gr8scott72
Addicted to ArboristSite
I've been trolling around on here for awhile and finally decided to post. It's kind of a negative post but hope it provides a warning to some and maybe someone can offer some help.
I sell used cars for a living and love it but I want to do something on my own. I would love to have my own car lot but the amount of money I would need would put that many more years down the road. I have often thought about starting my own stump grinding business and finally decided to do so. I think I have read everything on the internet that there is about grinding and have talked extensively to a local grinder to whom I sold a truck to. He has been very helpful.
I believe in paying for every piece of equipment with cash and was really wanting a Carlton 7015 but didn't quite have that much money. I decided it would be better to just go ahead and get something smaller and get started now instead of waiting til I could afford the larger machine.
I have scoured all the equipement classifieds and finally settled on a 2005 Rayco 1625 with the 25 horse Kohler. It was being sold by Harv's Sales (Harv's Tree Service) and showed under 100 hours and the description was "like new". I thought the price was a little high at $9,800 but was willing to pay it for an under 100 hour machine. We worked a deal out and ended up paying $9,500 for the machine and $800 for shipping.
It took a week longer to get the machine than he told me. When the machine finally got here, even before it was off the truck I could notice that the whole machine had been repainted and poorly at that. There was overspray on everything and later I would find out that the grease fittings had also been painted over and at least two of them would not accept and grease. The next thing I noticed before it was even off the machine was that it didn't have Greenteeth on it like Harv said it did. Finally got it off the truck and the wiring harness for the trailer had the connector just snipped off with just bare wires hanging out the front. These few thing in and by themselves didn't really bother me that much and I was excited to get it.
I got it home and got it cranked up and backed it off the trailer. That's when I noticed the blade will spin when the engine is at low revs and the clutch is disengaged.
All the hydrolics seemed to work good and I started driving it around the house to the back yard. I got to the first little stump that I wanted to try it out on, backed it up to the stump, and right then the engine started sputtering and died. I never even got to try it.
I finally got it back on the trailer with a little help from my dad's Kubota tractor. I took it to one shop but didn't have a real good feeling about them and picked it up before they even touched it.
I took it home and started piddling with it a little. I pulled the valve cover off one cylinder and actually found a leaf inside the valve cover. I also saw that several of the parts actually had rust on them. I pulled the other valve cover off and found that one of the rockers was actually completely off the spring that goes to the cam. It was so far over that it had already scored the side of the valve cover. I undid it and put it back on directly over the spring, put everything back together and then tried starting it. It cranked right up.
The next morning I went out to try to use it. Same thing, I got it all the way around to the back yard, backed up to the stump, and it quit again. Took forever to get it back loaded on the trailer.
Next day I took it to a different shop. Two days later, they had it running. I went to pick it up and they told me that someone had been in the engine and not put it back together very well. They had to replace the choke plate as it was bent a full 90 degrees. They said they had to re-tap several bolt holes and that there was dirt all inside the engine. They told me that there was no way that that engine only had 100 hours on it and that all I paid for was a paint job. They showed me how it puffs a cloud of smoke every time you idle it to full.
So far Harv was nice every time I called him, saying to get it fixed and let him know what it was. He kept saying that they looked it over when they got it and everything was fine.
After I heard what my mechanic said, I don’t really feel all that great about keeping the machine as a new engine is about $1,800 plus labor to put it on and the mechanics said there was no way to know how long that engine would last.
I called Harv and expressed my concern and the fact that it was not in the condition that he advertised it to be. He kept saying that it worked for them and to the best of his knowledge it was “like new”. I kept telling him that even the stuff on the outside is not how he described it; no Greenteeth, blade spinning when clutch disengaged, grease fittings not working, guard over blade missing, welds holding the bolts holding bumper on were broken, the trailer had to be completely rewired, and engine puffing oil every time you rev it up.
I told him that I just wanted to give the machine back and get my money back. I even told him that I am willing to pay for shipping BOTH ways and he just give me the $9,500 back and not even bother with the fact that I put new lights on the trailer and rewired it and had the engine fixed. I would pay all the shipping and he would be getting a machine back that is in better shape than when he sold it. He says he doesn’t take machines back and he sells everything as is. I said “That’s fine but you also sold it in “like new” condition and nothing on here is like new.”
He’s still holding to his “I don’t take machines back” and now he’s even being childish by hanging up on me and then not answering my calls.
It’s
Harv’s Tree Service or Harv’s Sales
22230 Harper Ave
St Clair Shores, MI 48080
586-771-4400 office
810-602-5960 cell
I think I’m being more than reasonable and don’t really know what to do. Any suggestions would be great. I know this was long, thanks for reading.
