What do ya think?

[tat2z1969]

I have decided to retire, but I have come up with a idea.
I have noticed on some boards that this guy or that guy would buy a tractor from dealer X. but dealer X does not deliver or the price they have for delivery is high because they use a major trucking company and you would still have to pick up your tractor at a loading dock, which means you still have to have a truck and trailer to get it home.
Now to give me something to do to keep from going nuts, I thought I would offer tractor hauling at a reasonable price, I could deliver from dealer to the buyers house. I just bought another Ford Super duty and I figure if I could make a few bucks and pay the tags and insurance on it from hauling tractors would be cool.
Think it will fly?
Whats your opinion?

Tractors would be safe with me I drove over the road with my own Kenworth for years hauling over dimensional, (big stuff) , I know what I am doing hauling machinery. I had a green ticket to haul 16' wide and 125 ' long. So if I can haul a DR11 Cat I think I can handle one of the little guys.
Thanks
Jim

 

[Bird]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Whats your opinion? )</font>

Well, you asked for an opinion, and that's all this is. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

First, you're profile doesn't tell us where you are, so it might be different in different parts of the country. Secondly, in my area at least, most dealers do deliver tractors they sell, using their own, or employees' trucks and trailers. That initial delivery is almost always free of charge, although many do charge if they have to pick up or deliver for repairs. Now I don't know how many dealers are currently selling long distance and shipping tractors, but I think your idea is a good one if you could get enough business, which I really doubt.

 

[tat2z1969]

Bird
The only dealers around here are the big 3, to buy a Chinese tractor one has to travel from here. There is a Bull Dog dealer and a Farm Pro dealer about 75 miles away (neither deliver).
When I was looking for a tractor just about every dealer said no delivery or they would deliver within 50 miles or had to ship with a trucking company, loading dock to loading dock.
The tractor I am after is 630 miles from me, the norm around here.
I posted this question on 2 boards, I have received 2 emails already, yup it might fly

Jim

 

[Bird]

Yep, Jim, that's definitely different from the way things are around here, so it might be a worthwhile venture for you.

 

[Ranch_Hand_Supp]

tat2z1969, I think the idea is a good one and people would contact you if you can haul it for less $$$$ and not damage it getting there.

Plus being able to have someone to delivery a tractor/ implement that knows tractors/implements is a big plus in my book.

It seems to me that you can find runs east and west......but north and south is a little different.

I am interested...... PM me when you get ready.

Ronald

 

[Clarke]

You might want to talk to Power Trac also. I think they use independent haulers. They are located in Virginia..

sg

 

[Scozz]

Plenty of people have had the same idea. There is a "hauling" section in Yesterdays Tractors web site that is pretty active ... Scozz

 

[tat2z1969]

This is how I see this, if one calls Mr.X to haul a tractor, Mr. x picks up the tractor at the same time the dealer has another tractor going in the same neck of the woods. After doing some deep checking I found both buyers pay full price, so lets say the trip is 1000 miles and the rate is $1.50 a mile, so thats $1500.00, but what I find is both buyers pay $1500.00 each, so the truck gets $3000.00 for the same trip. Read on and see what happens here.
Now in Big trucks how it works is freight from the same dock gets split, in other words, if 2 products are going to the same area the rate is spit.
Now this doesn't apply if one tractor is picked up in say Florida and the other in Tennessee.
If customers and dealers got together and got the runs set up correctly 2 tractors can go to a reasonable close area and the customers split the cost or maybe the one longer in miles pays a few bucks more.
For a hauler to get $3000.00(thats $3.00 a mile) for 2 tractors from say Florida to New Jersey is insane, thats more than I got running a $125,000.00 Kenworth.
So this is what I would do, say 2 tractors, both start in Florida, one goes to North Carolina and one goes to New Jersey. So the guy in NC will pay about 500.00 and the NJ guy pays 1000.00. The trick here is to double up and be fair in pricing. If both tractors went to NJ they each would pay $750.00.
I have talked to only 1 dealer who agreed with this way to haul tractors, why you ask? It seems some not all but some dealers or sellers will sell 2 tractors going from Florida to NJ the 2 buyers are charged $1500.00 each, thats $3000.00 to the truck WRONG the seller(sometimes) pockets $1500.00 and the truck gets paid $1500.00 see what happens here? I used Florida and NJ as a reference only because its about 1000 miles apart not because dealers in those states do this.
So when you see $1.00 a mile it might not be such a great deal since 1, 2 or 3 (depending on how many tractors on the truck)people are paying for that same mile, so its $2.00 to $3.00 a mile and how long is your delivery delayed while the load is made up?
Jim