Grade of Tractors

[jmf7112001]

I read remarks all the time about Grade A tractor or Grade D & C Tractors. I wonder who does this grading and who's standards are used. Won't it be great if TractorByNet formed a group to establish these standards. Then we could form an organization of dealers that would adhere to using this system. I won't mind paying to belong to such organization if it would police this grading system. Then we could go to our customer saying we belong to the Tractorbynet grading system. We grade this tractor as a etc. Set up a set of standards to use and live by them. If a member gets a complaint against him, then he has to defend him self or get his association member pulled. There is lots of good tractor coming into this country, but there is lots of junk also. It would be interesting to hear from the group of what can we do to improve the quality of our product.

Joe Foster
Tractor Man
Lincoln, Al

joefoster@pell.net

 

[lens12]

The grading is done by the Japanese sellers & they probably set the standards on a individual basis. As a purchaser I have to decide if I think they are accurate or not & adjust my purchases accodingly.

 

[LMTC]

Ditto on Len. If I'm not happy, I vote with my dollars. My suppliers know that.
Let's be realistic. Police a 10-12,000 unit/year industry of used equipment? With what authority? No offense, but many folks here have extremely limited knowledge of mechanics and tractors. They should grade my equipment? Volume and history (i.e., reputation) should grade my equipment for the buyer.
99% of the calls I get from someone wanting us to repair their junk tractor (and make a it a good repaired tractor...I try to explain that a junk tractor still repairs to a junk tractor) involve someone who either bought at auction (NO seller in reality) or from someone with a very few units who is not able to support the customer at all. Who can most avoid this? Would it be.....ta-da (drum roll, please)..the buyer? Yes, there is the occasional bum unit at a "legitimate" dealer, but even among those of us who work at this on a large scale users have a general sense of who is reputable and who is not. It's this incessant need to get the "best" price, the prettiest tractor, the whatever.....rather than the tractor in the best condition from someone who will take care of you if the need arises.
Do you see Little Miami Trading Company's customers bouncing around here in agony with their purchases? No. Fredricks customers? No. Len's customers? Nope again. Hobby Horse (see other posts on the board) had a rep LONG before the state went after them. People bought because they liked the price.
Is it a hassle to drive 400 miles to see us? Yes...for one weekend. A drag to pay $600 shipping on a tractor? Heck yes, that's a lot of wages. What's it worth to know you just increased your odds dramatically of getting a good, solid, last a generation or more tractor? And that your seller will be there if you do have a problem?
Think about the major problems with relatively recent purchases that you see posted on this board. Were they bought from established dealers? Or auctions and virtually unknown sellers?
You don't always get what you pay for, but you almost NEVER get more than you pay for.
Wayne (sorry, I know I tend to rant..no offense intended)--owner, LMTC

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Wake up guys, most people here would not buy a car from an car auction, and they are much more policed than Ag auctions. So, why would you buy a tractor from an auction expecting a perfect tractor??? It is at an auction for a reason!
JB

 

[snooks]

LMTC has an excellent point. This does make it hard for a new dealer to get started where everyone is trying to sort the good from the bad. Of coarse the guys like LMTC have rightfully earned their reputation. However, for those in Illinois, Livengood Equipment is a small yet growing dealer that deserves a look. He has some very clean units (unpainted too). I also found Hal Livengood to be a real honest individual with a very strong mechanical background. He spends time with his customers to make sure they know what they are getting and understands what they need to know. I have been very satisfied with the product and support.

