Rust on New Tractor

[WifethinksImworking]

Hello. I am new to the CUT group and I am looking at a couple of tractors, one being a new Montana R3644HST. The dealer kindly dropped off a demo for me to work with for a weekend.

There are numerous rusty (both surface and subsurface) parts on the tractor. All FEL cylinder caps are rusting (dealer said they are covered by warranty and a bad batch got through QC) but I have noticed that a fair number of other parts are rusting. I don't know the name of all parts but some include nuts, brackets, braces, etc. I do know the demo model was sitting outside since March '07 but it is obvious to me that these parts weren't painted properly or a high quality rust proof/rust resistant nut is not being used. My concern is what is this tractor going to look like in a couple of years? I have done manufacturing in China and I know what difference a quality part can make (or less than adequate QC). I realize one can get quality product from Korea and top notch QC (even in China one can). Maybe all tractors do this but some of the 3-4yr old used tractors I am looking at have similar parts with no rust or similar amounts. I am not looking for a tractor to be rust free after 10 years but I do know that a high quality paint job that has not been penetrated by scratches or similar should not look this way in even 3 yrs.

Any experience or comments? By the way, the tractor seems really nice but I only had 15 minutes on it so too early to really review it.

Thanks!

 

[Unclebuck257]

I've had my 5740C since Feb 2005 and I don't have any rust on mine yet that I know of, except maybe back by the 3 point where that black paint got chipped off changing implements. Maybe its just a couple bad parts on that particular tractor.

 

[davitk]

As I was shopping I noticed quite a few "new" machines that had been sitting on the dealer's lots awhile looked as you described. Not sure why, if I were the dealer those machines would be spit-shined as it turns away customers like you and me.

 

[montanaman]

The loader cylinder ends have been an issue and one that I one am going to be talking about with the Mfg at the annual meeting next month. There are a few other non-critical parts that are prone to problems and a lot of these items are bolt ons that happen in the US like the triangle mounts and some of the light mounts. The quality of the chassis paint and body paint seems to be pretty good.

As a dealer, this is an area that is not easy. You need to have a good inventory of tractors so that you can fit the customers needs and they won't all sell at the same rate. If you don't have a model that isn't a fast mover and a guy stops in wanting that model, you lost a sale so some of the tractors will sit longer than others. Even if you have all the room you need to store the tractors indoors, then the guy who likes to walk the lot on a Sunday to take a look will have nothing to look at and though most folks buying a tractor won't believe this, the profit on these tractors is not high enough for a small dealer like myself to just build a monster building. If I DID build the monster building and house all of my tractors inside, that cost would have to be made up in tractor price and customers would go buy from a dealer with lower overhead who could save them $50. I do every thing I can to offer good prices but there are some customers that will travel three states to save $200 on a tractor without even thinking of their fuel costs to go get the thing, let alone their time or the fact that my customers will always come before them.

I see a lot of places near me that build the dream building and the next thing you know, they are going out of business!



If you like the tractor, just tell the dealer that these things must be addressed during pre-delivery or you don't want the tractor, that simple!

Ken

 

[blueriver]

They do sit outside, I bought "aged Inventory" a 2005 model in August of 2007, LG 4340C by Montana.

I could tell when I first got it that the paint didn't have the "new" look, a coat of wax cured that, I have yet to see the rust that you are referring to. Do you suppose it could be that particular unit, if it is a demo and more than one person has used it perhaps some of that can be contributed to just that.

Here's been my experience ... Fuel tank had a leak, repaired! One of the injector lines was loose, repaired! A leak in the bolt in the injector pump, repaired! My rear tires have some issues, the tire MFG (Titan) has sent new rears that got in this week and next week they are being put on.

My dealer was several hundred miles away, at first I was pretty demanding, once I realized that I was not his only customer and with his help, I found a dealer that helped greatly and the selling dealer sent me a check to cover my hauling expense's and I bought the injector bolt directly from Delphi in OKC, I was reimbursed and paid for my time to install it.

I quess what I am saying is simply put that I feel Montana, their dealers, their warranty, service and there products are worthy.

 

[JerryG]

There is a chance that this tractor was demoed at a farm that had acidic material that got on the paint. I know that if the paint is scratched through or broken in my poultry operation, there will be rust if it isn't addressed properly. The same thing will happen to bolts and nuts if the material is let sit and isn't wash off after use.

 

[blueriver]

They do sit outside, I bought "aged Inventory" a 2005 model in August of 2007, LG 4340C by Montana.

I could tell when I first got it that the paint didn't have the "new" look, a coat of wax cured that, I have yet to see the rust that you are referring to. Do you suppose it could be that particular unit, if it is a demo and more than one person has used it perhaps some of that can be contributed to just that.

Here's been my experience ... Fuel tank had a leak, repaired! One of the injector lines was loose, repaired! A leak in the bolt in the injector pump, repaired! My rear tires have some issues, the tire MFG (Titan) has sent new rears that got in this week and next week they are being put on.

My dealer was several hundred miles away, at first I was pretty demanding, once I realized that I was not his only customer and with his help, I found a dealer that helped greatly and the selling dealer sent me a check to cover my hauling expense's and I bought the injector bolt directly from Delphi in OKC, I was reimbursed and paid for my time to install it.

I quess what I am saying is simply put that I feel Montana, their dealers, their warranty, service and there products are worthy.

I really looked very close today and saw only one rusted area, a nut on the back side of the a/c compressor.

 

[Woodsman30350]

I bought a 2006 3040 in 2006 and it has quite a bit of rust. Particularly for a tractor that sits in a insulated barn. Pretty sad but Montana did give me a free can of spray paint. Isn't that nice of them?

 

[Shantycoke]

I bought a 2006 3040 in 2006 and it has quite a bit of rust. Particularly for a tractor that sits in a insulated barn. Pretty sad but Montana did give me a free can of spray paint. Isn't that nice of them?

Thanks, you folks just sold me on never buying a Montana. It's a shame a guy who works his butt off to get enough money to buy a piece of equipment like this would be treated this way. Dealers should be at consumers beck and call when their products are sub-standard. Sorry to hear about your situation.
Pat

 

[Red55]

Dealers should be at consumers beck and call when their products are sub-standard. Sorry to hear about your situation.
Pat

Beck and call is directly linked to Profit and how GOOD a dealer you get IMHO -Ed