Vancouver Kubotas at Auction

[Curbster]

Well, it was sunny on auction day, but it rained the day before so the grounds were pretty wet. First of all, I did not think the tractors were in very good shape. They all looked well worn and a bit tired. Not worth a whole bundle of money. Strangely enough most of them sold to someone in Alberta who was bidding on internet. (hope it wasn't you Vic!) And the prices they went for were much higher than I thought they were worth. That old L180 wasn't worth more than $1500.00 and it sold for well over $2000.00. Some went for over $4000.00 but you have to remember it is difficult to see the actual condition when you're viewing on line. I saw this first hand hereabouts when a fellow bought a truck at an on-line auction, and it was a real junker when it arrived! Anyhow it was an interesting auction, because they just don't conform to any known reality! Junk selling for top dollar, and beautiful iron going for peanuts! Go figure!!:confused:

[Mr. K]

Great pics! Thank you for taking the time to post them up. Me and Vic have seen the same thing at other auctions too - nearly dead tractors getting bid up. Interesting to watch... I guess folks have a hard time trying to put a value on these things sometimes? That - and - it is an auction so I can see how people might get a little carried away with the excitement and all and run the price up.

Then on top of that folks usually have to pay a buyer's premium, GST and provincial taxes too.

Curbster, did you pick anything up or just there to have a look. I've been known to go down to an auction just to "kick tires". :D

[Curbster]

Mr. K - I couldn't refuse bidding on several rubber tired backhoes - JD 310's - fairly new 2005, but well houred up, as I really needed a loader/hoe that is big enough to handle tandems and gravel pit operations, but, these units went way too high as far as my pocket book was concerned. I did bid on the L180 as it would go good with my old L185, but once again the bids sky-rocketed outta sight very quickly. The big excavators were going cheap, and a really nice high track D-8 with cab went for a measly $25,000.00! I managed to get a 6000 watt generator - gas - with honda power, and a couple of pumps, both with honda 5.5hp. and 8.0hp. And really lucked out on this: (I may paint it orange to go with the fleet! LOL)

[Mr. K]

That D8 would be fun around Vic's shop - complete and total overkill for anything he's got going on around his place, but might come in handy when we need to move a piece of equipment to the scrap pile! *cough* Vic's-rusted-out-Yanmar *cough* *cough*.

I like the idea of the Kubota orange Honda generator! Do it then post pics! :D

[Curbster]

Yeah the pumps would look good with Kubota orange, but I meant the Cat 426 hoe that I bought at the auction! :) It looks fairly good next to the L185!

[Service Dept Vic]

Mr K is bustin' my chops over that dead Yanmar 276D! Ok, Ok, so I made a mistake. It's got an excellent Leon front end loader on it, and even if I can't find a replacement 3T84HA engine, it has one good headlight I can sell for parts!

Auction: Nope was not me that purchased those "scrap" tractors, I know who it was, and I know where those sad, tired looking tractors came from.

Near Nisku Alberta just south of Edmonton is a used heavy equipment dealer that auctions this junk across Western Canada.

They purchase used Kubota product in Japan along with various other large construction equipment and I'm sure they pay by the pound to get them. I think they use these Kubota's as "ballast" in the container since the freight is the same empty as it is full. anyway, these Kubota's are only sold at auction, always unreserved, in Saskatoon, Calgary, Vancouver and Edmonton.

They are the worst looking, most mechanically deficient tractors I have ever seen in my entire life. Faded out, rusted, broken, greasy, haywired, smoking, gnashing gears, cracked tires so deep you can see the tube, this stuff is absolute JUNK.

Some are equipped with new V-2 or V-Tek front end loaders, made in china and very parts challenged on their own.

I know an ex-Kubota Canada Field Service Manager who operates his own independent Kubota Repair Shop in Saskatchewan, and his business "spikes" after an auction in Saskatoon due to the piss poor quality of these Kubotas sold by the Alberta importer .

He recently had a customer drop off a B5000 or B7000 he just got at the auction. The 3 point would not operate.

Upon taking the case cover off, he found the piston and rod assembly all ready dissassembled, the loose parts and bolts etc were wrapped in an old grease rag and stuffed into the differential area. This did not get that way in Japan.

Steer clear of this stuff, but if you do purchase one, keep my phone number handy, and have your long list of parts needed ready. You'll need it, beleive me.

[Curbster]

Come to think of it Vic, you're probably right on the shipload of used iron from Japan, because quite a few of the mini, and midi - excavators were obviously imports as all of the decals inside and out were in Japanese only. No sign of any English stickers in the cabs, and once again they looked pretty tired. Still, everyone of them went for fairly high dollars, but the bidders looked more like back yard do-it-yourselfers than contractors. These contractors stood around shaking their heads like it was a bad dream or something, so they may have recognized the scene for what it was. Also, being the astute observer that I am, I noticed an inordinate amount of rice kernels on the floor of several of these machines. Coincidence? You be the judge of that!:) (Just Kidding!)

[tyrod]

Well that guy your talking about in Nisku has a excavator I was thinking about not after what you said about him I'll stay clear. There is a reason that thing is still in his junk yard, if its too good to be true. I'll take a pass there is way too much to go wrong in an excavator, its like a million different ideas moving around in a million different directions at the same time.