Dealer Dealer does not seem interested in dealing

Soundguy · Apr 20, 2005

( We got a quote from Corriher which is about 300 miles from us. We spoke to the nearest dealer and he gave a price which is about $800.00 more. ... but we'd have to hire a tow truck to get the tractor off the truck which seems like a bit of coordinating )

I'm probably missing the obvious.. but what will you need a tow truck for to get the tractor off the trailer?

In any case.. you've got a dealer 300miles away.. that is $800 cheaper.. and you've indicated that you will apparently need to pay a third party to facilitate unloading. So you need to deduct the price of the 'tow truck' from the 800$ difference.

That lowers it to what? 650$ If it were me.. ( I know.. it's your money.. not mine ).. and apples to apples. 650$ is not worth sacrificing the benefit of having a local dealer for service.. as you are not likely to drive 300m for service. The 50m away dealer would be an option.. if you had your own trailer.. that might be n option.. but there would have to be a price diferential there too.

My NH dealer is about 20miles away.. and that's as far as i would want it to be.

Soundguy

pekabu · Apr 20, 2005

Hi Soundguy, you need a way to get it off the trailer. Mine was shipped on an empty dropdeck trailer. If there were a nearby dock you could use that would save some money. For me it was $70 to get a wrecker with a roll off bed to come.

SacandagaBrad · Apr 20, 2005

( 650$ is not worth sacrificing the benefit of having a local dealer for service. )

I agree with Soundguy. When I bought my TC-24D with blade, FEL, mmm, and snowblower, I had one dealer 12 miles away (that I drive past every day) $1000 higher than a dealer 50 miles out of my way for the complete package. Both dealers have good reputations for service and have been in business with ag and heavy equipment for years. I walked in to the closer, higher priced dealer and told him if he would split the $1000 difference and throw in transportation during the warranty period, he had a deal. Wrote the down payment check 5 minutes later. Best $500 I have ever spent. Since the delivery, they have made a few house calls (50 hour, factory recall on the FEL, and checking out problem), and always listened to my "stupid" questions. I think having a local dealer counts for a lot.

One thing I do believe in - don't make an offer to a dealer unless you're going to back it up if accepted, whether its tractors, cars, whatever. On the other hand, you also need to be ready to walk out the door - there is alway another deal, always. Dealers know what they have to make on a given unit and it varies, depending on overhead, recent sales, etc. But they also make their living reading people's reactions during negotiations.

Good luck in your purchase.

Brad

frank_f15 · Apr 20, 2005

I will just add my $.02 and agree that $800 is not that much a difference for a dealer that is close and you will probably have to deal with somewhere down the road. I think Robert gave good advice as did all the others. just don't rush and be sure you get what you need.

Soundguy · Apr 21, 2005

( Mine was shipped on an empty dropdeck trailer. )

Drop deck.. ? It didn't have any provisions for dropping the front of the trailer and pulling the cab out of the way?

Sounds like yous was more of a plain flatbed.. no ramps, dovetail, or drop deck.. etc.

Also.. when he said tow truck.. I was trying to figure out how a tow truck would help unload a tractor.. In retrospect.. a rolloff bed tow truck yes. etc.

Soundguy

pekabu · Apr 21, 2005

When I say dropdeck, I meant a flatbed that drops down behind the truck. So instead of a 45' long bed, it's like a 12 foot bed, then it drops down a foot or so and the rest is lower. I did look at a kubuta dealer out of state and shipping with a roll of truck was more than shipping from NC on a flatbed (less than 1/3 the mileage). I assume the trucks go south full, and instead of coming home empty they pickup what they can. Around here you see Canadian trucks coming down full of wood, then going north they take a light load of logs so DOT doesn't bother them. Helps pay for fuel.

We usually refer to the trailers that the front come off as "lowboys".

A friend bought a small NH TLB (not a Farm tractor setup. Something like a NH 555 with quad steering?). Anyway, he called this type of trucker "Gypsy's". Never heard of that term before. Anyway, the company that delivered my tractor was out of Massachusetts, but the trucker lived in SC.

Most tow trucks around here are now roll offs, International being the most prevalent.

Soundguy · Apr 21, 2005

( We usually refer to the trailers that the front come off as "lowboys".
)

Must just be regional lingo differences. here in florida.. a drop deck or drop neck refers to a semi flatbed that detaches behind the 5th wheel..that leaves the nose down on the ground so that you can drive the load on.. then pick the neck back up. The neck stays attached to the tractor/cab.

A dovetail refers to a trailer with sloped rear, whether it has ramps or not. A lowboy refers to one with low ground clearance, for hauling tall loads where there are bridge height concerns..e tc.

A plain flatbed would be a trailer with no drive on loading capability, and a box trailer would be the enclosed flatbeds.. etc.

You can have combinations.. for instance.. our main equipment drailer is a 80ton dropneck lowboy with dovetail, and rear ramps.

Soundguy

MessickFarmEqu · Apr 21, 2005

Using any kind of trailer that requres this kind of unloading should be a red flag. It sounds like they are using Yellow freight or an LTL to ship the tractor to you... not delivering it with one of their own trucks. No equipment dealership would have a truck/trailer that requires a loading dock or towing company to load and unload.

pekabu · Apr 21, 2005

Wow, you know your stuff. Big red flag on that. Wait, I just realized that company has been in business since 1946. Must going out any minute. Goto there website and you can see pages of happy customers and there tractors. Hmmm, saving money where possible just doesn't make sense. They tell you up front, and it took less than 10 minutes once there. It cost me the same to ship from NC and unload as a getting a tractor from eastern NY (less than 200 miles away by roll off). /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif