonyinohio]

When Toro bought LT Rich a couple years back the move from Indianapolis to Michigan played **** for 6 months on parts.