Dealer Tin shed tractor dealers

[tubaman]

I am shopping for my first new tractor. I have been looking at Montana tractors, and it seems that these tractors are popping up all over and being sold by guys with a tin shed office and a gravel lot. The tractors look great, but I am concerned about dealer support. When I asked about parts and service, one guy said that since the tractor is made by LG and powered by Mitsubishi, that parts are no problem and he can order anything. He said for service that he has a service truck that will come to me. Being skittish, I looked further and found an established dealer a little over 100 miles from me that sells Massey's as well as Montana and FarmTracs. He has been in business for 25 years, is well known, and has a full service center with 4 mechanics on staff. Of course this dealer has overhead and his prices will be a little higher. My gut tells me that in the long run, I would be better off paying a little more, and putting up with the inconvenience of distance rather than saving a few bucks now and buying the tractor from someone who might be gone in a few months. A buddy tells me to buy from the guy in the tin shed and hit the established dealer for parts and service if and when it is needed. Seems a bit unsavory to me. What do you think? Am I putting too much emphasis on dealer support? Is it worth the added expense?

 

[beenthere]

You sound like a wise person to me, who has it figured out. But for the price, it is a gamble. Some would say we need to be 'fair' to the guy in the tin shed too. Tough call in the end.

If you know about tractors and know how to decipher what is wrong with them, and this 'first new tractor' isn't your first experience with tractors, then that should be weighed into the decision.

 

[Gunfighter]

Warrantee work from a non selling dealer maybe be a problem but with
a dealer a hundred miles away, warrantee work will also be a problem.

As for buying parts and out of pocket repairs. Most dealers with a half
brain will be happy to take your money, do what he can to help with the
hope you'll come back again.. Doesn't matter where you bought the tractor...

A lot of dealers keep their doors open selling parts a service. That is
were a lot of their money is made....

Richard
West Michigan...

 

[MikeD74T]

I bought my new Kioti DK45S instead of another brand primarily because I know & trust the dealer. In all fairness to the tin shed guy, get referals from both dealers. The bigger guy may just charge more because he has less competition. My dealer has a high overhead but he makes it up in customer loyalty & repeat business rather than higher prices.

 

[Maka]

Hello Tubaman,

The Montana tractors are excellent. We are a larger dealer of Montanas and have had tremendous success with them. First off being a dealer requires some strong financial commitment. Being a small outfit does not necessarily mean he is not good.

If he has the experience and background and he is building then that may be a benefit. These guys in many cases will give you a more personal service that the larger dealers can't. He wants to build his name and business and can do that by giving you excellent service which will in turn build his business.

Parts are no problem at all. If I need something I order it and have it in a couple of days but can have it overnight if necessary. The great thing is that I rarely need parts.

I wanted to give better service than the local JD, NH and Kub dealer who all are about 1/4 mile away so I did the same thing and that was to offer free pickup and delivery of any warranty item that the customer may have.

I know the tractors are of the highest quality and know I can do this without much concern.

On the flip side, you want someone you can trust, who has experience and who will be there down the line so this you have to weigh.

Missouri has many, many dealers and just like any other brand you have you excellent ones, start ups, already established and in some cases not so great. Give the guy a good look and see what he has to offer. You may find it to be very good.

Best of luck,
Maka

 

[montanaman]

Well I can give you a lot of credit for thinking this over carefully but I think you really need to look at the service end of the "tin shed" guy before you make the long distance leap. I happen to be a "tin shed" Montana guy and am new to Montana's, but far from new to tractors. As far as getting the work done at another dealer, I won't turn down work on a tractor I didn't sell but you can't pay bills with warranty rate pay and that's just a fact. I know there are huge dealerships that I wouldn't trust to fix a bicycle as well as smaller ones and dealers of both sizes that have a great reputation so I think looking at the dealer is really important no matter what size they are. There could also be some truth about a smaller dealer being able to give more personalized service as I know that is one of the areas I take great pride in. Being so small, I cover every aspect of the tractor from repair to transporting so that I know everything is handled the way it should be and I don't know that I could let my business grow to the point where I wasn't this hands on. It's just a fact that the guy owning the business has a lot more interest in having a happy customer than his employee may have.

You've got a tough choice but it's good that you are thinking about it now rather that ending up buying from a place with no after the sale service.

Good luck!

Ken

 

[EFC]

Tubaman,

I thought about answering your question as a dealer but I started to think about what I look for as a consumer. I can say that what I am looking for is value. I see value differently though than most people. I say that because I read the posts here and I think most people put value in the absolute lowest price. I put value in knowledgeable on site service.

For example I am buying a new chain saw. Either a Jonsered or Husqvarna (I'm leaning toward the Jonsered 2165 but that is another discussion). Of course I could buy the Husqvarna at Lowe's or the like but I wouldn’t even think to look there. Sure they can get me parts and a great price. But I have better things to do than repair chainsaws or wait for my chainsaw to make its way through the UPS mailing bureaucracy going to and from the factory for repair. We wont even talk about the industry experts I will have to talk with to get the service in the first place. I want to take it to a dealer if there is a problem, fill my coffee cup with some good "counter coffee", throw the saw on the bench and say "it is broke, fix, call when ready".

I want to find a dealer that I know wont screw me on the repair price, if he said it took two hours to fix I know for a fact it took two hours. And yes I expect it might break down, the trend seems to be that a warranty implies trouble free ownership. I think that it completely unrealistic, it is still a mechanical device built buy flawed humans. Also when I buy it I want somebody to set it up for me and test run it before I head up to the ranch 140 miles away.

So I guess if it was me I would look for on site repair, at least one mechanic that works full time and in a shop not just on the slab out back. Talk with the mechanic for 5 min if you have a chance does he sound like he found this job because his sisters ex husbands uncle couldn’t get him hired at burger king or does he sound like the guy the Montana rep might call to answer the hard questions. Ask what the service rate is after the warranty runs out. It might be 70 per hour, if it is, does the mechanic and shop look like your getting your monies worth? I would also go with my first impression of the dealer it is your best defense. The big dealer might be a super guy or a complete jerk. Same for the tin shed guy. My dads JD dealer for 30 years is now out of business so time in business and carrying major brand names can be misleading for predicting the future.

The margins on service and parts are 2 to 3 times that of sales. A mechanic sitting idle in the shop costs more then tractors sitting idle on the lot unsold. So buy tractors down the road all you want I would love to fix them.

Sorry this was so long
Buck

 

[EFC]

When MAKA says he is close to the other dealers he is not joking. Not only is he a 1/4 mile away, the big three almost look like they share the same lot, and this is in a very very small mountain town. He is making them pay for the years of customer disservice. My dad had dealings with JD up there; I am still fighting with that baler.

Bob, I hope you sell snowshoes I think this winter sales are going to be sweet!!

Buck (oh so warm in the desert)

 

[jmc]

I agree with the others that it depends on the individuals more than their facilities. Probably most of the enviable looking dealerships started out as tin sheds. I never do any kind of business with a large one if I can find a small one, most other things being equal.

 

[Maka]

Hello Buck. Your right, they are stacked on top of each other and for being in such a small town they sure are well represented. We are not at the end of the earth but we can see it from here. Thats not mine but I love it.

Lots of snow on the ground and this morning at my place it was -2. Crazy me was out at 5:00 am spike bull elk hunting as the black powder is almost over and I want that bull.

Winter business is looking good thus far. Hope all is well in your neck of the woods.

Thanks,
Maka