Does Anyone Buy Used Tractors?

[Hay Dude]

Due diligence. Don't buy from people you would not trust with something as valuable as your hard earned cash. Listen to the seller's story. If the story sounds fishy walk away. If you cannot assess the equipment properly or the investment is rather significant pay a 3rd party to inspect the machine. It's called a PPI. A pre purchase inspection can save you from buying the wrong car or tractor. Especially handy when the seller is not the owner.

I have done this, but it doesn’t guarantee success. It’s not foolproof.

One time I bought a tractor much too far away from me to test out myself. Hired local dealer who carried their brand (AGCO Massey). The technician dispatched for $300 to look at the tractor for me was also well acquainted with the seller, who spent a lot of money over the years at their dealership. To the technician, I was just some outsider paying for ONE hour of service. He was actually representing the seller more than me, the buyer.

He checked every box on the checklist as being “operable”. When I got it, the AC didn‘t work and the front brakes were not working either. That was $6,000 in repairs.

 

[LouNY]

I have done this, but it doesn’t guarantee success. It’s not foolproof.

One time I bought a tractor much too far away from me to test out myself. Hired local dealer who carried their brand (AGCO Massey). The technician dispatched for $300 to look at the tractor for me was also well acquainted with the seller, who spent a lot of money over the years at their dealership. To the technician, I was just some outsider paying for ONE hour of service. He was actually representing the seller more than me, the buyer.

He checked every box on the checklist as being “operable”. When I got it, the AC didn‘t work and the front brakes were not working either. That was $6,000 in repairs.

But when buying where you can't physically put your hands on a tractor or any equipment I do believe that hiring a local "expert" to look over the product is your best bet. Some times it doesn't work out well but often it will help.

 

[scootr]

I have done this, but it doesn’t guarantee success. It’s not foolproof.

One time I bought a tractor much too far away from me to test out myself. Hired local dealer who carried their brand (AGCO Massey). The technician dispatched for $300 to look at the tractor for me was also well acquainted with the seller, who spent a lot of money over the years at their dealership. To the technician, I was just some outsider paying for ONE hour of service. He was actually representing the seller more than me, the buyer.

He checked every box on the checklist as being “operable”. When I got it, the AC didn‘t work and the front brakes were not working either. That was $6,000 in repairs.

Ouch. I would have raised hell with the seller and the dealer.
I sent a car I was looking at buying out of state to a dealer for a $200 pre purchase inspection. They said it looked good. Only thing they found a few bolts missing in the in the CV joints. My buddies talked me out of buying that one. We will never know if the missing bolts were indicative of serious neglect or not.
When I looked at my Kubota it looked like new with 147 hrs on it. Oil was clean. The owner was moving out of state, I took it.
My Terex came out of a local dealers rental fleet. It had 1500 hrs on it and was dented and scraped all the way around. lol
Great running machine. Talk about heavy duty. Their main product line is mining equipment.

 

[Hay Dude]

But when buying where you can't physically put your hands on a tractor or any equipment I do believe that hiring a local "expert" to look over the product is your best bet. Some times it doesn't work out well but often it will help.

Yep, that’s what I have done 3 or 4 times now and it has worked for me all but the one time.

Just have to realize that theres a good chance the company you hire may be more on the sellers side, if they do business with the seller.

I guess what one could do is ask the dealer if the seller is a customer of theirs, but where does it end.

 

[Hay Dude]

Ouch. I would have raised hell with the seller and the dealer.
I sent a car I was looking at buying out of state to a dealer for a $200 pre purchase inspection. They said it looked good. Only thing they found a few bolts missing in the in the CV joints. My buddies talked me out of buying that one. We will never know if the missing bolts were indicative of serious neglect or not.

Raised hell with the seller how?

It’s buyer beware, bro.

The dealer was a different story. I paid him to be “independent” and give an unbiased rendering of the tractors condition. Over the phone from 1,000 miles away in Canada and he basically told me to pound sand.

The GOOD thing is I got it cheap and I love the tractor, so even with the repairs, I am happy.

My point is, don’t buy used from long distance unless you REALLY like it and it’s cheaper than you expected.

 

[scootr]

Obviously buying local is best. You get to talk face to face with the seller and see the machine.

 

[jjeff]

Imho a good experience with a overbuilt qaulity brand of tractors thats been used and abused and might look likes its fallen off a flatbed several times but still runs, and operates like it's supposed to (somewhat) is what sells me every time while other buyers won't even look at it no matter how cheap. L4150 5k hrs l2850 2.5k hrs both have been used and abused by previous owners and sometimes inadvertently learning how to operate it by me put away wet and keep coming back for more lol.

 

[jjeff]

Here's a used up (cheapest cab tractor I could find at time) only had to replace the rad and built front grill guard bumper, yooper rigged hydraulic clutch shifter. hogging 10 acres +Xmas tree rows problem free for over 5 yrs now, only regret is it's impossible to find a parts tractor for it at scrap prices cause they apparently don't die lol.

 

[5030]

I'm gonna post this up for anyone, anywhere that ever considers buying a used Kubota tractor, far away or even somewhat local...

Kubota's, especially earlier models with hydraulically actuated PTO's have an inherent issue and that is...

The PTO brakes on Kubota's consist of one or possibly 2 wet brake discs and they are prone to failure if the owner had used the tractor to run an implement like a brush hog or any implement where the implement kept driving the PTO when the PTO was disengaged.

Why I always use an over running coupler on my brush hogs (the pull type or the bat wing) because neither have a built in over running clutch and will drive the PTO until they wind down and that destroys the PTO brake that is internal in the tractor.

Easy to tell if the internal PTO brake is shot, just grab the output shaft (wear a glove so you don't get greasy) and turn it (tractor engine off, PTO not engaged). If it turns more than 45 degrees in either direction or just rotates freely, the internal PTO brake is shot and that requires some serious shop time to repair because it requires a split to access the hydraulically actuated PTO clutch pack.

It only takes a few times with an implement free wheeling and driving the PTO stub to destroy the PTO brake discs.

not a good design far as I'm concerned but it is what it is at least on older Kubota's. Don't know about the newer ones, just the older pre 4 units.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

PTO brakes suck, I would not fix one if it did fail! I hate the things.

SR