John'S Tractor Works and Equipment, Inc.

We have a Bush Hog 32100, an offset ~15 ft rotary mower used for field work in a pecan orchard. Unfortunately, the mower lost a seal on one of its gear boxes. This is a tough tear down job because you have to remove the blade/stump jumper assemblies from underneath the deck before you can get to the seals and bearings. We tried to do it here at the farm, but even with heat, we couldn't get them to budge. Dave in the Service Department is a good guy. He coordinated the pick up, called me a few times after initial assessment to recommend changing out the blades in addition to replacing the seals (something I originally wanted done, but forgot to mention when talking to him about the work we needed done) and to recommend using 00 grease in the boxes instead of oil (mitigates heat better and doesn't leak out and leave the gears unprotected like oil does if you do lose a seal). He did have to cut a few of the blade bolts out to get one side loose (not surprising since those blades have been on there since it was new), but otherwise it was a straightforward (but tough) job. The work was done and I've gone on my first "test run" in the field (1 hour), so far so good. Nice, even mowing! The two reasons I assigned John's Tractor Works two B's for grades are as follows: They charge $3/mile for pick-up and drop-off, and that's a pretty steep premium. (price a B, not an A) Based on the service receipt, it appears that they were done with my mower for several days before I called to ask the status. They were jammed up on service calls and pick-up/drop-offs, which I understand and they had one of their delivery trailers get banged up and need repair; however, I guess I expected it to be returned shortly after being repaired since I was paying such a premium delivery fee. I will say when I called to let them know I was about a month behind in fieldwork already and really, really needed it back ASAP to get some work done before more rain, they worked on their scheduling and figured out a way to get it to me sooner than their original estimate (several day wait, including another weekend). (punctuality a B, not an A) So, the upshot of it is, I'm pleased with the work and I think they are polite, professional, and easy to work with as a whole. I do think the hauling is expensive, but I doubt these guys charge any more than anyone else. My advice to you is ask questions about hauling costs AND scheduling to be sure your expectations are aligned in terms of when you might expect your equipment repaired and back on your farm!