Orphan Machine brands

DMiller · Nov 12, 2020

I have been questioned and emailed as well addressed personally face to face by people asking me of machines that are still out there they wish to buy, most often the Orphan Manufacturer Bargain Basement machines(IE Allis, FA, IHC/Dresser/Drott/Dressta, and a few others) I try to explain that parts supplies Most Especially for a weekend warrior use it once or twice a year machine is almost worthless, that yes some items can be modified/re-enganeared or just outright changed to a different standard but by then the expense or time wasted outweighs the value saved.

Anyone else in these positions?

Vetech63 · Nov 12, 2020

I read the thread title as

56wrench · Nov 12, 2020

i always advise if asked: don't buy anything you can't get parts for, even new stuff if you don't have a local dealer. that's why around here probably 50% of farm equipment is deere. they probably have 50% of the dealerships- not that their equipment is any better. the owner of a dealership i worked at many years ago always said that the sales department gained him a customer but the parts and service departments kept him coming back

Junkyard · Nov 12, 2020

lantraxco · Nov 13, 2020

I make my living finding or making replacement or substitute parts for obsolete machines. I typically deal with a very small select make and model set though, lol. Even I am not a magician, my hat is often rabbitless.

JD955SC · Nov 13, 2020

Oh god I hate when we get an orphan or an obsolete in. And because it’s a cheap machine the customer is invariably a cheap customer who is employs creative maintenance practices. Go to take something apart and half the bolts are stripped out with safety wire wrapped around it, duct tape air piping boots, wiring twisted together...it comes in and dies in the bay for months

DMiller · Nov 13, 2020

That tends to be a common song of the owners, bought on the cheap, trying to keep it cheap, just need enough repaired to get another day out of it, etc.

John C. · Nov 13, 2020

I see that all the time. Sales rep throws a lot of blue sky about how a machine can do one project and then be sold for more than was paid originally. The other lie is how a machine can pay for itself on one job. The truth is usually that the machine is one failed part away from the scrap yard. My rating system on used machines is fully operational, operational, runner, salvage and scrap candidate. The orphan ratings never go above runner. A runner and below is usually not able to produce at a point of making a profit on operation. These are the ranch and farmer machines and things like tail hold dozers. The common refrain is "it isn't going to be used more than a hundred hours a year."

What are some of the other brands you can think of that meet the requirements of being an orphan. Terex and Euclid come to mind. Mack off highway trucks are another. How about Letourneau scrapers? Northwest and Koehring cranes maybe. A recent orphan could be Exodus material handlers. Probably a big one will soon be Cat highway trucks. How are people doing for parts on Timberjack skidders? A list of what you have run into would be real interesting.

Ct Farmer · Nov 13, 2020

More and more these days orphan does not even mean some brand that is no longer available. Manufacturers simply make parts obsolete which as far as I’m concerned make the machine an orphan. 40 years ago you could get parts for some pretty old machines. Now it seems anything over 15 years is obsolete. By most standards much of what we have here is obsolete orphans. Most is carefully maintained runners but getting parts is often hard or you make them. Volvo and now even Cat have laughed at some of my parts requests.

I had trouble getting some parts for my truck that is not even 10 years old. They told me after 5 or 6 years parts start dropping rapidly.

terex herder · Nov 13, 2020

A few times I have looked up on machinery trader for sale, and noted the number of units of a particular model that are offered for sale. If its not one of the top 2 or 3, I try for another model. If the number is in double digits (or lower) even a supply of used parts is very iffy.

Even Cat and Deere have made orphans.

colson04 · Nov 13, 2020

Deere has been working to orphan equipment for 40 years. Can't sell new tractors if you keep selling the parts to keep 40 year old units running. The Soundguard 30-70 series is a great example. Highly valuable, usable and capable machines that Deere is working hard to obsolete serviceable parts for so they can sell more tractors. We had issues finding parts for a couple 40 series tractors we had and finally got rid of them.

joe--h · Nov 13, 2020

Same as Microsoft, we no longer support your XP so buy our new Win10 or else.

Joe H

Bls repair · Nov 13, 2020

It like this with everything .try to get parts for a 10 year old washer ,dryer. Had a repairman tell me they are designed to last 4-5 years .

Bumpsteer · Nov 13, 2020

Some people will always buy machinery they know nothing about because it's cheap, some of it having no id tags, name or anything else on it anymore.

Then they cry when it dies as it's being unloaded in their yard and parts are made from un-obtainum. They do not have the skills / knowledge to fix it either.

One has to stop feeling sorry for them, nobody made them buy it.

Ed

terex herder · Nov 13, 2020

colson04 said:
Deere has been working to orphan equipment for 40 years. Can't sell new tractors if you keep selling the parts to keep 40 year old units running. The Soundguard 30-70 series is a great example. Highly valuable, usable and capable machines that Deere is working hard to obsolete serviceable parts for so they can sell more tractors. We had issues finding parts for a couple 40 series tractors we had and finally got rid of them.

If you need Deere tractor parts that aren't easily available call Don's Tractor Salvage in Beattie, KS. Don is a former shop foreman for a Deere dealer, and Deere tractors is all he does. Cleanest salvage yard you will ever see.

Ct Farmer · Nov 13, 2020

Bumpsteer said:
Some people will always buy machinery they know nothing about because it's cheap, some of it having no id tags, name or anything else on it anymore.

Then they cry when it dies as it's being unloaded in their yard and parts are made from un-obtainum. They do not have the skills / knowledge to fix it either.

One has to stop feeling sorry for them, nobody made them buy it.

Ed

I know 2 people that did exactly that. Zero research, but the guy selling it told them “ no problem getting parts” so they bought it. No skills to fix it or even understand the problem. Blunder after blunder on the so called repairs. Duct tape and baling wire would be an improvement.

I can’t go over there anymore. There is just no helping some people.

DMiller · Nov 13, 2020

RHINO (3)

Crawler Dozers from Top then Crawler loaders, at least Half are now orphans

As noted Euc, Bucyrus, Wabco, Clark, Bell, Hancock so many names have fallen thru the cracks

lantraxco · Nov 14, 2020

With the advent of all electronic machines, it was a death knell for keeping them going past about ten years from end of production, the modules once deadlisted are usually not reparable, and if they require internal software, no dice. I didn't follow it, how did the farmers make out fighting Deere when they claimed they owned the software in perpetuity?

DMiller · Nov 14, 2020

Deere retains propriety AFAIK
Local Independent guys use pirated software diagnostics machines with some capability but the newer stuff Deere is the only source.
They did have to add a convenience feature as Cat did to code read but I cannot recall to what value it is, do not work with them.

KES2020 · Jan 11, 2021

I have several orphans- a tamponed packer, New holland 450 etc. We only use them for ourselves and most the times we are going to the hydraulic or bearing shops and ignoring dealerships- cheaper- Never buy a machine unless you have manuals.--- People always forget about carrying costs and tie themselves into payments instead of patience!!

Orphan Machine brands

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