 

[EFC]

I think we all understand the idea and appreciate the need for honest sales but reality sets in a screws it up. 90% or more of my customers have no idea that there are online clubs/organizations for tractors, heck a lot of dealers don’t know. Bad mouthing a dealer or passing judgment on him is generally useless and it is possible that the information might be inaccurate. I don’t think I have sold two tractors because of any of the online forums.
LMTC is right, the buyer has all the power! You should have the same idea in mind when you walk into Wal-Mart, Kmart, or Sears. Is this a good value for "ME" and do "I" feel comfortable with the terms. Everybody has different needs. Not everybody wants a grade A tractor. There has to be a tractor for every level of buyer. The ability to import A,B,C or D tractors does not make you a reputable or non reputable dealer. It is funny sometimes, if I have a broken tractor out back that is waiting for repairs that is the one the customer always wants. They say the same thing every time "give me a good deal on that one if I fix it myself?". Hehe, I always reply "NO" because that would be the guy that ran around the whole country saying I sold him a broken tractor.
Whatever grade you sell just be honest about the product and the terms, at that point it is the customers responsibility to be in charge of his or hers destiny.
I have always wanted to put an ad in the paper that said "Broken, junky maybe fixable cheep tractors for sale, as is where is, you haul this crap out of my yard 555-JUNK." just to see how many people showed up.....I bet there would be hundreds. /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif

 

[Tractors4u]

I have to say I agree with Wayne and Buck. The tractors are only as good as the dealer. There are some big dealers and there are some small dealers, I am in the later category. The are good and bad in both groups. I don't think the grade of the tractor is as important as the grade of the dealer. The bad dealers usually get weeded out most of the time. An organization to rate tractors? A good idea, but I don't think it would work. Human nature will take charge. Like Buck said, people want the junk tractors out back to save a buck and then whine about it. I won't sell any fixer uppers either. If I advertised myself as Tractorbynet Certified Grade A tractors and Bubba Tractors Inc across town has them for $5 less, they will go to Bubba everytime if I don't instill confidence in the potential buyer. Where I work we are ISO 9001 certified, what a joke. Whenever I see ISO 9000, 9001 or whatever on a package I know that that company has spent a fortune to have some company come in and approve all the pencil whipping they have done.

 

[stnickstoys]

Well said Wayne, Buck and Brent
I too am a small dealer. I see people of all walks of life that come to look. When I see a couple ride in on a Sunday afternoon on a motorcycle rig that costs more than my yearly salary I get a little edgy. They are looking for brand new quality at a used price. They get off their bike, walk into my shop and start ripping on my tractors because a headlight might not work, or the seat may have a tear, or the tires may have light weather checking. I know that they are there to try to get a tractor for nothing and I know that they have the means to buy whatever they want. I politely tell them the features of my tractors and end up recommending that they visit the local JD dealer to see if he has something that would suit their needs and then compare to what a value my tractors are. On the other hand, when I see a guy drive up with an old beater GMC like my "Lowell" and a borrowed trailer, I know I have a serious shopper and I feel good knowing that I might be able to help this guy shopping for a tractor on a budget that probably resembles my own. It all depends on what someone is looking for in a tractor, I believe that I should sell them like I would want to be sold to. Honestly and fairly. I'm not afraid to point out minor flaws that I am aware of on a particular tractor. If it had major flaws I wouldn't sell it. I would rather have a happy informed customer any day that have a customer that will haunt me forever!!
Keep up the great posts guys!
Nick

 

[jmf7112001]

Its intresting to see the opinon of several of the larger dealers. I've noticed today that there has been over 350 views on this subject. Now I wonder where these views or coming from since I seen only 6 or 7 replies. I believe we loose sight of where our market is sometimes. I believe I'm correct in saying our market is for the guy with 5 to 20 areas that never had a tractor before. He wants to see if he wants to spend $12,000 plus for new tractor. He's also a worker who has to watch his money. And above all he's has to go ask his wife. How many times I've hear these stories. Are we thinking about help him make a purchase or are we self center on our own business. These little guys just starting out with a small tractor, just might one of these days own the big farm down the road with a dozen tractor. If I help him make a purchase or give him some guidance now I might get those dozen tractor one day. Believe me it happens. It happen to me as a young sales person, before I learn some good lessons. Now there is a group of us in this business that are real professional, but what I concerned in is giving the one time purchaser a little more cofidence in make a purchase of a grey market tractor. I feel I can match my knowledge of equipment with most of you, but this beginner don't even know what a PTO is. So why should we not thing in the terms of help our buyer make a buying decission, This will in the long run increase all of our business by increaseing our market.