Would you pay extra to have hauling included for "free"?

[DavesTractor]

To the OP... Are the complaining customers the ones who are buying the 'toy tractors' or the big commercial size tractors? Just curious...

We sell mostly 85HP and under, with the majority of what we sell being 25-40 HP because that is the biggest market in our area. Most of the complaining customers are first time tractor owners. Commercial buyers and farm buyers know the drill and have their own trailers. Although commercial users expect a loaner or a rental rig to be ready to roll while their unit is being repaired. But that is another subject, not for this thread.

Dealers that sell tractors and trailers as a package are partially solving this issue. It's probably a good idea.

 

[fieldman12]

I myself, if the machine is under warranty I expect the dealer to come out and repair it or haul it to there shop to fix. Our Deere dealer and New Holland dealer both have been out to look at my machines several times. Some where small issues that I could have fixed by myself, but they said they will do it. I think what some people don't realize is bigger manufactures even though you pay more for there equipment have allot of advantages over smaller manufactures and there often tiny dealers. For example Deere is running up and down the road around here every day and even though this cost allot helps sell there equipment. Heck they can make four or five house calls and only be maybe 5 minutes from me. We will now take a smaller brand manufacture or dealer. They may be only out this way every week or two, or maybe even once a month depending on how far from dealer and how much they sale. This cost them more in long run because they may have to travel allot more miles a day and can only fix maybe three machines because of the distance. I also see on here people not getting as much of attention from bigger name brands when buying equipment versus a smaller mom and pop shop with a not so well known brand. This is not fair to the customer but it just boils down to the bigger manufactures and dealers selling there equipment don't have to push there products as hard to sell as the small dealer and manufacture does. Now I am not saying that a more expensive brand is a better product especially these days. I' m just saying often the guy buying a name brand likes a good price but warranty repair, resale and local dealer is important. Often the guy looking at the lesser brands is looking for a good product but at a dirt cheap price and is not worried about resale or repair. They often dont anticipate replacing that machine in the next 10 or twenty years. There is nothing wrong with either of these customers as they both are right in what they want.

 

[fieldman12]

I do think these days though the big names are starting to live off there name alone and not putting as much quality in there products as they once did. They better watch out or the small manufactures will take there business. The biggest draw back for the small manufactures is time. It takes time to prove your product, time to get a good resale value for your product, and time have good stable dealers that are all over. I myself prefer the big manufacture with the Dealers all over but I don't prefer the one mega dealers that Deere and Case IH are wanting to go to.

 

[DavesTractor]

fieldman12,

Great points you are making. I know of one large farm equipment dealer (does not sell compacts in any volume) that gives free pickup and delivery and free loaners. And he charges quite a bit for his tractors, but the customers must see the value and it works for him. That is the sort of customer base a dealer ought to look for and seek out. It is a customer not looking to get the cheapest price in the entire USA for a particular tractor, rather one that values a good dealer and a hassle free owning experience. In the long run it is a good deal for both the customer and dealer. That may be a difficult model to replicate with compact tractors with lower price, lower margins, etc.

 

[Code54]

Can you offer something like:
Warranty service done free at the dealer
Pickup/Delivery based on mileage
On site warranty (most items that are doable that is) done for mileage to and from +$25 mobile shop fee

The last would be far cheaper to the customer and may make a few more of them happy...
The free trailer is a NICE thing for you to do to help out and SHOULD be appreciated!

 

[fieldman12]

All warranty and travel expenses (if any) needs spelled out on paper and discussed during the purchase and during the signing of the paperwork. Still though you will have some no matter what complain if you charge. They will say that's why I bought new so I don't have to work on it. Also, some feel hauling it to the dealer is like working on it since it requires work to hook trailer up and haul it there. Some times a machine breaks down in the worst possible place also and not near a close road. All the times dealers send the mechanic out to the field or construction site to get a tractor or dozer up and running.