Scott
I sell used cars for a living and love it but I want to do something on my own. I would love to have my own car lot but the amount of money I would need would put that many more years down the road. I have often thought about starting my own stump grinding business and finally decided to do so. I think I have read everything on the internet that there is about grinding and have talked extensively to a local grinder to whom I sold a truck to. He has been very helpful.
I believe in paying for every piece of equipment with cash and was really wanting a Carlton 7015 but didn't quite have that much money. I decided it would be better to just go ahead and get something smaller and get started now instead of waiting til I could afford the larger machine.
I have scoured all the equipement classifieds and finally settled on a 2005 Rayco 1625 with the 25 horse Kohler. It was being sold by Harv's Sales (Harv's Tree Service) and showed under 100 hours and the description was "like new". I thought the price was a little high at $9,800 but was willing to pay it for an under 100 hour machine. We worked a deal out and ended up paying $9,500 for the machine and $800 for shipping.
It took a week longer to get the machine than he told me. When the machine finally got here, even before it was off the truck I could notice that the whole machine had been repainted and poorly at that. There was overspray on everything and later I would find out that the grease fittings had also been painted over and at least two of them would not accept and grease. The next thing I noticed before it was even off the machine was that it didn't have Greenteeth on it like Harv said it did. Finally got it off the truck and the wiring harness for the trailer had the connector just snipped off with just bare wires hanging out the front. These few thing in and by themselves didn't really bother me that much and I was excited to get it.
I got it home and got it cranked up and backed it off the trailer. That's when I noticed the blade will spin when the engine is at low revs and the clutch is disengaged.
All the hydrolics seemed to work good and I started driving it around the house to the back yard. I got to the first little stump that I wanted to try it out on, backed it up to the stump, and right then the engine started sputtering and died. I never even got to try it.
I finally got it back on the trailer with a little help from my dad's Kubota tractor. I took it to one shop but didn't have a real good feeling about them and picked it up before they even touched it.
I took it home and started piddling with it a little. I pulled the valve cover off one cylinder and actually found a leaf inside the valve cover. I also saw that several of the parts actually had rust on them. I pulled the other valve cover off and found that one of the rockers was actually completely off the spring that goes to the cam. It was so far over that it had already scored the side of the valve cover. I undid it and put it back on directly over the spring, put everything back together and then tried starting it. It cranked right up.
The next morning I went out to try to use it. Same thing, I got it all the way around to the back yard, backed up to the stump, and it quit again. Took forever to get it back loaded on the trailer.
Next day I took it to a different shop. Two days later, they had it running. I went to pick it up and they told me that someone had been in the engine and not put it back together very well. They had to replace the choke plate as it was bent a full 90 degrees. They said they had to re-tap several bolt holes and that there was dirt all inside the engine. They told me that there was no way that that engine only had 100 hours on it and that all I paid for was a paint job. They showed me how it puffs a cloud of smoke every time you idle it to full.
So far Harv was nice every time I called him, saying to get it fixed and let him know what it was. He kept saying that they looked it over when they got it and everything was fine.
After I heard what my mechanic said, I don’t really feel all that great about keeping the machine as a new engine is about $1,800 plus labor to put it on and the mechanics said there was no way to know how long that engine would last.
I called Harv and expressed my concern and the fact that it was not in the condition that he advertised it to be. He kept saying that it worked for them and to the best of his knowledge it was “like new”. I kept telling him that even the stuff on the outside is not how he described it; no Greenteeth, blade spinning when clutch disengaged, grease fittings not working, guard over blade missing, welds holding the bolts holding bumper on were broken, the trailer had to be completely rewired, and engine puffing oil every time you rev it up.
I told him that I just wanted to give the machine back and get my money back. I even told him that I am willing to pay for shipping BOTH ways and he just give me the $9,500 back and not even bother with the fact that I put new lights on the trailer and rewired it and had the engine fixed. I would pay all the shipping and he would be getting a machine back that is in better shape than when he sold it. He says he doesn’t take machines back and he sells everything as is. I said “That’s fine but you also sold it in “like new” condition and nothing on here is like new.”
He’s still holding to his “I don’t take machines back” and now he’s even being childish by hanging up on me and then not answering my calls.
It’s
Harv’s Tree Service or Harv’s Sales
22230 Harper Ave
St Clair Shores, MI 48080
586-771-4400 office
810-602-5960 cell
I think I’m being more than reasonable and don’t really know what to do. Any suggestions would be great. I know this was long, thanks for reading.
Scott
