good parts men

Called dealer to order some parts for combine I always request the ol boy that's been there for years and he knew the part numbers I needed he said boy those are familiar from years gone by let me look . Looks like everything Is a day away I'll get em coming

You never know do you? Yesterday I went to the Deere dealer to order a gasket for the shield or seal or whatever it is called that's behind the clutch pulley on a 630 Deere. This is a part you don't often remove so there's seldom a need for this gasket so I told the parts man he would probably have to order it. The young parts man, who is a VERY good parts man by the way, said "yep, I have one. Will be right back". He disappeared into the back room and came out with one. Later I got to thinking Deere usually sends a package of around five gaskets so he might have had this one plus a few spares for a long time. Jim

Two things make a good dealer.1, A mechanic that can actually trouble shoot a problem,instead of just slapping parts on till the problem is fixed,,or not. 2 A partsman (or woman)who knows their business. Both are rare.

Or women are hard to find!!

Back in the 70's I was a 19 year old that was hired by the local Case dealer to replace the retiring parts man. He was an old Navy man from WWII. He stayed a couple of weeks after I started to show me the ropes. One thing that he told me stuck, "There's nothing wrong with not knowing, there's no excuse for not finding out" I only worked there a couple of years but that statement stayed with me.

How true of a statement. A lot of them don't want to find out now days. There is a parts guy at the JD dealer here. He knows his stuff. I was asking the other parts guy there about seals for an older JD pressure washer pump. He told him to look for them in a certain section, if he didn't find them there then to look in the vintage parts section in another place. He is one guy that will be looking for parts for someone, still listening to a conversation about other parts from one of the other parts guys and tell them where to find something, still looking up what he started with. Ive know a couple gals that knew their stuff as well.

Yesterday afternoon, I was tedding an 11 acre field of hay- pretty heavy for third cutting, when the left wheel bearings on the tedder came apart. I folded it up, picked up the wheel and tire, and headed home. I yanked the bearings off and one race and the seal, and headed for the local Deere dealer. I phoned the parts guy on the way because it was a toss up as to whether I'd make it by 5. I got there right at 5, and was on the way home at 5:10- bearings in hand. It's hard to find a great dealer like that....

There's a darned good parts woman in a dealership in my county seat town. I have dealt with her for parts for years. Very knowledgeable and prompt. If i need two one inch sealed bearings with locking collars she would be on the way to the back room before i can complete the sentence.

A few years ago i was in a dealership in Idaho that was owned by a huge dealer chain. I needed those two 1" sealed bearings with locking collars. The young parts man asked me what machine it was for and i told him it's just two common sealed ball bearings and i need the locking collars. He still wanted to know what they were for so i said they are for the ends of the finger crank shaft in the middle of the cross auger in a 1010 platform. He wanted to know the SERIAL NUMBER!!! I was dumbfounded. I told him they are all the same. We ran some old ones and some new ones and i know they are all the same! He took forever looking them up on the computer, found them on the computer and the phone rang. He yakked away forever on the phone before he got the bearings for me. I was steamed. The Napa dealer was a little farther in to town and the next time i needed common bearings for one of the combines i went straight to Napa.

Betty and Brenda at Sandy Lake Implement really know their Allis Chalmers parts

Same thing happened to me the other day I need a v
belt 1 inch shorter that what you gave me for a
200 series platform .. uh uh we don't just have
belts . So I looked the number up called and got
it on the way

I don't like to post an individuals name on the internet, but I think I know who you are talking about. She worked at Albert City before they closed. No matter what you need, if it can be found she'll find it. She almost knows what you need before you can tell her. She knows her stuff.
Many dealerships don't know that a good parts person makes them money. They often just fill their parts positions with minimum wage know nothings that could care less. Rather than deal with the frustration, I'll walk out and buy online or call our favorite parts lady.

We have a good JD dealer in Canton, NY and they will do everything to help find your part. They will even look to see if they can get the same part from an aftermarket company [A & I] at a lower price. They are not a large bto dealership and we always worry they they will be pushed out by John Deere and bought out by a megadealer as has happened to all of the other JD dealers in our area.

K-mo she's the one you're talking about.

When I was on the road. Found an old style parts store. Run by an older man and his wife. They could get you parts for a Saturn Five Rocket. If you needed them.

Got bought out. New owner fired them put his sons in charge. Couldn't find parts if you sat them in front of them.Place was gone in six months.

I deal with LeBerge and Curtis as well. They are always very helpful. I remember when they bought out Robinson's. They'll still drop parts for us on Black Lake so we don't have to travel to Canton.

