How far would you travel for the right tractor?

[Diggin It]

My dealer is an hour and a half, one way.

Made two trips. Once to look, next time to sign.

 

[Hay Dude]

Not a tractor but 3 1/2 hours one way for my wife's horse.......

Whew....that must have cost a lot! :laughing:

 

[Diggin It]

Tractor dealers aren't like gas stations. 50-75 miles apart instead of opposite corners of an intersection.

That said, I do have two reds, an orange and a green within 10 miles of each other. There used to be a third red, but I think they're gone now.

 

[breedtractor]

I bought a new truck out of state online. Test drove the identical model locally, but the one I got had the color/features I wanted and was 2 states away. Had no qualms about doing that.

Trying to buy a used tractor, different story. I've got one in Texas that looks interesting, one in PA, one in AL, and one outside of Indianapolis. Haven't been able to find anything local.

There is a JD 790 with ~630 hours across the river from me that I've considered. Not sure if it's going to be up for the loader work I need to do. Moving large rocks...

 

[Hay Dude]

If one found a significant piece of equipment that had the exact features they wanted and was in a part of the country where equipment sells cheaper, then one would have to weigh that against buying a “ compromise “ from a local seller.
Unfortunately Im in the high tax/spend/cost Mid Atlantic part of the US, so I always look for equipment in Ohio, west VA, and western PA.

 

[fried1765]

If one found a significant piece of equipment that had the exact features they wanted and was in a part of the country where equipment sells cheaper, then one would have to weigh that against buying a compromise from a local seller.
Unfortunately Im in the high tax/spend/cost Mid Atlantic part of the US, so I always look for equipment in Ohio, west VA, and western PA.

Last June, I drove 350 miles each way, some of it over only fair condition rural roads, to get my L48 TLB.
Used, original owner L48 TLBs, with exceptionally low hours, are not to be found around every corner.
I have continued watching L48s listed for sale over the past 11 months, and there has been nothing available anywhere, with similar features, or in similar condition.

 

[Hay Dude]

Last June, I drove 350 miles each way, some of it over only fair condition rural roads, to get my L48 TLB.
Used, original owner L48 TLBs, with exceptionally low hours, are not to be found around every corner.
I have continued watching L48s listed for sale over the past 11 months, and there has been nothing available anywhere, with similar features, or in similar condition.

I would do the exact same thing. There is the situation where something breaks, its unrepairable and you have to settle for a reasonable replacement to finish a task.
Adding the features you want later is tremendously expensive.
Buddy of mine always wanted a Deere 310 backhoe with cab & A/C.
Found one with cab but no AC. Spent $7,000 to add the factory AC to it!!!

 

[riptides]

I've looked at a number of tractors now, and my wife thinks I'm crazy for driving an hour and a half after looking at pictures to see if one might be the one. How far have you driven to inspect a potential tractor?

My wife and I visited five dealerships ranging from 45 minutes to 2.5 hours away while we were looking for a tractor recently. Our issue was that the particular model we settled on had just started becoming available at dealers. We phoned quite a few more "looking" if the dealers had them on the lot.

We ended up buying the tractor from the furthest dealer, they just had, in our opinion, better customer care and service. We received a call from them, telling us that a particular tractor was in fact closer to another store of theirs, and went and did the deal there.

I think, 2 to 3 hours, one way, is a fair mileage and time factor, but in the end, it's dealer rep and their customer service that is the overriding factor.

The dealer delivered the tractor too.

 

[BigBlue1]

I drove 1200 miles from MN to Texas to buy my Deere 2520. Fortunately my parents winter near where the tractor was for sale and could go check it out for me. And that also gave me another reason to make the trip (would have probably visited them regardless of the tractor so it was kind of a fortuitous coincidence). But the tractor was a smokin' deal and would have been worth the drive in any event. Saved 3-4K compared to anything I had seen in my region.

For the OP: Driving an hour and a half is nothing for a major purchase. On major purchases sometimes it is tough to find the thing you are really looking for (model or configuration) and when you're spending big $$ on a long-term investment you want it to be right. If driving a couple hours for that is too much effort/money/time then maybe the whole purchase is too much effort/money...

Rob

 

[Hay Dude]

I will be buying a IH 7400 or 7500 6x6 in the next 2 years and it will be from 3000 miles away in California. Its about the only place they are readily available