 

[Scooby074]

I like the idea of tractor AAA mentioned earlier.

Have rates based on distance from the dealership.

If you wanted to give them some incentive to stay with you, allow the "AAA" payments to be rolled into a deduction on the purchase of a new tractor.

Tractor AAA would have to be purchased at time of tractor purchase however.

 

[boggen]

*rubbing chin* i realize bringing tractor back to shop can be a good thing, more so if technicians that can actually work on them are in the few. and you can pay cheaper price to hauling folks. this allowing more use of a given technicians time vs being on the road doing nothing.

there is also issues of, riding lawn mower, garden tractors, scuts, skid steers, 4 wheelers, atv, utv. that could be tossed up onto a cheaper trailer / smaller truck and be within weight limits, then ya start getting into the bigger cuts, with and without cabs. and dealing with both weight, and overall height issues. and possibly width issues as well.

the smaller stuff, it is most likely easier to haul... but the issue, dealers start becoming this and that brand dealer, and this dealer is only this type of dealer brand, etc.. etc... that alone is the issue. unlike cars, you have brand dealerships here and there, and then you have 3rd party folks, in local towns all over the place that can work on cars/trucks. were does warranty issues have to go for a car/truck? most likely to the actual brand dealership. and its the same way with tractors. once out of warranty, you can open yourself up to more possibilities of other local dealers and 3rd party places to fix them, that are not tied to warranty service.

=============
with above, i am scratching my head, why there are not more "mobile" service technicians? i realize someone working out of a generic pickup truck not going to cut it. and the cost of an actual service truck, that has some parts, tools, etc... needed to work on stuff right there and then. but the service tech becomes jack of all trades, electronics, mechanical, welding, part ordering, overall time checking, etc... vs splitting up duties back at the shop. that and mobile service tech, will not be able to haul a bunch of parts. if service tech needs just a slightly different pipe size, or a little bit more of hose, or wire, maybe a different connector... the service tech is out of a lot of luck..... does mobile service tech, leave everything in pieces right there in your yard for a couple days waiting on parts to be order? or do they need to put everything back together before they are allowed to leave?

mobile service tech, has to trouble shot, if they are required to bring specific parts, that one of them should fix tis or that issue... who ends up out of cash if the parts do not get used? such as filters? specific grade of oils?

on bigger utility and above tractors, i would imagine a mobile service tech is cheaper in many cases. even if it means a few trips back and forth. vs overall cost of hauling. but on smaller stuff?

========================
is there a list i can get on. for when ever you are around this area to pickup my tractor? for cheaper fee? (assuming smaller size scut or like tractor, and you can get a couple of them on trailer at one time) is there a waiting list?

do you have a package of yearly filter/oil/plug change, that includes either hauling both ways, or mobile tech that can do this? (this also means taking the old oil and filter with them, so customer doesn't have to find some way to deal with the old oil and filters). some of the tractors hold a rather hefty amount of oil in them @@, its not a 6 pack of oil for your car or truck, but a few 5 gallon drums worth of oil...

hey tractor is broken down, near yearly change. can ya double everything up to make it cheaper for me?

===============
is there more of a need for say... uShip - The Online Shipping Marketplace - Ship Freight, Furniture, Cars or Moves and get local tractor dealers and local towing/hauling companies to signup...? and just point customer to a single website, to get quotes?

when going to various tractor manufactures websites and looking up a dealer. they don't even list hardly anything except dealers that have a big old sign out in front that state "we are this brand of a dealer* "ughs" really? multiple different dealerships between here and there.

going to google maps and searching for "tractor dealer" misses a good amount of tractor dealers even....

if ya going to charge for hauling both ways... how about manufactures actually getting info out there of places that can service stuff? seriously do they think there new and approved tractor is all that new to technicians out there? are regional folks just setting high and mighty at only a couple stores spread clear out and about? vs everything in between? *scratching head* it has long pass the age of internet, and looking stuff on computer, if not a defacto now....

