How close is your dealer? And how important is that to you?

[DFB]

I have to say it dont matter much not from my experiences anyhow. As much as I like to have a dealership closer the nearest JD dealership or any brand for that matter is at least 90 min away or more now. My selling dealer was always there for me under the original warranty coming out to my place to service an issue and or picking up and delivering the tractor if needed n/c. But they have been absorbed into a larger 3 store conglomeration under different ownership since. I will source diesel rated motor oil and EP molygrease elswhere, I do only use JD's Low Vis hydraulic oil and I can actually get it from a nearby lawn mower dealership. I have the shop manuals for my tractor. JD engine oil filters and fuel filters are easy enough to get and have cross reference numbers on domestic oil filters I got here from TBN too. I have ordered from both JDPARTS Online and the new dealership. Usually only a couple of days turnaround at most. I usually figure the shipping charges were less than gas. I did have an issue with the parts guy from the new dealer last time even though I gave him the exact part number I needed and JD's online inventory showed they had the part in stock at their store the parts guy sent different part of course it didnt work and he had to make good on it and send out the right one N/C

A little closer there is an New Idea/Agco/New Holland parts and repair place still in business that mostly works on old tractors. I like to frequent it just for wealth of knowledge that owner has. The old faded sign out front tells it all

Interestingly when I was in Maine I had no less than 4 JD dealers within 30 minutes of my place and even though they all sold to me I was told only one( the very closest) was to be my official dealer and I was expected to take my business there. I've experienced the same terriorial thing with both motorcycle and car dealerships too

 

[Guesseral]

My dealer is 45 miles away, trailered the tractor up for a warranty claim after I waited for winter when I really didn't need the tractor but the warranty is up in March so when she comes home that is where she will stay. I get all of my parts for the older fords on line mainly ebay, if I buy things that are free shiping it is usually cheeper than driving to the dealer, even if I do have to pay shipping if I combine several items together shipping is less and with the cost of gas it doesn't take much to make it less expensive to order on line. There are many palces that sell on line and ship to you, my dealer even takes orders on line and ships. The biggest thing you have to do is know if the deal is worth it with shiping som etimes it really isn't, sometimes it's a fine line.

 

[Katahdin]

110 miles, and there's 3 other Yanmar dealers and a whole lot of other brand dealers closer. I'm kind of gambling/hoping I won't have to bring it in for warranty issues but I think I got the best price.

I'm somewhat mechanically inclined and I like to learn so I figured I'd do all the maintenance myself. For the free 50hr service the dealer gave me everything I needed. Future oil filters I can get from NAPA or a local Yanmar Marine dealer. Hydro filters are harder to find, the dealer can mail me those. Oil I can get anywhere, I'll probably get my next hydro oil supply at TSC.

I do pass near the dealer time to time, so I'll take advantage of those trips if I need to. If there's an emergency I'll see if a closer dealer will help me, maybe they'll earn my future business that way.

 

[TripleR]

There is one 18 miles away, but I go to the one 40 miles in the other direction due to better sales and service.

 

[redfarmer]

Just a little on how dealership is important to us. Hoober inc. a dealer for our case ih equipment, goes out of their way for part and service. Last fall I broke a part on our combine 6:30 on a Fri. Night with rain in the forecast and I wanted to finish so I called them and they didn't have one in stock however they had a combine in the lot they could take it off of. I got there half hr. Later and the office guy himself was removing it for me. Many other dealers would have made you wait until the next wk. So yea dealers count for me.

 

[MHarryE]

My Kubota/New Holland dealer is 150 miles away. When I complained Friday I didn't get a cap or calendar for Christmas the Spee-Dee delivery guy was here Monday morning with cap, calendar, rain gauge, and flashlight. They are the same way on parts I really need. Our John Deere dealers are 130 miles south and 125 miles northwest but John Deere has put both on notice they will be losing their dealerships. Don't know if JD is going to make them sell to a larger dealer so the places can still be branches or lose them altogether. Case-IH is over 200 miles away. It's work on them ourselves with telephone and email guidance and fast parts delivery. Caterpillar is close at 25 miles but the branch is mine equipment oriented and we don't want to risk a purchase and find they don't care because one of their mine truck sales here will probably be more than their entire Challenger line sales for a year. Still they treat me super when I go to buy anything for my mini-excavator. Order a part by 8 PM and have it at 7 AM the next morning.

 

[LJH]

Mine is about 2-1/2 hrs. away in St. George. We make that trip a few times a year to do the Costco/Lowes/Walmart stock-up and now the JD parts/filters/odds & ends stock-up. Fingers crossed the tractor doesn't need a dealer visit any time soon 'cause it's a serious pull up & down some steep, windy mountain roads getting there & back. My old F150 isn't up to the task so I have to depend on a good friend with a tandem trailer and the HP to pull it so fingers crossed I don't tear up anything major for a while.

Edit to add: Crossroads John Deere = great folks to deal with.

 

[Turbys_1700]

My dealer is 15 miles away but I drive past it everyday to work...
They carry New Holland, just took on Mahindra, and just got the Kubota line when the dealer closed down in Newton...
I've not had much work done from them since I do my own maintenance but they did install a FEL on my 1720 and did an excellent job...
They have very good mechanics and I would not hesitate in the least to let them wrench on my tractors if the need would arise...

 

[flusher]

My Mahindra dealer (Dave's Tractor in Red Bluff, CA) is about 25 miles from my place. My first tractor was a 2005 Kubota B7510HST and the dealer was located about 45 miles away. No problem hauling tractors these short distances.

 

[toxic]

my kubota dealer is all of 1.5 miles away from my shop and to me that was the biggest deciding factor when buying equipment. they are a top notch dealership carrying kubota, new Holland, land pride, wood, normand snowblowers and too many other tillage equipment lines to mention. For most of you on here tractor ownership is a privilege and not a matter of livelihood, so if it's a bit of an inconvenience to get parts and service and you're going to be down for a couple of days it doesn't really matter. Now for someone in my position where being down for a couple of days means potentially thousands in lost income have a dealer that will do everything in their power to get me up and running is worth far more to me than travelling further to buy equipment just to save a couple bucks.