Looking at 394 TYM
- Thread starter joe04785
- Start date
4Papa
Bronze Member
I don't have experience with the 394 but I do with (Billy) Smiths Enterprise. I bought a 2015 T1003 from them this past fall and, for the most part, have had a decent experience with them. I'm located in New England and was specifically looking for a new Tier 3, T1003 and was steered in the direction of Smiths by the east coast distributor in NC. I dealt exclusively with the owner, Billy, and he was always pleasant and helpful. I ordered the tractor and some implements (grapple, land plane, bale spear, etc.) and six weeks later Billy drove the entire trailored complement up to my farm. The machine had 15 hours on the tach and appeared about as new as if recently driven off the production line. Given that it was probably a two year old machine, I suspected it had been sitting on the lot for some time but I have no complaints as it was exactly what I wanted. (The newest Tier IV model didn't interest me in either engine or looks.) To cap off the positive tractor buying experience, I got the machine for a few thousand dollars LESS than a comparable USED, mid-time, T1003 was selling for in Texas. I made a cost-comparison decision that a new 2015 machine bought for over $10K less than a 2016 model (or $20K over the identical Mahindra) was worth the hassle of a remote dealer that I wasn't likely to ever meet. Rolling the dice, mechanically, I figured the machine is under factory warranty for any repair at an area TYM dealer, if needed. Knowing I'd be paying the freight to get it to a (somewhat) local dealer, anything less than a catastrophic failure I will deal with out of pocket or will negotiate with the factory.
So far, so good at 120 hours and through a typical New England winter. Machine complaints are a non-functioning cigar lighter receptacle (it's not the fuse) and light hydraulic leaks (loader and 3rd function joints). The machine I give an "A". The dealer, something less.
As far as Smith Enterprise, my biggest complaint (and still sore point) is an implement order that arrived other than what I specified. I ordered a CID X-treme Skid Steer Grapple Rake with DUAL independent grapples through Smith and received a single grapple. I mentioned it to Billy and he had no answer. Not only does the sales invoice specify dual grapples, but I reminded him a number of times (via phone email) that I wanted dual. I'm not sure if the mix up was with Billy or the factory, but I still didn't get what I ordered. The grapple I did get is a beast, though and I highly recommend CID for it's build quality.
As far as the service department at Smiths is concerned, the jury is out. On a few occasions I dealt with service rep, Tony Odom, who was pleasant and mostly helpful as a go-between between me and the factory for parts, questions, etc. One issue I faced with them, and probably would with most other TYM dealers, is that they're not that familiar with the larger hp machines. So, any specific questions asked, if you get an answer at all, has to wait until the dealer deals with the distributor. Calling the distributor directly may or may not get you a response as they generally want you to deal with their (mainly) unresponsive dealers. Another minor complaint is that the operator's manual was for an earlier model of my machine and some components were different. I downloaded an online version of the manual and it was also different. The biggest problem was a difference in the maintenance schedules for the 50 hour service. I ended up downloading the newest version for the Tier IV tractor and interpolating between the three.
So, all in all, I give the machine an A and the dealer a C+.