Is £100 hour really fair?

[Still Farming]

And you sneek round there and see your tractor parked up doing nothing

 

[Green oak]

I’ve payed the bill. But that’s it. But I’m not buying anything big value of the dealer red or blue again. 60 years of business over. No tractors no machinery. The cash cow has been milked.

 

[wasted years]

I’ve payed the bill. But that’s it. But I’m not buying anything big value of the dealer red or blue again. 60 years of business over. No tractors no machinery. The cash cow has been milked.

The reality is you didn't have much of a choice, unless you wrote and told them to consult you about the bill before they carry out the work. you are stuck with it.

 

[Andrew K]

Was this thread shut down for a while?

 

[james ds]

I’ve payed the bill. But that’s it. But I’m not buying anything big value of the dealer red or blue again. 60 years of business over. No tractors no machinery. The cash cow has been milked.

I'd park at their gate with a sign of the invoice up for all to see , you were rode , I would not have paid it .

 

[joe soapy]

The problem is much deeper than the labour cost per hour, Machines need to be designed from the start to be quickly and easily diagnosed, dismantled and repaired.
Its a tractor, ment to operate in a field, dosent need the tight packaging of a F! car.
Its not only the cost of repair, there is also big cost and inconvience of not having the use of it at a busy time

 

[glasshouse]

I’ve payed the bill. But that’s it. But I’m not buying anything big value of the dealer red or blue again. 60 years of business over. No tractors no machinery. The cash cow has been milked.

£80/hr is a bit rich is it not?
tell him you want half the labour off.

 

[Cowabunga]

Yes it’s just killed my year to be frank.

Where the f**k did you have it repaired? At a BMW main dealer?

 

[Mursal]

€120 VW dealers were charging here, before the bottom fell out of things.
Second year apprentices, running round like headless chickens.

Operators that can leave plant with a main dealer and walk away "give me a ring when its ready" don't live in my world, I'm afraid.

But bills have to be paid.

 

[Cowabunga]

That would kill any bodies year , but hopefully it doesn't need anything for next 9 years

110 hours I can understand, just about, at a push. But £100/hour is taking the pish for that many hours. At a more reasonable £45/hour discounted to take account of the number of hours work, it would still be £4950. That still gives the workshop £30/hour margin over the cost of employing a top mechanic in terms of his wages.

Ask for a discount. If you don't ask, you don't get.

 

[Cowabunga]

Handy workshop, good crane, impact gun and I’ve been down to that situation in a day!! IIRC rear diff on tractors had a roughly around 40hrs guide time to do. I should think that the dealer can knock sonething off for a big job like that?

Lets say a good day to strip down, maybe half a day before diagnosing and pressure testing. Another day to strip box/clutches and clean all parts, faces etc. A day to rebuild and re fit to chassiss, 2 days to close up, re fit cab, tanks, wheels etc and run up to calibrate. That’s around 6 to 7 days max. Therefore around the 70hrs?

Its possible that it had to be re-split of course. sh!t happens.

 

[Cowabunga]

Just looked though the bill again. Parts came in at £5.467. Labour with discounts £8.752.

That's more like it, but still ridiculous. What were those first figures you gave then? Something you had nightmares about?

Did you pay it without trying to get the figures reduced further? I reckon £45 to £50/hour for that many hours is about right wherever you are. If it was a small job and you were in a high labour cost and property cost area I can understand that labour charges are higher than my figures, but that is taking the Mickey isn't it?
Perhaps it covers you 'borrowing' another 300hp tractor during a peak period to keep you going? There's sometimes hidden costs like than to justify big bills to an extent. A premium service if I can call it that?

 

[Mursal]

I would think they knew it was the end of the road.
Three demos from other manufacturers .........
A breakup was on the cards

my 9 year old 2900 hour 300hp tractor has cost my well over 20k in repairs in those 9 years.

And everything was going so well.
(14k = current bill)
20k - 14k = 6k
6k/9years = £700 a year

 

[bluebell]

i was watching a program on telly about the modern germany army, showed they could takeout the engine and gearbox of a main leopard battle tank and replace with a newone in twenty minutes because it had been designed that way with easy couplings

 

[Lincoln75]

i was watching a program on telly about the modern germany army, showed they could takeout the engine and gearbox of a main leopard battle tank and replace with a newone in twenty minutes because it had been designed that way with easy couplings

Same with the French AMX10 .

 

[Cowabunga]

Why did the clutches wear out? Was there an oil pressure issue? Seals failed? Driver abuse? Overload? Low oil level? Known design fault?
Clutches like this generally don't just wear out at low hours due to just normal wear and tear.

 

[NorthEastLad]

i was watching a program on telly about the modern germany army, showed they could takeout the engine and gearbox of a main leopard battle tank and replace with a newone in twenty minutes because it had been designed that way with easy couplings

A modern tank will require a Pack Lift within a few hundred miles, the weight and the type of terrain puts tremendous pressure on the Engine and Gearbox. It works in the Army as time is all that matters, and money is hardly a object.

The way the 'Pack' is designed so that it comes out for any maintainence, imagine if you had to change a filter and you having to go through that bother, can't see it happening in a civilian Context.

 

[wasted years]

Its possible that it had to be re-split of course. sh!t happens.

Yes but if they had already had it split, the re-split is at their cost or what is the point of using a trained mechanic?

 

[Cowabunga]

Yes but if they had already had it split, the re-split is at their cost or what is the point of using a trained mechanic?

That's not how it works in the real world. The best mechanic in the world can't test a tractor fully until it has been reassembled and sometimes there are unforeseen complications just as there are in hospital operations..

 

[farmerbill]

That's not how it works in the real world. The best mechanic in the world can't test a tractor fully until it has been reassembled and sometimes there are unforeseen complications just as there are in hospital operations..

This is a very rare occasion I actually disagree with you. The reason we pay high dealer rates is to have the job completed as efficiently as possible.

Any monkey can play parts bingo and suck it n see. We don't pay £100/hr for those shenanigans!