Engineered with ruggedness and convenience in mind, the Front End Loaders Keno OR are excellent for work around the ranch and farm. If this is the first time you need to buy a front end loader and you don’t know what to consider prior to making the purchase, rest assured. We’re going to walk you through some of the most important things to consider before buying a front end loader.
Support
Post sale maintenance and support are 2 of the most important components that ensure the long term return on investment of your purchase. If they’re provided by the dealer you got the front end loader from, then that’s great since it saves you time and also money in the long term. Specifically, you’ll have to pay attention to the following factors:
1. First, call fix rate, but also turn around.
2. Delivered and on-hand name-brand parts.
3. The number of available professionals that can assist you with your problem (both sub-contracted and in-house).
Thanks to these considerations you’ll be able to look past the service rate your dealer is able to offer you and get an accurate estimate of how much you’re going lose (productivity wise) during the downtime period.
You may ask yourself why the service rate isn’t all that important and that’s a legitimate question. The answer is that each front end loader will be used for a different purpose and in a different way. For instance, while one machine may be used to dig trenches, another may be used to demo old structures.
Maintenance and SLA
As you may already know if you have friends that have front end loaders, these require regular maintenance if you want to keep them in good working order. What this means is that you’re going to have to set aside a budget specifically for these types of interventions. These service aspects, including parts and labor, but also fees associated with the maintenance process can be found in the SLA. This is actually a great way you can save a lot of money over the lifespan of your front end loader. But while your SLA may lock in the costs of servicing your front end loader to an amount that you feel comfortable with, that’s not the case with every SLA. That’s why when evaluating the SLA for a front end loader, you need to consider the following:
1. Safety and operating training: Certain dealers will offer classes that train potential operators on the loader’s safety procedures, but also functions.
2. Warranty: guarantees workmanship on labor and parts.
3. Customer support: twenty-four seven CS is recommended.
4. Service frequency: includes the costs associated with parts and labor, but also comprehensive service, basic and full scheduled maintenance.
5. Name-brand parts.
6. Locality: the closer, the better.
New or used?
One of the first things you need to consider is whether you want to buy a new or a used front end loader. The obvious pro about getting a used one is that you’ll get it for a much lower price and the quality is generally good. However, if you want to go for a new model, especially because it has features you specifically need for the kind of job you want to tackle with it, then expect to pay a lot more. This is especially the case if you want to get the latest and the greatest.
If you plan on buying used because this way you can save some money, there are a few things you need to be on the lookout for. One of them is the overall condition of the loader. You need to check whether there are signs of rust, if the loader is in good working order, and where the machine was used. Secondly, you need to check the work hours. If the machine is old and has low working hours, then you may get many years of use out of it. However, if the machine has been used a lot and it comes at a great price, then be wary of it. Chances are that it’s soon going to need repairs, so the money you save in the initial purchase price is going to be used for repairs later on. That doesn’t really sound like a good deal, does it?
Call us at (866) 363-8193 or email us at sales@kenotractors.com for custom recommendations that meet your needs.