me thinks some tractors could be pushed into local car/truck auto shops, to other non brand specific dealerships. its a tractor OH NO MY LIFE IS ENDING. it is not a car or a truck? which one is more complicated in electronics? eeewww we have hydraulics, oh no! ya i understand about the various GPS / auto turning, planting, etc.. machines ya ok, auto replace maybe not the brightest idea... but.. *shrugs* there be big difference between the bigger agriculture machines that are fully loaded down, vs the SCUTS and on down to riding lawn mowers. oh wait, towing/hauling is universal between auto/truck/tractors/heavy equipment within reason of weight for heavy equipment.

==============
if ya going to make it an option for hauling to be free.... make it an option / care package or something please.

==============
sorry for ramble. tractor dealerships / repair places see such a wide variety of things. that asking them to haul for free? they are already playing jack of all trades in a sense, between all the tractor models / ages / etc.. the technicians have to service... they are not autos / car / trucks. they are tractors for a reason...not everyone has one in immediate family that may work outside of the home....

 

[fieldman12]

Some small shops especially in rural areas could work on tractors. Around some towns though if you brought a tractor for them to work on they would look at you like you have potatoes growing out of your ears. Seriously even though from a distance they look and are simple to some of us they are very foreign to them. For example I have called some garages that have no people that are diesel mechanics at car dealers. Also tractors get into things like wet brakes and so on. Not that they could not learn I am just saying I would not want them working on my tractor with no prior experience. Also each brand has differences in like what hydraulic fluid to use and so on.How about having to split a tractor which they would have never done and probably don't have all the jacks and equipment to do it. You also get into how big of a tractor can they and will they service? You don't want someone to show up with a 500 hp tractor and drop it off. Small equipment such as mowers and atv's I can see a dealer charging maybe to haul even if in warranty. Even then I would think it would be based on value for example you may be able to offer free dealer pickup on a $10,000 dollar garden tractor but not on a $1,500.00 dollar craftsman lawn mower. It's been our experience though most things like a lawn mower or garden tractor seem not to break that often and allot of people are more willing and not as scared to work on there own. I try to work on all my equipment that is out of warranty but at times I am just to busy. Also with tractors unless you order the parts online from like Shoupe you have to go pretty much to the dealer except for maybe filters. That alone sets you higher cause you are paying dealer price for parts not to mention your fuel and time. You also have more types of transmissions than say a stick or auto in a car. From car to car brand there a differences no doubt but tractors can get much more involved and complex like when getting into power shifts and power shuttle transmissions

 

[brain55]

Boggen, you said a lot, I don't want to quote it all.

I am an independent mobile equipment mechanic. I use a 28' enclosed trailer as a mobile shop essentially. I have a large rollaway, lots of misc. parts and hardware, solvent tank, 12-ton press, hydraulic hose crimping machine with hose and fittings, welder, and air compressor. I'm as well, if not better equiped than some shops. I've worked out of service body trucks in my 12+ years at equipment dealers. I found them very lacking. Having also spent many weekends at the dragstrip working on race cars, I developed my business model.

Many of my customers do not have the ability, or desire to transport their own equipment, (think horse ranches and nurseries) some do, but came to the same realization that I did, (think landscape contractor) that they lose a full man day to take their equipment to a shop to be repaired and pick it up when it's done.

I try to plan ahead and have everything I need with me, but it just isn't always possible. Part of why I went with the trailer set up is that I have the ability to unhook and go get a part if needed. Yes, there are those times where the repair takes more than one day, or parts need to be ordered that take longer to get. Most customers have no problem with their machine being torn apart. In fact one of my selling points is that with my service they don't have to wonder how far along their repair is, they can look out their window and see for themselves. I have done everything onsite, from oil changes to engine and transmission overhauls.

I've even had customers pay me to do minor repairs that would be under warranty, but didn't want to deal with taking their machine in.

Brian