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I have just returned from buying a tractor from John Archie in Barlow, KY. My only previous contact with him was via email in response to a photo ad he placed on here. I was greeted cordially even though I arrived about two hours earlier than he expected, on a drizzly Sunday. He started the tractor, which was "cold", and told me to do what I wanted with it while he finished loading some tires for another man. I told him I'd rather he demonstrate the mower and he said, "OK, just look it over then and let it run while I finish this other." The tractor appeared just as it does in the (linked) photo ad. The mower I had not seen before, having asked for it during our email exchange. It looked a bit rough to me. John replied, "Yes it is, but it's a Woods and it will do the job you said you want to do." After a little more discussion, I asked him if he had seen this message thread. Let's just say he showed a little annoyance. (The "he said, she said" kind of gossip that I've seen, rather than first-hand reports, is what irritates me). I told him I intended to post a message about my own experiences, whether I went home with a tractor or not. His response was, "Would you please? I don't misrepresent a tractor; you can't sell that way." (Expletives deleted) I can't speak for anyone else, nor for anyone else's real or rumored dealings with John Archie. But here are the main points of my dealing with him: 1. I asked for a tractor ready to work and, in my opinion, that's what I got. 2. The photo ad for the tractor shows the worst rear rim and the worst front tire. The rear tires have tread that is nearly like new and the front tires are very good. 3. I originally asked John about the 8N he advertised, then told him what I needed to do and asked his recommendation between the two tractors. His recommendation matched that of a relative who has been farming and buying and selling equipment all his life. 4. The tractor is not a show-room tractor; that's not what I asked for and that's not how it was priced. Problems that do not show in the photo are a loose seat, one burned out headlight, and a loose key switch. None of these problems prevent the tractor from being used immediately for the jobs I described to John (mowing approximately 5 acres of already mowed land and reclaiming approximately 10 acres overgrown with brush). 5. I was completely prepared to return home with an empty trailer if the tractor was not in working order. I'm a stickler for keeping to a deal, but since John had assured me via email that it was ready to work, there would not have been a deal to break if the tractor had not been ready to work. 6. Now that I have the tractor, I intend to service it and clear up some of the cosmetic problems, just as I would expect to do to any used equipment for which I paid less than a "new" or "fully restored" price. 7. He had assured me the hydraulics and the engine were in good shape. The engine runs great and the lift operates smoothly with no leak-down. The faded paint he pointed out in the ad makes no difference at all to me. In short, I now own that Long tractor, a 5 ft Woods 'bush-hog' and an ancient but very heavy and rugged-looking grader blade with a plate that says, "Manufactured by The Carrington Terracer Company". I had emailed John on the 23rd about a blade, he said he had two and I asked him to save one for me to move around some sand and gravel. I think he saved me the ugliest but toughest one he had. It looks like it would take a tank to damage it. I enjoyed my visit with John and wish him well with his sweet-running pulling tractor. Maybe I won't ever see him again, but I'll think of him when I'm mowing. After I follow his warning advice about getting used to the tractor on level ground. I intend to click that "Voluntary subscriber" link and buy a 3 year subscription in thanks to the people who run this excellent site. Not only do they provide a means of exchanging an incredible amount of information, but they provided a way for me to find a tractor, and dealer, that suits me.
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