Grapple Buying a grapple

[redstatedog]

Ditto Island Tractor's obsevations.

 

[Westendorf-RR]

Give us a call, we'll be glad to quote you a price and recommend the best unit for your FEL. Toll Free - 1-877-423-0070

 

[Northstar9126]

Personally I tend to think that when someone doesn't post prices the item is very expensive and the seller doesn't want to scare a potential buyers away without getting a chance to make a sales pitch. I don't have time for the pitch, so I tend to move on. Not saying that is the case here, just how I see things.

 

[BigE_]

Ditto that, NorthStar.

No offensive intended, Westendorf.

If I have to call and ask for a price, then in my opinion, the website isn't designed well enough to guide me in the right direction.

The general argument I hear is that people will buy the wrong thing and then send it back. However, if you have a good interactive website, people can be guided to an informed decision. A well designed web site that generates sales has got to be cheaper than an 800 number where a call is required for every order.

Take a cue from Amazon.com -- it is almost *too* easy to make a purchase.

No prices, incomplete specs, and I move on.

 

[Westendorf-RR]

Thank you for your comments, I am always looking for feedback on our website and how I can make it more user friendly and easier for the customer to decide on the product that is right for them. Because we sell our products through a dealer network, the price I would list may not be what your dealer would quote. Do you think an estimate or approximate price on our website would be better than none?

 

[dknarnd]

Guys...I beleve Westendorf is appropriate in not having prices on his web page...he is not Amazon! On a purchase such as this wouldn't you rather talk to a knowledgeable person that can answer questions, I would. Also he is not selling direct so your loacal stealer is going to take his piece of the pie which means you need to check your stealers web page (or call) for the actual price you will pay.

Now he could put a suggested retail price or list price on his web page which would give you a ball park figure to use while shopping but again since you have to go through a stealer you would be better going to them and get some actual figures so you can find the best stealer.

Notice I say stearler and not dealer because I am going through this same thing now with W.R. Long. You get quite a price swing when you talk to a couple stealers about the same piece of equipment. Personally I would rather deal direct with the manufacturer like you can with Millionzi and cut out the stealer altogether.

 

[Reg]

Guys...I beleve Westendorf is appropriate in not having prices on his web page...he is not Amazon! On a purchase such as this wouldn't you rather talk to a knowledgeable person that can answer questions, I would. Also he is not selling direct so your loacal stealer is going to take his piece of the pie which means you need to check your stealers web page (or call) for the actual price you will pay.

Now he could put a suggested retail price or list price on his web page which would give you a ball park figure to use while shopping but again since you have to go through a stealer you would be better going to them and get some actual figures so you can find the best stealer.

Notice I say stearler and not dealer because I am going through this same thing now with W.R. Long. You get quite a price swing when you talk to a couple stealers about the same piece of equipment. Personally I would rather deal direct with the manufacturer like you can with Millionzi and cut out the stealer altogether.

I'll 2nd most of that.

When I started my lit'ul biz I had the hardest time with cold callers whose first question was "How MUCH ?".
I talked to (of all people,,, well maybe the best choice) a car salesman about how to answer it. Basically he said, "don't". Without being evasive find a polite way to ask them if they're price shopping. If they are and you tell them $X they will thank you and keep calling the next guy on the list until they find the one who is a dollar cheaper than all the rest. They won't get the best product/service, but they will get the lowest price - so what ?
There are ways to tell potential customers that you are not at the Walmart end of the price spectrum and if price is their primary concern then you are probably not their best solution.

I digested all that and I'm still refining my "script".
What I do know is that I lose 'em in 30 seconds if I say "$x".
If they don't have time to listen to why I offer a LOT more for a LITTLE more, then they don't have time to shop intelligently - and basically I don't need them.
(-:

 

[BigE_]

For some reason I didn't pick up on the dealer vs. mfg angle. I'm new to this, and am currently looking for a grapple. I just haven't decided what type or which one yet (and am seriously considering making my own -- I have all the equipment required to do so).

That being said, I still don't like it when I have to go through all kinds of hoops to get a price quote. Even an MSRP is better than nothing. And I still stick by my post above -- if you have to go through a dealer or call an 800 number just to figure out what you want, and a web site exists, then the web site isn't designed well enough to let you figure it out on your own.

I'm an electrical engineer, and generally I'm stuck to keeping within a budget on a given project. Designing a circuit is the easy part; finding and picking which part to go in there is the hardest part. You generally have to find something that just barely meets the specs to get the lowest price, but often times a better part will be a lower price due to volumes. I won't work with vendors who won't even give me a ballpark price figure. (MSRP if you will).

I'll admit, I am the type of guy who will price shop for personal purchases, but I do my major purchases in two stages: the first stage is shopping around, trying to get a ballpark estimate of how much I'll need to spend, and what I'll get for what I'm spending. I'm also trying to see how will provide me with the best after purchase service. I will pay more for better service. The second stage is after I've come up with the required funds, I know exactly what I want, and I can spot a deal when I see it. I don't make a bunch of money, so I have to make it go far, and I generally pay cash for my purchases (including trucks and tractors). Saved four years for a tractor, and spent 9 months finding out which one I wanted....

And yes, people who quote me $x in the first 30 seconds generally don't know exactly what I'm looking for and likely won't get my business, unless they caveat and follow up with questions, etc.

Stihl has a good thing going with their prices -- every dealer has the same price, and the same sales. You want a deal on a Stihl? Either wait for a returned item (get 10% off, but it is lightly used), wait for a sale, or buy used. Apple does the same thing with iPODs, and it seems to work for them.

 

[thunderworks]

I've seen Westendorf products, including the Brush Crusher line on Ebay. You might check there to get a sense of what the stuff sells for.

 

[Tscott9330]

I am not sure about the rest of you but the brush crusher design has gotten my creative juices flowing. This innovative approach of no extra hydraulics could easily be adapted to a more traditional root rake/ grapple. Think about it, if you mount the root rake section hard to the loader pins, and use the bucket tilt hydraulics to activate the thumb, then you would be in business. You would of course loose the ability to "dump" the bucket, but if you designed and built a root rake to similar in design to the quick attach teeth (i.e. more of a set of scarifers than an actual bucket) and mounted it at a good neutral angle then you would have not need for this function. You would loose the ability to "scoop" brush but you would be able to get under it and close the thumb on it to accomplish the same task.

Man! I am just itchen to weld something. LoL

Tom

 

[IslandTractor]

I am not sure about the rest of you but the brush crusher design has gotten my creative juices flowing. Tom

I suspect the best, though still limited configuration, would be to build one as a clamshell style grapple where both upper and lower jaws moved in opposite directions. That would overcome the fixed and inflexible bottom jaw issue which would be very frustrating. A scissor like action would be workable but still a significant compromise over what a traditional hydraulic grapple would do.

When I moved my regular grapple from a smaller tractor to a bigger FEL, the hoses were too short to permit me to fully dump the grapple (I've since added an extension). It was very frustrating to try to operate the grapple not being able to fully "dump".