More chain than I need

Last week I was mowing hay with my 472 New Holland Haybine and I broke a sprocket chain. The chain got ground up pretty bad so I decided to replace the whole thing. I called a local small tractor/impliment dealership and ask if he had #50 sprocket chain. He said he had it and it was $5.50 per ft. I told him to cut me off 4 ft. and I would be over soon to get it. He said,"wait a minute, I cannot sell you 4 ft. but I can sale you the 10 ft. roll it comes in.". I said, I don't need 10 ft., I need only 4 ft. What will I do with the other 6 ft. He said I could use it in the future when it breaks again , or sell it with the machine when I got rid of it. I told him I had had the machine 15 years and this was the only chain I had ever needed so far and I did not intend to sell the machine. He still refused to sell me chain by the foot. I called a New Holland dealership which was 65 miles away and ask if they would sell #50 chain by the foot. He said of course, how much do you need? He said it was $2.40 per foot. I saved $40.00 by driving 65 miles and back to get it. A little fuel cost was involved but I would have driven 150 miles rather than be gouged for something I did not need. What is with this guy. He must be trying to pay for the nice new building he just put up. If he keeps this up he might not be able to use his building very long..

most of the farm supply places around here carry roller chain and very few people will buy it from the stealerships

Most of the box farm stores sell it in the 10' boxes because they don't have to count pitches or cut it. They let you do that.
Most dealerships sell it by the foot and get it in much larger bulk rolls.

Ya gota have atlest one half a roll of roller chain for a good estate sale , thats where I get mine and keep it on hand then it will be passed on to the next guy unless the grandson wants to play the game then it will ALL be his , From the dirt and rust to the potbelly and bad back .

I "moonlighted" part time, for a major midwest
bearing company. they sold pulleys and belt, chain
and sprokets, gears, bearings etc. they were a top
seller for a major brand of roller chain, and sold
over a million dollars of chain a year. They stocked 10 foot boxes and sold it ONLY by the box!
If you break a box, to sell 4 feet, and are left
with 6 feet, the next customer will want 7 feet,
so you need to "break" another box! Pretty soon
you are left with lots of odds and ends, some of
which will never sell They could order larger
rolls, and did, for Industrial customers, who
requested it.FURTHER---There is NO SUBSTUTUTE
for quality name brand AMERICAN MADE chain.
If you purchase anything else, you are placing
price ahead of quality. The big rolls that a
farm store, or implement dealer cuts from to get
your 4 feet, probably comes from CHINA or a
third world country, where they throw old coat
hangers and bicycles in the blast furnace, and
there is no consistancy in the metalurgy or the
finished product.

nothing unusual about it at all. Chain is commonly sold that way unless they are big into it and get it in the large bulk rolls.

That's normal. IN our shop we have partial rolls of #35, 40, 50, 60, and maybe even some 80. We usually have to buy a new roll of one or the other every year, as I end up replacing chain on something every year.

The only chain that we buy in what we need is the less common stuff, and those dealers ussually have it in bulk rolls to cut it from.

Donovan from Wisconsin

In my area that is the only way you can buy chain. 10 foot or no foot no matter who you call or go to. But on the other hand it is nice to have the extra stuff laying around and in the past having it around has saved me a good many bale of hay from getting wet in the windrows

If it was Chinese chain, you'd be needed that other 6 ft sooner than you think. The New Holland chain should be better quality than the farm store as well.
Chris

Don't underestimate the Stealerships. While they will rip you off on the parts you can't get anywhere else, they are usually competitive on the consumable stuff. Last year I had to get new elevator chains for my combine and the CIH dealer was cheaper that all the local farm supply / parts places. This year I changed the shaker bushes on it. I got some from CIH and some from the local farm parts place. The CIH bushes were about twice the price, but looked like twice the quality...only time will tell on them.
Chris

Told The guy , If that chain is from China , I will not take it if you give it to me ,,,Stretch and Sprocket Wear Ain't worth It And Neither is that Sob Clinton that wanted free trade with China

Not surprised. I went to Orschlen's and tried to buy four foot of log chain for a project. No can do. Have to buy a 25 ft chain with hooks and cut it up if you want. Would think liability is high on cutting a big chain like that in a retail store. I remember back when they only had it by the foot.

The least of my worries has been how much chain I have to buy. Getting GOOD chain is my main worry.
Tsubaki seems to be about all I can get around here and that's trash. Made in China. Then there's the no name china made chain... I went through several lengths (yes, SEVERAL 10' lengths) of Tsubaki and cheaper stuff on a harvester last year on one drive.
I got so disgusted I called Deere looking for chain. I asked if they had US made chain. They said they had some.... made by US Drives. Labeled Deere. I bought the length. It was no more money than the Tsubaki. It did the season this year. One piece. Put on. Never adjusted. Oiled once. Good chain.
No more china chain for me.

You got cheap stuff. Where are you going next time when this piece of crap fails?

Rod

I understand the bad back but the potbelly?, was that from all the good food you produced??

The dealer would end up with many pieces of odd lengths of chain if he catered to you.My baler will use many lengths of 2060 chain.I buy 10 foot lengths and keep it on the shelf.