Farm Equipment Parts Prices - a joke!

[wayned]

I have two JD corn combines and the gather chains on the corn heads break/stretch very often and need constant maintenance and repair. I've been buying offset links from the JD dealer at around 600B each which is ridiculous, and he's run out of stock. So I started checking.

I cannot find a source in Thailand, other than JD, as they are special agricultural chains produced by Donghua Chain in China. Donghua has an office in Bangkok but won't answer their emails. I contacted Donghua in China and they told me that they would not supply the parts only the whole chain. I complained about their Customer Support and asked for the name of an officer of the company and thought that was the end of it.

I contacted my dealer in the US and I can get them for 295B shipped to Thailand, USPS, if I order 24 pieces.

I contacted Shoup Co., an AG parts supplier in the US, and can get them for 244B if I order 24 pieces.

I then received a message from the Director of International Export (an actual name on the email) from Donghua China.He apologized for their non-support and agreed to sell the parts direct. I took pictures of the Donghua Packing bag that I had with the part numbers written on it and he came back and told me that he will supply the part, ex-works, for 39B per piece. If I order 24, which I am in the process of doing, the price comes to about 45baht/piece including shipping via China Post Express mail.

In USD, the part from JD Thailand is $18.18 and the part from China is $ 1.36. The exact same part, Amazing!

Sorry if I bored you guys, My wife wants me to cut down a tree in the front yard and I had to look busy until she left!

[NeverSure]

Wayned, is there any chance that the Chinese parts aren't genuine John Deere but rather are knock-offs? Do they come in John Deere packaging with John Deere part numbers?

Chinese steel is notorious for being junk. It would surprise me if John Deere used such junk. Japan, Taiwan, S. Korea yes, but China?

Yes, a US dealer might carry a Chinese knock off but farmers wouldn't put up with it for long.

I have run corn combines for years and the chains wear out but not in a year or two. When they do, they are totalled and have to be replaced. But it isn't a regular thing.

Maybe John Deere is willing to damage its name by selling junk chains, but it would surprise me. I'd contact John Deere corporate in the US with pictures of those Chinese chains and ask if they are "real."

[slapout]

A good quality working/drive chain made to JD specs will last several thousand hours of use. Any replacement part made in China will be substandard in some way, most of the time. The few exceptions are probably an accident and not repeatable.

I bought a complete set of replacement cutter and chains for a JD frail mower one time, the old ones (original JD) were worn, and dull but not broken. They had about 7000 hours of use, cutting grass. The replacements began to unravel within 1 week of use and were verified as chines knockoffs and replaced. I put the knockoffs in a small 6 inch shop vice and I could actually bend them. I trided to bend the worn ones and could not dent them.

buyer beware./

[wayned]

I posted a reply once and it has disappeared so here goes again.

The parts that I buy from the JD dealer do not have the JD part number on them, AN100721", they come packed in a plastic bag with the manufacturer name Donghua and the Donghua part number on it C55V O/L. the ones from Shoup have US Tsubaki part numbers in the catalog, CA555OL. I suspect that the ones from JD have JD part numbers.

The 40 series corn heads were sold with three different chains available:.black pin USA, Chrome pin USA and black pin imported (solid bushing). The chains on both of my heads are the imported variety built by Dinghua in China. Donghua is a major supplier to JD and have a distribution facility in Carol Stream. Illinois, near JD.

When Donghua finally agreed to supply the parts directly to me, at their request, I took a picture of the packing bag for one of the links so that they would be sure that they quoted the correct part. So if they are knockoffs they are being made by the same company that made the chain.

The US manufacture is US Tsubaki ( a Japanese name) and they have 5 manufacturing facilities in the US.

I agree that the chains should last longer, but in addition to our own fields we are contracting out our services to cut other fields. Some of these fields have never been mechanically harvested and the condition of the fields, hidden rocks, boulders, tree stumps, etc ids less than optimum. The gathering chains don't like large rocks very much. We have even modified both heads to raise the front of the gathers to help this problem.

Slapout, I'm sure that you are not too familiar with the operation of corn harvesters or you wouldn't have made that comment. My JD 6620 was manufactured in 1981,34 years ago, and it still has less than 5000 hours on it. There are 21 external belts and 8 chains on the combine not counting those in/on the motor., and at least 6+ chains on the corn head depending on the number of rows it is configured to harvest.

Anyway I still haven't cut down the tree that I was supposed to this morning and the wife will be home soon! Boy will I be in trouble. I'll tell her neither chain saw would start but not that I ever really tried!

[slapout]

Wayned", after rereading your post above I still stand behind my observation about hours of life of chains on any piece of farm machinery. Hell after 30 years the chain may have rusted thru at every pin connector even if it had never been turned over at least it wasn't stretched too much.. I did explain some thoughts in a pm to you. Yes I am aware of the number of chains on farm machinery, and many other type of machinery. I am even aware of chain sprokets being held in place with roll pins to prevent those nasty rock/trash from fouling the machine and thus breaking a chain or even a shaft.

Those roll pins are built in safety devices some people never consider this when they replace a broken or missing roll pin. Always check the manufactor part, a screw up on a 5 dollar part can cost 3000 dollars in a heartbeat. Ask neverrsure I'll bet he can give you more good tips .

Edited December 13, 2014 by slapout