Quality of Sparex belts vs Agco belts

[Feldspar]

We have been looking carefully at the cost of servicing our tractors. We are now farming a lot smaller area and so will be keeping our kit for longer and need to get our machinery costs down to suit. An Agco fan belt was about £65 whereas a Sparex one was about £3. Obviously this is a big saving, but it false economy to use these cheaper belts? What is the difference in quality between the two?

The same question applies to filters. Agco filters are about £75, equivalent Bosch ones are £40, and there's a company called DT Parts which sell one for £16 (and other companies between this and the Bosch price). Again which is the best *value* option for our situation?

We will not be working machines ridiculously intensively so we can afford a bit of downtime.

 

[Badshot]

Try inline filters for those.
But do check against genuine as aftermarket can be more expensive if they're not mass produced.

 

[Goweresque]

It wouldn't surprise me to discover that the AGCO belt was made in the same factory as the £3 one, in China naturally. And not to any particularly better spec either. I think one of the things one has to realise about modern economics is the degree to which the consumer is paying extra for the brand name rather than any actual increase in the quality of the goods. Sometimes they are exactly the same item, just the one with the Western brand name costs 3 or 4 times the unbranded one. Given the myriad of different brands and pricing levels of so many things one buys, one would have to conclude there is no way each of those pricing levels represents an actual difference in the quality of the item. There might be 2 quality levels at factory level at most, and everything else is just branding differences.

 

[agrimax]

Wonder would Sparex be suppling AGCO with the like of belts and filters with them(AGCO) being Sparex' owners? @Cowabunga often knows these things!!

 

[Nithsdale]

It wouldn't surprise me to discover that the AGCO belt was made in the same factory as the £3 one, in China naturally.

I wouldn't put money on that. Of course there's a chance of Made in China (or other countries) but the belts most commonly used on engines are more often than not, made by Gates.

Gates still make their belts here in Dumfries.

 

[Chae1]

I'd use genuine on combine. How do you price cutting time lost when it breaks?


How long does it take to get to belt? Some need to get lots of other parts removed to get to belt.

I'd just use genuine filters. If your doing less work they will need replaced less frequently. How much per hour are you saving?

 

[Feldspar]

I'd use genuine on combine. How do you price cutting time lost when it breaks?


How long does it take to get to belt? Some need to get lots of other parts removed to get to belt.

I'd just use genuine filters. If your doing less work they will need replaced less frequently. How much per hour are you saving?

The way I've thought about it is we have a target machinery repairs budget and it's getting within that envelope. Can easily save a few hundred pounds on a service. I think I'd be happy using Bosch filters over Agco ones.

 

[Steevo]

I'd use genuine on combine. How do you price cutting time lost when it breaks?


How long does it take to get to belt? Some need to get lots of other parts removed to get to belt.

I'd just use genuine filters. If your doing less work they will need replaced less frequently. How much per hour are you saving?

I can understand that logic. It depends whether you can be sure of the quality of the parts you are fitting. As you say, many belts are hard to get at or need many other belts taking off first to change it.

APH supply me with non-genuine belts often and they are reasonably priced and are clearly designed for combine harvesters specifically (Harvest Belts being a perfect example). Same is true with a lot of parts they supply - many come from eastern Europe. I'm sure they get to know who are and aren't good suppliers whereas us as end users don't see enough parts to really find out.

I'd trust them to supply, or a local supplier with a Gates or such belt might be tempting (albeit I have in the past found they can't get the specific size). Kramp do many Optibelt belts for combines though but they aren't a significant saving from what I recall.

Sparex I don't totally trust because their supplier could change from one month to the next but I could be wrong.

 

[daveydiesel1]

If a fan belt is easyily enough accessed id buy the 3 quid 1 only buy a few of them so theres no time waiting on another belt arriving. Also change the belt every time u service and it should be ok

 

[Electronic]

Some fan belts are fitted as a pair, if you buy genuine you get a proper matched set and they tighten evenly. If you buy non genuine you usually end up having to order two belts in order to have the pair and they are not matched so one does all the work and the other runs slack.

On a matched pair there will usually be a moulding number or code which will be the same on both belts, simply being the same size is not good enough toallow them to tighten evenly.

 

[yellowbelly]

We don't use a lot of belts and filters nowadays, but there was a time when we did.
There was a time when you could 'peel' the blue Ford outer cover off a filter to see the manufacturer's original filter underneath (CAV).

If non OE parts are that much cheaper, switch to them and, if you're worried, shorten service intervals and keep a few spare belts in stock.

 

[livestock 1]

Just watch with the spurious filters that the holes around the inside of the sealing ring add up to the same diameter as the genuine one it’s replaced. Doesn’t matter if there’s a different number of holes if the overall diameter is the same

 

[Treemover]

CNH had a run or batch of bad genuine filters, which was causing no end of problems with 110-90s; if memory serves; but then the other side, is I know a mechanic that used a certain brand of filter in his car and it caused oil starvation, but filter company stood costs involved.

I think with belts you could certainly take a gamble?

 

[snarling bee]

Depends how easy it is to change. 5 minute job or 3 hours.

 

[john432]

For the OP, I'd suggest he buy's 2 of the £3 fan belts, if the tractor has a front PTO etc, put both in, cable tie the spare securely to the chassis.

 

[Feldspar]

Thanks for all the advice.

 

[Farmer_Joe]

Sparex as mentioned is owned by AGCO, I bought a hub seal from mf, they quoted 50 I got the sparex one for around 20 same manufacturer correco but big saving even the mf dealer recommended buying the sparex part as it was the same, I imagine it’s not the same for every part but well worth looking at.

 

[Cowabunga]

CNH had a run or batch of bad genuine filters, which was causing no end of problems with 110-90s; if memory serves; but then the other side, is I know a mechanic that used a certain brand of filter in his car and it caused oil starvation, but filter company stood costs involved.

I think with belts you could certainly take a gamble?

I had a genuine CNH fuel filter, the Stanadyne bayonet fix type, early last year and the paper element inside was collapsed to the bottom of the canister. The dealer had a whole batch the same but I was the only one that complained out of the half dozen or so they had already sold. They obviously sent them back to CNH under warranty.

 

[made2fail]

What will be the first thought going through your head when that non genuine belt snaps, gets wrapped round the viscos fan & lashes the radiator causing a leak, Catches an air con pipe & you loose your gas ?
" I wish I had bought genuine "

 

[Finn farmer]

Manufacturers own belts are usually a ripoff. Pöttinger moco's conditioner belts cost 60€/belt and there's 4 of them. Same size "universal" belts cost 15€/belt. Both have lasted the same time.