When will a Rural King store open in my area

GirlWhoWantsTractor · Jul 17, 2018

There is a Rural King in Wytheville, VA, if that helps. I would have bought one because you can't beat the price, even though I'm not mechanical and am dependent on dealer support. I mean the value is ridiculous! But my land is very steep and I need a wide stance, and the RK's are your typical longer and narrower tractor. So I opted for the Mahindra, which is wider/shorter than any other tractor of the same size (for which there was a dealer any where near me). Still a good value too.

Agree there may be some risk due to the newness. I might be run over by a bus tomorrow too.

Wagtail · Jul 17, 2018

Count your blessings. 'Everything' big, what you call Big Box Stores, major retailers, heck, even McDonalds/KFC etc... is at least a 2 hr one way trip for me (including my tractor dealership).

I just plan a trip to the Big Smoke to make it worth the petrol/time.

4tillingdirt · Jul 17, 2018

GirlWhoWantsTractor said:
There is a Rural King in Wytheville, VA, if that helps. I would have bought one because you can't beat the price, even though I'm not mechanical and am dependent on dealer support. I mean the value is ridiculous! But my land is very steep and I need a wide stance, and the RK's are your typical longer and narrower tractor. So I opted for the Mahindra, which is wider/shorter than any other tractor of the same size (for which there was a dealer any where near me). Still a good value too.

Agree there may be some risk due to the newness. I might be run over by a bus tomorrow too.

I had looked at a 3550 Mahindra because it is wide and heavy, but I have read so much about these tractors being Indian crap (hopefully yours is built by someone else) that I have been scared away from them.

GirlWhoWantsTractor · Jul 18, 2018

4tillingdirt said:
I had looked at a 3550 Mahindra because it is wide and heavy, but I have read so much about these tractors being Indian crap (hopefully yours is built by someone else) that I have been scared away from them.

Mahindra-bashing is a hobby for some folks (cue links to those two threads where a heavy commercial user had to wait weeks to get fixed and was furious because he was losing money then finally got fixed and still has his Mahindra and loves it). I haven't had mine long enough to speak about its reliability (no probs so far) but if you scan the threads on TBN for a few years you'll see "problem" threads for all brands. I swear there's someone who goes all over the web talking about "fit and finish" -- always uses those exact words -- not sure what he means.

Older Mahindras may have been built in India; mine is I believe all Japan/Korea parts and assembled in the US.

There are no tractors under 100hp manufactured in North America. There are a few assembly plants in the United States putting some tractors together but pretty much everything is actually made overseas and none of the power trains are built out here.

Case, Ford, New Holland, Massey, McCormick, Kubota, and yup you guessed it, even big JD are all made elsewhere.

It's a funny beast. Perhaps lacking some electronic doo-dads which for me is a plus because those always seem to be trouble spots on anything mechanical. Heavily built for sure (compare the frames and axles), no plastic or aluminum. Steering arms and other stuff placed where it won't get dinged in my heavy woods, and there's a heavy metal plate under the engine to protect stuff there. So kind of an old-school tractor, yet they invested all that money to come up with new technology to avoid regen or DPR and I liked that.

People are very brand-loyal here. I didn't buy a brand; I bought the combo of features that suited me. I think you have to shop, compare, and judge for yourself.

Birdhunter1 · Jul 18, 2018

The store in Murphysboro had a good manager several years ago, he parted ways with RK to go join his dad on the farm. I don't know the terms on how they parted ways but this guy was about 40, farmed locally, knew what everything in the store did, where it was, what the locally available supplies needed to be and kept the place stocked and clean.

rekees4300 · Jul 18, 2018

Birdhunter1 said:
I have two Rural Kings near me, one about 7 miles away the other about 13 miles away. Neither one keeps shelves stocked well, if it is hydraulic fittings good luck on them having two of the same fitting. The fence section is stocked once in a while, I bought them out of high tensile tension springs and it was over 2 months before they had more on the shelf. The stores are usually a cross between filthy and dirty, they look great when they first open then run downhill fairly quick it seems. Roof leak..... place a bucket under the leak keep emptying it. The restrooms, while nice that they offer restrooms, typically I can find cleaner ones at the most run down gas station you've ever seen... I hate going in them even for a standup job.

Lastly the management.... whether it is the Carbondale or Murphysboro, IL store if you go in between 3 and 4:30 any afternoon through the week be prepared to wait 5 or 6 deep in line for the one maybe two cashiers working and the several empty checkout lanes. Yes I know they aren't the only retail establishment that does this but good night when every day is busy at the same time then staff the place accordingly. On a good day you can watch a certain manager apologizing to customers for having sub par employees that won't answer a radio to come help as a cashier and berating the ones that were working.

So, you want a Rural King, come take either of mine and leave a Bucheiitts or Tractor Supply co.

Ditto ... exactly the same problems with the 2 stores near me. Couple years ago I was browsing their clothing for a jacket. Separated the jackets and a nest of baby mice fell on the floor!

No way I'll ever buy clothing from them much less a tractor. Who wants a cashier and/or shelf-stocker servicing the tractor?!

Tennsawdust · Aug 6, 2018

My local Tractor Supply is clean and the staff is great, but they are very poorly stocked. A lot of SKUs were stocked for the grand opening a few years ago and they have never re-ordered. I end up going to the local Co-op or driving to the next town over to find what I need. I've been in Rural Kings that were great and some that were not so great. I'm hoping the new one opening up near me is OK, although this area is a really tough labor market so they have a headwind to overcome already.

Stimw · Aug 12, 2018

I really like the 1 year old store in Gainesville Fl. but do have some complaints.
I sent a polite email addressing them but never heard back. ??
It's in an old Sam's Club store and the parking lot is large but isles/spaces are small.
If a PU parks behind me I have to sea/saw to get out and I have a small SUV.
Bought several items with rebates and never got them.
I get emails about products, I check availability and none within 100 miles!
Have to search for price on many items even when displayed on end walls.

Ritothebull · Aug 12, 2018

Thats what RK is doing around here, going into the old abandoned K-Mart stores. Both of the ones by me look ok but you can forget about rolling a shopping cart across the parking lots, that old asphalt is so busted up you practally need a 4 wheel drive just to get through there. The new one just up the road seemed to just pop up overnight like they just hung a sign and moved in, I think all the shelves and fixtures in there are the old K-Mart stuff.