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grey market dealers again

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honchar1
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 4 Inman sc
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2007-08-19          144808

I went to a grey market dealer near ashville nc. He admits he gets his reconditioned tractors from I believe he said vietnam. He normally gives a unconditional warranty for 90 days. The way I look at it is like this; they all seem to buy their tractors from vietnam,a box car worth 10-20 tractors at a time. They have a service dept which probably checks the common problems that might have been over looked not really knowing how good the tractor really is and after warranty period any repairs are all chargeable.Am I correct in my thoughts???? Does any grey market dealers in the south east do their own reconditioning??? Any names.....thank you

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grey market dealers again

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greg_g
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 1816 Western Kentucky
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2007-08-19          144810

I live in a rural KY area, but the location is within an hour or so of IL/IN/TN/MO/AR. The gray market behavior I've seen all too often throughout this region, is that they'll take out a short term lease on an acre or so near the edge of a population center of 75,000 or more. They'll set up shop with those 10-20 tractors you speak of. But once the inventory is depleted to what will fit on the back of a 52' flatbed, they simply disappear overnight - without bothering to leave a forwarding address.

And from what I've seen, the only thing new on the tractors of Vietnamese origin - is the paint. On some, they even painted the wiring. No extra charge for rust and filthy POLs hiding underneath.

Caveat emptor. If the seller doesn't have a long term lease in a fixed structure - with visibly operating shop facilities - get back on your horse and ride.

//greg// ....

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grey market dealers again

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kthompson
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 5275 South Carolina
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2007-08-20          144834

In Northeastern SC I have seen one farm supply dealer bring in these tractors with NO support. He did closed his business within a year but it was mainly due to age.

Have seen them sold at tool auction, of course with no support.

There is one local dealership that has some on their lot. Based upon just driving by they do not look to be selling. I think about 3 or 4 years (could have been longer) ago their stock was changing but for about the last year or so it looks to very seldom change.

Here, you hear less and less talk on grey market tractors. kt

....

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grey market dealers again

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greg_g
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 1816 Western Kentucky
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2007-08-20          144845

I'm in no position to say this with any authority, because my Yanmar was a US model - not grey market. Even though I bought it used, I had - at the time - parts support AND service after sale from a franchised Yanmar dealership. But my current SWAG is that Chinese tractors are now putting a serious crimp in the grey market business. Assuming reputable Chinese tractor dealers that is.

In this price range, I see two choices:
1. buying an AS-IS Japanese tractor with an unknown service history
- OR for similar money -
2. buying a new Chinese tractor from a dealer demonstrating competent service after sale

Seems like a no-brainer.

//greg// ....

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grey market dealers again

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kthompson
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 5275 South Carolina
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2007-08-20          144854

Depending on your local market you may be able to find a major brand used for not that much more than a grey market tractor. If you are looking for used major brand check around, I found the price varied a lot in just a few miles. kt ....

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grey market dealers again

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auerbach
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 2168 West of Toronto
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2007-09-27          146159

What's the hourly rate for local tractor mechanics? What do you suppose is the hourly rate in the Vietnam yard? So where do you suppose the "reconditioning" is done? (From what I've heard, the offshore reconditioning is a quickie replacement of anything found broken with the equivalent off a parts tractor, plus a paint job and preparation for loading in the shipping container.)

With any tractor from a dealer you rely on his ethics and ability. With greys you take a bigger chance in exchange for a lower price. Especially if you know what a metric wrench is, the savings can cover a lot of time and parts. ....

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grey market dealers again

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lsheaffer
Join Date: Jun 1999
Posts: 1082 Northern Illinois
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2007-10-06          146588

I've been importing tractors from Japan for ten years. I buy from the yards with the best tractor & quality control. They are not reconditioned tractors, just tractors that have taken care of by their previous orders. I've sold about $1000 of parts for the tractors I've sold. I sell from $8-$12,000 worth of parts per month, so I am very familiar with the Viet "reconditioned" tractors. I have trouble buying parts tractors from Japan, because most of the parts tractors go to Viet Nam. They seem to be fixed enough to sell them. They are my best source for parts sales. I would rather have a 20 year old well taken care of Japanese tractor than a new Chinese one. The Chinese are not the quality of a Japanese tractor. Many of the Chinese tractor companies are here today & gone tomorrow. Ask anyone that bought a Rhino where they get parts. They were imported by the Alamo Group (big $ backing). They got fed up with the quality & dropped the Rhino line. ....

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grey market dealers again

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auerbach
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 2168 West of Toronto
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2007-10-07          146605

Here's an explanation of an otherwise puzzling aspect.

As democracies go, Japan is an intensely rule-regulated country with a compliant population. The rules around cars are hard to believe: pass a mechanics test to get a drivers licence, show proof of parking space before you can own a car, killer gas and toll costs, etc. Also, cars have to be inspected frequently, and one dent means a failure. So every car and truck on the Japanese road looks like it just came out of the box. It's only a slight exaggeration to say when the ashtry gets full, it's time to trade it in.

You can't import a used J car to North America, but there's a huge business in buying used cars there for shipment to surrounding countries (where every car on the road was Japanese and looked like it just came out of a demolition derby).

Some of the attitude toward their cars spills over to tractors, so they get traded in far earlier than ours do, and used ag equipment CAN be imported here, and these used-J-vehicle firms also handle tractors.

That's why there are grey yannies around. You get no support from Mr. Yanmar, there are minor differences with those designed for export, and any "reconditioning" was makeshift. But the build quality is superb, the price is right, and the grey owners I know are quite happy. ....

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