Importance of dealer proximity

[pmhowe]

Thanks to each of you for your responses. I have been worried about not having a dealer nearby. It is clear that many of you have travelled great distances to purchase your tractors, and have relied upon your own expertise for maintenance and necessary repairs. I like that. I am an old car buff, and of course am used to doing my own repairs and maintenance. When I lived in Colorado, I had a Kubota L4240 (a tractor I loved) that served me well. I enjoyed doing all the maintenance. Never, ever, had a major problem with it.

I am reassured also that many (most?) of you think that the state of the art in compact tractors provides a high degree of reliability. I suspect the problem I will now face is finding a dealer within driving distance that has a tractor meeting my general specs that I can sit in and decide whether it is best for me. Most dealers I have spoken with now have tractors back ordered. The way the world covid- 19 cases are going, this problem is likely to get more serious.

Anyway, thanks to each of you for your input. I learned a lot from it, and enjoyed getting your perspectives. I will let you know what happens, when it happens (with pictures).

Phil

 

[mikester]

Please tell me: 1) How close is your dealer? And 2) How often have you had to use your dealer? Also, of course, your tractor brand. and 3) what would you recommend?
Phil

1. I have 5 dealers within a 20 minute drive of me, 2xK, NH, MF, JD
2. I buy my parts and supplies from the local K dealers regularly.
3. I want and expect good service with parts in stock or readily available at reasonable prices. I don't want a tail light warranty. I'd rather support my local businesses and pay a little bit more if I know I get the service I want and use OEM parts.

 

[savageactor7]

I suppose it depends on your comfort level of mechanical ability. But as long as your dealer will pickup in a reasonable time I suppose all is good.

 

[bearthebruce]

Our dealer is about an hour away - $130 pickup charge each way. We order our parts on line from the them. We have had them do one service and we have been servicing all other things ourselves to date. Our preference is do as much of the maintenance and repair ourselves as possible and use our dealer as our backup.

 

[TheMan419]

New Holland. Dealer is 7 miles away. I have JD and Kubota within 15 miles of me. I went with the NH because I felt I got the most bang for my buck in terms of lift capacity of the FEL and 3 point. I would have had to move into bigger machines with the other dealers to get that capacity.

I buy filters and fluids annually from the dealer. It is only a couple more bucks than ordering from Messicks and I figure it helps keep the dealer open in case I need them for something more dramatic.

I am 6'7" tall. So in addition to the lift capacity of the NH it was more ergonomic for me. Back when I bought Kubota still had that awful treadle style pedal for the HST. It just did not work for my feet. I needed separate pedal for forward vs reverse.

I think a good dealer is important for more than just warranty issues. If you have other issues you need good dealer support.

 

[beowulf]

When you say "used your dealer" I assume you mean for things other than just buying fluids, or minor parts. Anyway, for me it is 35 miles. Since 2003 I have used the dealer once - that was early on for service as I wanted to learn about what I needed to do going forward as this was my first tractor. Now I do the service myself. Likely could have avoided using the dealer for that - now that I know what I know.

But I have had to have repairs done here at home one time by others than myself (to replace front axle seals and a weld on a cracked FEL brace in a difficult area) and for that I utilized a tractor repair guy who mostly services tractors "in the field" for the ag industry around here - he has a truck equipped like a mobile shop. Had to pay for the travel time but entirely satisfied with the service.

 

[Avenger]

My dealer is about 45 minutes away.
Only used him once in person, as in my tractor being there for a small warranty issue. Other things I simply order
LS Tractor

 

[crazyal]

For any other brand not having a dealer close isn't an issue but with Kubota it is. I like their hydro fluid. I can get it for the same price on-line or at the local dealership. The problem is shipping. When you need more than 10 gallons of oil the shipping cost makes all the difference in the world. I think with any of the other brands you can just use good quality oil from a NAPA or Tractor Supply. Personally even if I didn't own a Kubota I think I would still use UDT2. I think I paid just over $50 for a 2.5 gallon jug from the local dealer. Amazon sells it with free shipping for $80. That's an extra $30 for free shipping.

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

For any other brand not having a dealer close isn't an issue but with Kubota it is. I like their hydro fluid. I can get it for the same price on-line or at the local dealership. The problem is shipping. When you need more than 10 gallons of oil the shipping cost makes all the difference in the world. I think with any of the other brands you can just use good quality oil from a NAPA or Tractor Supply. Personally even if I didn't own a Kubota I think I would still use UDT2. I think I paid just over $50 for a 2.5 gallon jug from the local dealer. Amazon sells it with free shipping for $80. That's an extra $30 for free shipping.

Here is a typical deal...Kubota Genuine OEM 1 Gallon Super UDT2 Trans-Hydraulic Fluid One Gallon | eBay

So, multiply that x 2.5..... a lot more than $50 for sure!

 

[Texasmark]

Several in the immediate area. How important? Not, unless I am in the buying mood which currently I'm not. The internet and UPS solved the needing a dealer nearby problem for me. You pull up the dealer's www, order your parts, they have them drop shipped to you and that's that. With the www sites, like this one, answering just about any question you could ask no need to physically pay a dealer a visit.