Looking for advice/insight

[carterjr]

Finally getting ready to start doing some work on a piece of property I bought a few years ago and looks like the first requirement is to buy a tractor. I've been looking at all of the brands and scouring this website trying to decide which way to go.

Since it looks like Yanmar has supplied parts and whole machines to various manufacturers over the years I figured it would be a safe bet. Since there is no Yanmar dealer network out there it looks like used is the only way to go. This is where I need the advice.

There is an out fit in Wallisville called TexLa tractors that sells "reconditioned" Yanmar equipment. I'm guessing these are grey market items. I have also run across a site called Best-Used-Tractors.LLC that are also selling grey market.

I did a little more research and found an outfit called UTDA that supposedly networks together and provides certification for certain models if they meet their criteria.

Here is my question. Is there truly a grey market certification? If so, since neither of these dealers I mention are affiliated with UTDA should they be avoided? Should I avoid grey market equipment altogether or is it not a real risk as all units are supposedly remanufactured/reconditioned?

Any input would be appreciated.

 

[LMTC]

Please visit the utda.net site. UTDA certification is a safety standard only. While any dealer agreeing to meet the stringent safety standards set by UTDA should merit consideration IMO, it is no guarantee of mechanical condition. Your best assurance of that is reputation, and you should start by asking for references, at least 4-5, and some at least a year old. Then CHECK them. I have never ever ever had someone call us with a significant problem from a tractor they bought somewhere else who has checked references....every single one says something like "well he seemed to know what he was talking about" and "I didn't read anything bad about them." Check references.

 

[carterjr]

Appreciate the reply. I figured I'd start by asking if anyone here had ever had any dealings with either of these sellers.

 

[careyo63]

Man are you lucky.Yanmar in TX is deffinatly a good way to go.If you would like to get a couple of good references for your area as LMTC stated I would call Hoye the add at the top of the page. They will gladly put you on the right track for a reputable dealer in your state.Plus you have one of the best parts and support local also.

Carey

 

[Jeeper]

Check with Rcotractor.com in austin,tx Jeep

 

[BruceR]

TexLa Tractors & Equipment looks like VN Re-cons TexLa Tractors & Equipment

 

[California]

TexLa Tractors & Equipment looks like VN Re-cons TexLa Tractors & Equipment

'
Fraid so. Anybody ever heard of a Vtek loader? Are there dealers for those???

 

[Smoody]

Vtek loaders are a dead giveaway that they are recons. Vtek = Vietnam Loader.

I sure wish something could be done about all these recons, its ruining the Yanmar name, I guess the real problem is people are just unaware of what they are buying and as long as the recon dealers can sell JUNK to uninformed people they will always be a market for the Vietnam tractors

Its just sad that the dealers who actually try and do it right get the raw end of the deal when customers buy the recon to save a few hundred bucks.

/end rant

 

[LMTC]

Something can be done....but it won't be. That something is for consumers to check references, shop smarter, and come to grips with the fact that if the less expensive machines were truly a good investment the rest of us dealers would be handling them. We're not stupid. And most of us aren't colossally greedy. We just know that some products are not good for our customers (and thus our business) in the long run. Most vn sellers are in it for the short run. There will always be consumers who will convince themselves that THEY have found the bargain everyone else missed, and then buy the recon. And of course not all go belly up...just a much larger percentage than those reconditioned stateside (from the feedback we get).

I can honestly say the one single solitary thing that has made me consider closing our doors more than any other is the vn recons. We have been beaten up badly again this year by a reconner 2 hours away in Indiana. Odds are he won't be selling Yanmars 2-3 years from now, and as I understand it he does minimal service/parts even now. Guess where those owners will start calling? Well, what if we're gone because of low sales? I've watched good dealers leave this market, and now (versus 10 years ago) there are only a handful left, and they're the ones who were big enough to absorb the loss of sales, or perhaps had no reconner close. We had a reconner start in '01 about 30 miles away. Tore into our sales badly for two years, until he closed up under a pile of lawsuits. Again in '04, in Indiana, and they were gone in two years. Now this current seller actually started last year, but clearly hurt us this year. One day the consumer will say "why aren't there any Yanmars processed stateside", and the answer will be because they didn't care when they were available. Sorry for the length, it just hurts to look over the books from the year and know how badly we got beat up by a guy selling empty promises.

 

[Smoody]

carterjr, I think you should shop the UTDA dealers and get a tractor, unless you are willing to work on a used one, buy with a warranty. steer clear of any vn recon, by reading this forum you will have all the info needed to spot these. Now you will no doubt get a better bargain buying used from a individual, but what is your mechanical skill level? are you willing to accept risk and perform repairs yourself?

I purchased used as-is on two yanmars, one has had no issues ever, the other, well it needs a head gasket replaced and hopefully that's the extent of it. Sometimes I wish I had just purchased from a reputable dealer and had the warranty, but I was hesitate on pulling the trigger because of the distance between me and all the UTDA dealers. If I had one close by it would have been a no brainer.

LMTC, I hope you decide to stick it out, I hate to see the day when there are no options other then recons.