It happens. Your bucket crumbles under a load, a belt breaks, a seal leaks. You know the drill. Your tractor needs to be repaired fast, or you can’t get the job done and you loses money as a result. Here are some ideas about finding new and used tractor parts when you need them right now.
1. Check with your tractor dealer
If you bought from a full service dealer with a parts and service department, your best option is to give them a call… just make sure you have the correct model AND serial number so they can make sure to get you the right part! They may have the part in stock. At Nelson Tractor, we keep a full line of parts for the tractors we sell in stock to fix all the things that are most likely to go wrong.
If your dealer doesn’t have the part in stock, they’ll order it for you. You can speed the process up by going to the manufacturer’s website and looking up the parts you need ahead of your call the dealer. You can even order the parts you need online or by email, text message, or the old fashioned way by stopping by the store. Having the part numbers in hand saves time on the phone or at the counter just make sure you pick the correct part that you need. And again…I cannot stress enough how important the serial number is for getting the correct parts!
The advantage to going through your dealer is to get parts made by the manufacturer. If you have a John Deere tractor, we advise you to get John Deere parts. If you have a Kubota, we advise Kubota parts. Why? Because manufacturer parts are quality and engineered to fit your exact machine.
If you evaluated your dealer before buying and chose a good full-service seller (as you should have), chances are your dealer will have what you need in stock, and you can just go over and get it or many dealers will direct ship parts straight to your door. For a simple repair, you can be back in the field today. If it’s something more complicated, or proves to be a bigger repair than you can handle on your own, your dealer will probably advise you to bring it in for service. In any case, you’ll get advice you can trust.
That’s the way it should work.
2. Order straight from the manufacturer
Most manufacturers offer direct parts ordering. While you won’t get your parts the same day, and possibly not within the week, you will have the confidence of knowing the parts came from a trusted source.
Here are links to major brand online tractor parts catalogs:
Brands we carry:
John Deere parts
New Holland Construction parts
Other popular brands:
Case IH parts
Yanmar tractor, compact tractor, and sub-compact tractor parts
Buying parts for vintage and antique tractors
Tractors are built to last. You might still be using a machine handed down for three generations. After a few decades, finding parts can be a real challenge. Fortunately, there are online resources that specialize in helping you keep your old workhorse in the field:
Tractoropolis is headquartered in California, but has warehouses in Nevada, Texas, Ohio, Illinois, and Tennessee for faster shipping. They carry parts for a lot of major brands.
Yesterday’s Tractors will deliver in 3-5 days and carries parts for many of the major brands.
Steiner Tractor carries new aftermarket parts for old tractors.
Worthington AG Parts is a salvage operation. They salvage used parts from old tractors.
Fastline is another salvage yard. You may find what you need there.
Your first stop for fast tractor parts should always be your local dealer, and your best choice is manufacturer parts. You can buy aftermarket parts, but anyone who has ever had their auto brakes serviced and driven away with a horrible squeak knows the potential consequences of aftermarket parts.
The bottom line is this: if you want tractor parts that fit properly and work like they are supposed to, buy parts from a dealer you know and trust. If your dealer steers you to a cheaper aftermarket part, you’ll know it’s because he already knows it will work with your equipment. That’s the value of having a dealer you know and trust to turn to.