I'm one of those young parts guys. Been working here about a year and half. I may not have the experience and I can't always walk back to the shelf and grab it on some things without looking it up, but I sure try my hardest. You also gotta understand on some of the newer stuff... it's a lot harder to find even simple things than it seems. Simple stuff like hyd filters, serpentine belts, etc can really be a bear. There are SO many variations in transmissions and pumps and options and all that can even varie by country because the books show everything for Europe as well. Please don't tell me to go open a real book. There aren't any and haven't been for years. Reason being, there's no way to fit all those options and variants on paper. You'd be flipping til your fingers bled. I always like when folks come in with older equipment, because I can relate with them, and usually find parts a lot easier, even though I have to look it up. I'll also give you advice on maybe a different way to fix it if the part cannot be found. Yes, I'll use ALL my resources whether it be factory, aftermarket, dealer locator U.S. and Canada and a couple vintage parts warehouses and give you all the phone numbers for all the salvage yards in the upper Midwest so you can find a used one. If the part isn't in "our system", I'll even call competing dealerships on your behalf and lose the sale to them to get you up and running.

Having said that, and sorry for getting on a rant, if you could do us parts guys one little favor... please know what model you have. To me, that's basic and you should know it. Don't say "Oh, they're all the same" or, "Well, I bought it there back in '98, look it up." or, "Steve sold it to me, ask him." Baloney. It's your equipment. The least you can do is know what the heck it is. We don't have time to investigate or guess, and neither do you. Yes, serial number is sometimes necessary, but model is paramount.

And, if you guys have ever been patient and understanding when one of screws up, or the part didn't show up when we said it was going to, thank you. Even if you really wanted to yell and scream and cuss 'cause you're stressed out, and didn't. I appreciate it.

Thanks for listening!

Im-to-deep, very well said! A parts man once told me he kind of enjoys it when i come in because i know what I'm talking about when i need a part. I've never forgotten those words so i try to prepare myself first before i go to the dealer. I almost never work with a machine newer than 20 years old so that helps too. If i need a part NOW, which isn't often, the parts man will search other dealers close by for me.

The store manager has a lot to do with it too. The dealer i frequent is like a coffee shop. Customers are standing around chatting, sometimes with the salesman or store manager joining in. Another store near me that handles the same brand has an atmosphere that feels purely commercial, like they could care less if i walk in the door or not. The parts men have a blank stare and usually i'm the only customer. The parts men are competent and the mechanics in the shop are good, the personal side of doing business isn't there and that is part of what brings in customers. Jim

Yep, us too. Coffee's always on. Although, it's not very good. Trying to get the manager to get a popcorn machine, but no luck.

The Titan dealer in Fergus Falls MN has an older guy who will bend over backwards to get you what you need. Last year he called a competing dealer, not CaseIH, determined that they had what I needed on hand and told them that I might me a few minutes late for closing time. Parts guy from there ask if I could meet him at a road junction that shaved about 20 miles off my trip. So I met him there about 5:15 and got my parts. Turns out he worked for an AGCO dealer near me that the owners retired and sold out. The new owner (expanding dealer) basically closed down the parts and service at that store and got rid of most of the old help. He was one of the guys that got the axe. Great parts guy! He still lives in the old town where he worked and carries parts home almost daily for pickup by guys who are disgusted with the new dealer. He took a lot of customers with him to his new job.

Rick

I've had very good luck with Allen at R&R equipment in Indianola Iowa former AC dealer.

That phone thing bugs me. I never answer the phone when there is a customer in front of me. He's here now, he gets my attention. The only exception is if I'm the only one working and the phone will keep ringing if I don't pick it up. I will answer and take a number to call them back, because I have a customer at the counter at the moment.

You see a lot of Lebegre and Curtis stickers on JD equipment around the Lowville area, also.

(quoted from post at 09:09:59 09/20/14) We have a good JD dealer in Canton, NY and they will do everything to help find your part. They will even look to see if they can get the same part from an aftermarket company [A & I] at a lower price. They are not a large bto dealership and we always worry they they will be pushed out by John Deere and bought out by a megadealer as has happened to all of the other JD dealers in our area.

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Leberge and Curtis. Good guys. I just hate making the trip from north of Gouverneur into Canton. I hate driving through Canton with a passion and then by the oh so perfect SLU. Fortunately good old "JR" is still working there and will bring parts to Black lake if I make a call.

Where you located 2underage?

(quoted from post at 11:52:48 09/20/14) That phone thing bugs me. I never answer the phone when there is a customer in front of me. He's here now, he gets my attention. The only exception is if I'm the only one working and the phone will keep ringing if I don't pick it up. I will answer and take a number to call them back, because I have a customer at the counter at the moment.

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Yeah, that gets me steamed too. I'm standing right there, made a trip from 12-60 miles depending on where I am, have a crap load of stuff to do and the parts guy wants to talk sports on the phone with his beer buddy? I don't think so!

we routinely pick on the young 'computer' parts guys of today(deservedly so sometimes)
but after reading in-too-deeps posts...
I think I have his brother at one of my local dealerships.
Involved in antique tractor clubs and an absolute wizard at the computer.
If the part I need exists on this planet, he will find it for me.

I hope they pay him enough to stay, but talented people usually move on to bigger, better things. I understand that.

Well back when I was running a haying operation I was visiting my JD dealer often. Sometimes I would call and get this guy that was as you said, a senior sales guy that knew all the ropes.

So the facility moved to new quarters and I called them one day and found that the guy had retired upon the transfer.

I was saddened by that.

Mark