Status of Everything Attachments

[tradosaurus]

The subject of payment in advance comes up a lot, with some very different perspectives and opinions. For general contractor type work I expect 10% to start, several material draws, then a final payment. My last work I had done was very similar, 10%, 40, 40, 10.
Of note, other than the 10% to start, all other payments are being made while work is in progress or completed. Paying for an implement up front with a 4-6 month lead time is a whole 'nother thing.

Agreed. After the EA debacle I will never front full payment for an implement and wait months. Just glad I was able to get my implements from EA a few years ago.

 

[JeepHead]

I could care less of EA comes back or not. Regardless of what caused their issues, their response was enough for me. They did not handle any of this with an ounce of integrity. I will NEVER consider them for anything and will make sure to tell anyone I know not to buy from them, either. They burned a lot of people and did nothing to make it right.

 

[shooterdon]

Unless there is a life changing event, most people do not change. There is something about people who know they are screwing others but justify it, or worse, try to shift the blame. I do not associate with them.

I may do business with them if it is advantageous to me, but it will be on my terms and not theirs.

With EA, I looked at their products many times as I was new tractor owner in 2017 and needed a number implements. Nothing they offered was worth the premium over MTL or Titan. Most of us on this forum are likely in the same boat. We work our machines less than 100 hours a year and do not abuse them. I saved a lot of money and have no regrets...but I am ignorant and do not know any better. Good enough is good enough.

I will not miss them if they go. I hope the owner and others responsible do jail time for their actions. I am not a liberal and do not drink Kool-Aid.

 

[Sid Post]

But, dude. He built a 10 million dollar glass lake house while simultaneously collecting multi-thousand dollar payments for customer equipment that he couldn't get built in his shop for 4-6+ months. Welders who could have been making customer equipment that was already PAID for, were instead building him a private mansion. He was taking the customer cash and building himself barbi's dream house while screwing over customers. Clear shyster behavoir, and for that, I am not ever going to be a fan of EA or give them a cent.

That is most definitely NOT "what everybody (who runs a business) does".

Definitely seduced by the money rolling in. EA was worth a lot of money as a business but, he killed the Goose laying the Golden Eggs!

There are parallels between what happened to EA and when Boeing went from being an Engineering Company to a Wall Street targeted one (sold off the Spirit AeroSystems to boost Stock value and now is buying it back). I'm hopeful Boeing will recover from its PUBLIC DISASTERS and will change its culture. EA could do the same but, lacks the breadth of business to support its core business (787 and 777 production continued when 737 Max was shut down, Boeing Defense, etc.) and provide a distraction from its public failures. EA doesn't have anything in production to rehabilitate its image right now so, much harder to put the failures behind them.

It remains to be seen if Ted becomes the next "My Pillow" guy after such a public and drastic personal failure sinking his business.

 

[Sid Post]

With EA, I looked at their products many times as I was new tractor owner in 2017 and needed a number implements. Nothing they offered was worth the premium over MTL or Titan. Most of us on this forum are likely in the same boat. We work our machines less than 100 hours a year and do not abuse them. I saved a lot of money and have no regrets...but I am ignorant and do not know any better. Good enough is good enough.

Clearly you aren't in the EA target market if lightweight implements meet your needs. There is a real difference between a "hobby" farmer/rancher with a "Ranch'ette" and someone who really uses their implements to maintain less-than-ideal properties.

I think this is a distinction missed by many people on this site frequently.

 

[ultrarunner]

Reminds me of a story related to me by my Grandfather during the Depresdion.

There was a Swiss Shop Keeper in St. Helena CA that went bankrupt during the Depression… people he sold to couldn’t pay him and he couldn’t pay those he owed.

It took 10 years for the shop keeper to make it right with everyone… grandpa said this is the definition of integrity.

The shop keeper said he could not bear to be the one soiling the family name.

 

[jyoutz]

Clearly you aren't in the EA target market if lightweight implements meet your needs. There is a real difference between a "hobby" farmer/rancher with a "Ranch'ette" and someone who really uses their implements to maintain less-than-ideal properties.

I think this is a distinction missed by many people on this site frequently.

Agree, but EA isn’t the only or the best manufacturer of heavy duty implements.

 

[deezler]

Clearly you aren't in the EA target market if lightweight implements meet your needs. There is a real difference between a "hobby" farmer/rancher with a "Ranch'ette" and someone who really uses their implements to maintain less-than-ideal properties.

I think this is a distinction missed by many people on this site frequently.

This is a tractor oriented web forum that mainly has homeowner and hobby farm participants; this is clear and not lost on us.

But EA didn't only make super heavy duty attachments. Their 55" wicked grapple was ~245 lbs of steel, for $3000. Meanwhile an MTL was $1200 and a bit heavier.

If you are a professional contractor, you probably run a skid steer and use very heavy attachments - which are available from a lot more sources than just EA.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

To reply you should read the entire story, read articals in NC newspapers and read where EA workers built the lake mansion. Lots of stories plus getting money in advance and not delivering. Look up the F BBB rating and reviews.
And I like EA. It's just a shame and certainly not how businesses are run properly.
If you were out over $3K, you'd be telling a different story.

It is pretty common for small business owners to use employees on building projects--especially if there is some sort of disruption in material delivery (be that disruption of materials coming in or shipping products out or some sort of internal bottleneck--like not enough welders, for example) that leads to people sitting on their thumbs waiting for other components of the business to finish so idle workers can get to work again.

Again, all the problems seemingly stem from EA couldn't move into the new building because at least one sub-contractor changed the spec and from that, EA couldn't get an occupancy permit.

 

[Sid Post]

This is a tractor oriented web forum that mainly has homeowner and hobby farm participants; this is clear and not lost on us.

But EA didn't only make super heavy duty attachments. Their 55" wicked grapple was ~245 lbs of steel, for $3000. Meanwhile an MTL was $1200 and a bit heavier.

If you are a professional contractor, you probably run a skid steer and use very heavy attachments - which are available from a lot more sources than just EA.

Fair, a lot of users here are weekend warriors on a small property but, this site has a lot of members as well with professions in the Ag industry whether farmers, ranchers, or ag contractors.

As someone who grew up farming 1600 acres in my youth, one year solo as a 14 year old, all I had was a single John Deere 135HP two-wheel drive tractor. We also had 1600 acres of pasture with a lot of beef cattle, cow-calf pairs year round, and steers on wheat pasture in the winter.

I don't run nearly that hard today but, I still need reliable equipment for more than mowing a 2-acre putting green in front of my house.