Is it really hard to get competent service for a small tractor?

[tangledweb]

I have a 30hp compact utility tractor. I’ve had a really bad run of experiences getting it serviced and repaired.

I’m currently getting the run around from one of the local John Deere dealers. They’ve had it 5 weeks at this point and have been telling me it’s basically done for 10 days and somebody will return my call later.

Is it always this hard?

I seem to find two sets of places. Brand name tractor dealers who do usually competent, but always expensive work, and sometimes take multiple weeks to get to it because they have more important customers with “real” tractors that bump me down the queue. Or, independent places that say on the phone they work on tractors but then seem out of their depth after I park it next to the lawn tractors they have in the shop.

I get that a day’s downtime does not hurt me as much as somebody with a big rowcrop tractor in harvest season, but multiple weeks of downtime does hurt me.

[GoForAGallop]

We have a great local place near us. But I will fess up to only having the huge tractors that get top priority. :lol:

I would show up at the John Deere dealer and pitch a fit if I were you. Five weeks is unacceptable. Either it should be fixed, or they should have offered to drop it back off at your place, with an apology and a gift certificate for future service.

For the record, a good independent auto mechanic should be able to work on most small tractors. Will they? That depends. But it’s worth checking, if you have a good guy for your other vehicles who might pick up a little extra work.

[Jim_in_PA]

I’m a bit spoiled having three local Kubota dealers available for sales/service…and one of them (where I bought my current machine) even has a mobile mechanic that comes out to do repairs and service that don’t require the shop.

And unless your service source was waiting for parts that were hard to come by, there’s no excuse for taking that long for a tractor repair! They are not “complicated” machines like most of today’s automobiles. Heck, I do a lot of my own mechanical repairs…in fact, I did that Sunday morning when a split pin fell out of the middle universal for the front wheel drive shaft on my little BX22. A little elbow grease, a little “real” grease and some safety accommodations and I was done in about 15 minutes. And I’m a techie guy, not a mechanic…

[Canaqua]

We do most of our own maintenance too, as we only have a little BX, the little Kubotas are pretty straightfoward, much easier than trying to fix a car. There is a Kubota dealer 10 miles away, but, since we don’t have a trailer, we have to pay them to pick it up for service and it’s $140 round trip!

[tangledweb]

I’ve been doing more of my own, but I don’t really want to. By the time I disassemble, then wait for parts, then find time to reassemble I create significant downtime too. It went to a shop this time because I thought it might need a new clutch and splitting it seemed like more of a project than I wanted.

I think the timeline on this repair was:

• about two weeks sitting on lot then somebody looks at it and estimates a price
• about one week sitting on lot then they ship it to another branch to do the work.
• somebody else looks at it, adjusts clutch, orders filters, waits a couple of days, does oil change
• about 10 days nobody can decide whose job it is to return it to the first branch and write an invoice

I took it to a recommended car mechanic first this time. He thought about it for a while then said he’d be happy to do oil changes or similar but chickened out on splitting it too.

I sent a 30hp mower to the car mechanic I used to send all my vehicles to, but they took 7 months to do that job so they don’t get my cars any more either.

I’ve previously tried an independent car/truck/tractor place that told me it was “so big” then spent about 3 weeks telling me it would be done tomorrow.

Its first few services were at the local New Holland dealer. Some of those were efficient, but they charge $1000 for an oil change, and then one time they kept it for three weeks telling me it should be ready in a couple of days unless a more important job came in then returned it unrepaired with a $1000 invoice. I’d told myself I could tolerate overpriced but professional, but I couldn’t put up with overpriced and incompetent.

I genuinely don’t understand why cars take 1-10 days depending on how traumatic the repair and how organized the shop is but my tractors always take weeks. My best guess is I’m caught between worlds. Too big for a non-tractor mechanic, and too small for a tractor mechanic to take seriously.

[hosspuller]

First of all … Deere has three types of dealers that can service your machine. Lawn & garden, Ag and Construction. Any dealer can get any Deere part. They just may not have it on the shelf. The good news is many Deere maintenance parts are common.

The key is having a relationship with one of them. If the service manager knows your face, or better your name & machine … Communications & service will be much better.

[tangledweb]

Allow me to type an update in between happy dances. Today I was finally allowed to give them money and take my tractor home.

Sometimes I think how hard it would have been to work a farm premechanisation … but at least horses don’t need mechanics.

[cssutton]

I think that in one of your posts, you gave us a clue.

The dealer you took it to sent it to one who could do the work.

Why?

My guess is that you took it to a lawn and garden JD dealer rather than the tractor dealer.

From whom did you purchase?

My JD dealer can get parts in 3 to 5 days UPS regular ground.

Next day delivery if it is an emergency.

And my big tractor is 33 years old and is considered an antique.

I take my stuff 50 miles away to a full service dealer. It is less than half that far to a JD lawn and garden dealer, who is totally incompetent.

JD is very strict with their dealers, but even so occasionally a poor dealer will get that JD sign on the door.

I would go to the dealer that did the work and get on his good list.

[tangledweb]

[QUOTE=cssutton;7763535]
My guess is that you took it to a lawn and garden JD dealer rather than the tractor dealer.[/QUOTE]
I think you may be right on that. It’s one business with 5 locations but they do only have ag stuff on the sales lot at some of them.

@cssutton;7763535

I would go to the dealer that did the work and get on his good list.

I’m electing to disagree on that part. I’m all for building a long term relationship, but it has to start from a place of mutual respect. I can be a good customer and pay my bill on time and not expect miracles, but if it takes weeks to do the work and 10 days to write an invoice or return a phone call then I’ll take my business elsewhere.

I’m in a relatively densely populated area so have choices within 20 miles.

[cssutton]

You probably are right.

However, it could be that there was some dispute or bad communications between the two JD stores.

I would look for a dealer who sells the same size or larger tractors, who is either agricultural or industrial.

If there is no other JD dealer close by, there is no reason not to try one of the competing brand dealers.

[DHCarrotfeeder]

FYI, most mowers that need engine work use another brand. Briggs, Kawasaki, etc. If you need the engine on your mower serviced, I’d follow the support network of the engine brand over the mower brand.

I don’t have any particular suggestion about how to find good compact tractor service.

David

[LauraKY]

My local JD dealer is a crook, so I use the one 50 miles away. We do most of our own work on it, but they send their mobile repair shop once a year for a tune-up and blade sharpening.

[cssutton]

Since JD usually has only one dealer within a certain distance from other, the fact that your location is shown in your profile makes it easy for everyone in your area to determine who you are referring to as a crook.

Be careful.

[ML]

Agree with this poster, they returned mine we dont find the problem after a month of repairs. Never fixed the problem asked the sales person should i just trade it in for another at different brand name to get a unit to work? Mine is used daily was a hard ship when they had it since was storing my hay at that time.

ML