Hi Kids!
I thought you’d appreciate a little story concerning a used tractor purchase and the blinding effect caused by fresh coat of orange paint. I got a call from a neighbor who was taking a trip to visit a nephew in New Hampshire. The nephew was having troubles with a used tractor he’d bought and wanted some help. It seemed he couldn’t get the hydraulics to work properly.
Upon entering the yard of this fellow’s nephew we spotted a cab tractor of about fifty HP that was resplendent in a new coat of Kubota “bright orange” paint. At a distance of one hundred yards it looked very nice. The nephew greeted us and explained that he’d bought the tractor from a dealer that specialized in finding used tractors in Canada and bringing them back to the states for refurbishing and sale. He’d paid $9,000 for the machine. We joined the nephew on a walk out to where the tractor was disabled in the middle of a field. When we finally got to the tractor my neighbor and I saw that it was a cobbled together circa 1980’s 4WD tractor with FEL. The cab said “White” although it was obviously not original to the tractor. The paint was certainly a fresh bright orange although the covering was thinner in some places than others as noted by the sections where the drips were profuse. Anyway, here is a small number of the defects that my neighbor and I noted:
1. The cab was such a poor fit for the tractor that they had to weld it on with patch panels. The previously rusted floor (painted in a nice Kubota dark gray) had also been welded with patches such that there was no longer any access to the hydraulics under the seat area!
2. Two windows in the cab had been replaced with regular window glass and not safety glass or plastic…ouch!
3. The engine dipstick displayed a milky liquid that may have been partly engine oil!
4. The hydraulic reservoir was very low and dark spots under the tractor indicated the hydraulic system would be better used as a vegetable colander rather than a closed system.
5. The FEL looked like it had been used for artillery practice and was canted on the arms at an alarming angle! The new orange paint on the FEL was very shiny!
6. The engine oil pan had more weld than original metal!
7. The 3PH arms had been broken and welded at angles not normal to their task!
8. Even the battery had been spit open from freezing….and had been “re-sealed” with what appeared to be Bondo and black paint!
9. The remainder of this list would wear out my fingers on this keyboard!
While my neighbor, the uncle, explained the facts of like to his duped nephew….I contemplated the strange blinding effect that Kubota Orange must have on the human senses. Consider yourself warned!!
Ken
I thought you’d appreciate a little story concerning a used tractor purchase and the blinding effect caused by fresh coat of orange paint. I got a call from a neighbor who was taking a trip to visit a nephew in New Hampshire. The nephew was having troubles with a used tractor he’d bought and wanted some help. It seemed he couldn’t get the hydraulics to work properly.
Upon entering the yard of this fellow’s nephew we spotted a cab tractor of about fifty HP that was resplendent in a new coat of Kubota “bright orange” paint. At a distance of one hundred yards it looked very nice. The nephew greeted us and explained that he’d bought the tractor from a dealer that specialized in finding used tractors in Canada and bringing them back to the states for refurbishing and sale. He’d paid $9,000 for the machine. We joined the nephew on a walk out to where the tractor was disabled in the middle of a field. When we finally got to the tractor my neighbor and I saw that it was a cobbled together circa 1980’s 4WD tractor with FEL. The cab said “White” although it was obviously not original to the tractor. The paint was certainly a fresh bright orange although the covering was thinner in some places than others as noted by the sections where the drips were profuse. Anyway, here is a small number of the defects that my neighbor and I noted:
1. The cab was such a poor fit for the tractor that they had to weld it on with patch panels. The previously rusted floor (painted in a nice Kubota dark gray) had also been welded with patches such that there was no longer any access to the hydraulics under the seat area!
2. Two windows in the cab had been replaced with regular window glass and not safety glass or plastic…ouch!
3. The engine dipstick displayed a milky liquid that may have been partly engine oil!
4. The hydraulic reservoir was very low and dark spots under the tractor indicated the hydraulic system would be better used as a vegetable colander rather than a closed system.
5. The FEL looked like it had been used for artillery practice and was canted on the arms at an alarming angle! The new orange paint on the FEL was very shiny!
6. The engine oil pan had more weld than original metal!
7. The 3PH arms had been broken and welded at angles not normal to their task!
8. Even the battery had been spit open from freezing….and had been “re-sealed” with what appeared to be Bondo and black paint!
9. The remainder of this list would wear out my fingers on this keyboard!
While my neighbor, the uncle, explained the facts of like to his duped nephew….I contemplated the strange blinding effect that Kubota Orange must have on the human senses. Consider yourself warned!!
Ken
