Dpes anyone think Kubota parts are way expensive?

Anonymous Poster · Aug 19, 2001

Some of you may remember some posts from me some months ago about one of my backhoe valve bodies. About $600 through the dealer. About $100 for the same Husco (what Kubota uses) from an independent hydraulic supplier. And the $100 is RETAIL!

Typically an auto parts store needs a gross margin of 60% to survive. They pay (or hope to pay) 40 cents and sell for a dollar. Typical car dealers buy at 60 cents and sell for a dollar, and they have the service and sales department to help pay the overhead.

Kubota Corp feels that buying a part for $50 wholesale means the retail price to the customer should be 12 times that. This isn't something the dealer is stocking either.

The funny thing is that near comparable Kubota's are sold in other countries for far less then we get here, of course they are "not-the-same". No ROPS (that's got to raise the price 50%) etc.

Sooner or later someone is going to set up a website and buy the parts retail in Mongolia and ship them over here and make $$$ selling us our parts at realistic prices.

If Kubota can't afford to keep it's inventory readily available at this kind of markup, what does that say abou their parts management at the corporate level?

They need to make a decent profit to continue to run the business, which we all need, but as time goes on more and more people are going to know if that if they buy a tractor they better hope nothing goes wrong with it as the parts situation is going to make them wish they had put that SUPER UDT in on time! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif/w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif/w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

del

glennmac · Aug 19, 2001

Speaking of ROPS, I have the non-foldable kind on my 2910. In connection with thinking about a backhoe, I asked what the price would be for a folding ROPS. $650! What material or manufacturing cost justifies that? I can buy a decent tv or camera for that price.

Anonymous Poster · Aug 19, 2001

That ROPS probably has a large cost due to the safety tests that have to be performed on it to certify it and reduce their insurance liability. At least I hope that is what they are amortizing. Actually $600 for a properly built bar isn't that bad.

Some parts are however; made out of a rare alloy, unobtainium.

del

Wheeldog · Aug 19, 2001

Glenn,

When I bought my tractor it came with the folding ROPS, and I'm certain that the option added $200 to the list price, if that helps any. Can't they give you any credit for trading in you fixed ROPS, even though it is slightly used?

I'm surprised yours came with the fixed ROPS. R-S in Torrington puts the folding ROPS on their tractors, and mine came from New Milford so I assumed it was the same there.

Rob

JRP · Aug 19, 2001

Before I bought my M6800 I priced some parts for a John Deere. The big green plastic roof for a Cab - $170.00, , and pre-formed hydraulic tubing that goes to the hydraulic oil cooler (JD has a cooler, bota does not) were $14 each. These prices seemed reasonable.

I live in the middle of a bunch of farmes and ranches. This must be one of the reasons why so many farmers say "buy green".

I hope I never really need parts. I mean, not just some filters.

glennmac · Aug 19, 2001

Rob,

I specifically wanted the nonfolding ROPS. I thought, and still do, that the folding ROPS on the 2910 is too tall and ungainly and fairly useless (unless you need it to get into your garage). Wasnt thinking backhoes at the time, however. Actually, whether or not my ROPS would interfere with a hoe will probably depend on what hoe and what mount.

Yes, if you order it at the time of purchase, it's about what you say. But if you order it later, its over 600. And, no, they wont give credit for the old one. Same price phenomenon for a 4 position fel valve, which I could have had for about $35 bucks at purchase, but for which they now want over $400. I wouldnt buy a Kubota again without a 4 way valve.

By the way, if you are looking at blades, check the Leinbach ones that Woodbury Tractor sells.

Anonymous Poster · Aug 19, 2001

<font color=blue>...check the Leinbach ones ...</font color=blue>

I have a couple of their rakes and their post hole digger... very hefty for the price...

skent · Aug 20, 2001

Not a Kubota part, but the right wheel spindle on my Troy-Bilt GT was worn. Now mind you its a 13 year old GT with close to 3000 Hours. Called TroyBilt in NY. Was $70.00 each but Part was discontinued with no replacement available. Called local TroyBilt dealer . . . had six on the shelf. Told he they don't make them anymore. $86.00 each. When they are gone. . . .thats it!. So I figured I'd get the left side and replace that one too (it wasn't worn as bad, but to keep things equal). He only had two of the left spindles on the shelf and they were $195.00 each. Mirror image of the same part, over twice the price. The old law of "Supply and demand".

Steve

gordon · Aug 20, 2001

Ya gets what ya pay for in replacement parts, sometimes that is. Watch out when you buy the autoparts replacement stuff. You might be getting the same as factory and then again you might not. So do you really want that gamble. I don't. The filters for the Kubota aren't that bad in price. The thing I do is buy a few at a time this saves trips to the dealer. Now some of the parts are CRAZY but if you have to have it. You pay the price. That is the fun of owining a tractor.

Gordon

Wheeldog · Aug 20, 2001

Glenn,

Ouch! I guess they make sure and punish us for not anticipating 20 years worth of needs at the time of initial purchase.

I was on the fence about the folding ROPS and had really considered swapping to the fixed at the time of purchase. (Extended, the folding ROPS is about 1.5 inches too tall for my garage, so I think the fixed would just clear /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif). I've really come to like using the folding feature during mowing though, especially since I picked up an extra mowing job - half of which is pretty steep and the other half is completely overgrown with small trees and bushes. The fold-a-bility really comes in handy.

Thanks for the tip on the Leinbach blades - I would like to take a trip out there one of these Saturdays and look around.