How long should we expect parts to be stocked by manufacturer?

[Kyle_in_Tex]

I was thinking there used to be a law requiring a minimum number of years to have parts availability. I think it was 7 or 10 is what I heard.

How long Deere will keep parts available is certainly open for debate. It used to be when the tractors were made here from cast iron and such, that they'd keep parts available. Some of the old 2 cylinder popper heads are still available. Expensive, but available.

This longevity was/is the reason many people buy Deere. But if parts are obsolete, that may change.

To the op, What part do you need in particular? 32 years is much higher lifespan than most mechanical devices. But I understand, if it just needs a few hundred dollars worth to keep chugging along, I'd want to keep her chugging too.

 

[prs]

Greatest need is for a mower deck drive shaft and gear box; deck model is M160. For the tractor, I need a seat bracket, but have welded and reinforced the old one and could have one fabricated locally. Tractor runs like new, mower works well too, but the shaft is beginning to vibrate and box is well past hours of two previous re-builds.

prs

 

[MossRoad]

10 years after end of production is always what I heard. I find that reasonable. If you're fortunate enough to get a company that supplies parts longer than that, you are lucky.

That's one of the reasons I bought my Power Trac. All it is is several plate steel boxes welded together with an engine turning some pumps, that turn some motors or push some rams. It is easily modifiable, customizable, adaptable and repairable by me. No need for dealer or factory support. Looks like a frog on steroids, but hey, it works! :laughing:

 

[prs]

10 years after end of production is always what I heard. I find that reasonable. If you're fortunate enough to get a company that supplies parts longer than that, you are lucky.

That's one of the reasons I bought my Power Trac. All it is is several plate steel boxes welded together with an engine turning some pumps, that turn some motors or push some rams. It is easily modifiable, customizable, adaptable and repairable by me. No need for dealer or factory support. Looks like a frog on steroids, but hey, it works! :laughing:

I was unaware of Power Trac, I think there is a VenTrac dealer about 1 1/2 hours away. I mow some awesome slopes, probably close to or over 30%, so steep you can barely walk across them. Only turned it over once, so far. I sure hurts when the steering wheel presses over your rib cage.

prs

 

[MossRoad]

I was unaware of Power Trac, I think there is a VenTrac dealer about 1 1/2 hours away. I mow some awesome slopes, probably close to or over 30%, so steep you can barely walk across them. Only turned it over once, so far. I sure hurts when the steering wheel presses over your rib cage.

prs

OUCH!

Check out the Power Trac website. And the Power Trac forum here on TBN, too.

Versatile Tractors,Compact Tractors,Trailer Packages,Landscaping,Utility Vehicle Rentals,Mowers-Power Trac

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/power-trac/

 

[MHarryE]

It varies by manufacturer. At Cat it's a certain length of time after last production. After that date it depends on usage. If there are no sales in like 2 years it might get dropped but if there is even one sale the clock resets.so undercarriage parts for machines built before WWII are still available. The real problems come when a supplier is bought out because the new owner is often in the same business and will obsolete duplicate products. Then it becomes a crash project to design in a replacement for a machine that might have not been produced in 20 years.

 

[Azmotorhead]

A bit late to this topic. But I called a couple of Deere dealers here the other day. 1 was of little help. The other put in a order of all the parts I requested and had them shipped to me the next day. All parts came with JD parts tags on them. These were all engine parts, seals,even hardware