How do I check out a used tractor for any liens and if stolen.

[GBJeffOH]

I found a L4060 cab with 108 hours. He seems like a great guy. He has 3 acres. He says he did some landscaping around the house.

Everything looks like it has never been dirty. The paint is on the bucket lip. The flashing is on the tires.

The engine oil is cleaner than my L3540 after 1 hour of use.

It looks like he greases it often.

He wants to make sure he has the money before I pick it up.

 

[BAP]

Start by getting him to show you a copy of his purchase paperwork. That will show if he paid in full for it or if he took a Kubota loan. Also it is will show if he purchased it new or not. If he is unwilling to do that, then I would be very suspicious.

 

[D2Cat]

You could tell him it's a beautiful tractor and you want to change all the fluids as soon as you get it to keep in that condition. Then ask him the dealer where he bought it so you can continue with him as the service/parts supplier. If you don't get a positive answer, walk. If he tells you the dealer go there and have a conversation about the purchase details.

Hopefully everything is straight up and he's skeptical about buyers taking advantage of him and his nice tractor!!!

 

[GreensvilleJay]

Local Kubota dealer 'should' be able to tell where/when it was sold by the serial numbers. Everything is on 'computers' these days....... Now whether they WILL tell you, is another matter.

 

[GBJeffOH]

I did call the dealer and gave the the serial number. He bought it new in Oct 2017.

I went to https://ucc.ohiosos.gov/ and found where he got the Kubota loan.

The loan was terminated on 05/15/2021.

 

[D2Cat]

So he paid off the note and wants to be sure he gets his due money before someone gets his tractor. I don't blame him! Grab an envelope of cash and go get it!

 

[GBJeffOH]

I gave him $1,000.00.

I will take about 5 days for me to get the money.

 

[Orangeglow]

I believe that if you get a receipt from the owner, that states the tractor is free and clear of any loans, and is paid off in full, the seller could get in deep do do if those statements are not true.
I,m surprised the Kubota dealer cann,t verify if the loan was fully paid off, or not.

 

[GBJeffOH]

The dealer did not think he should talk to me about the loan.

 

[69 SS]

Years ago pop bought a used Ford 1710 w Bush hog QT FEL,guy had to have cash that day and pop sent skid bed truck to get it. I was concerned about the whole deal,got the serial #s and called the local Sheriff's dept. Didn't show up as stolen but price was to good to be true. Traded it a few yrs later with no problem,but I still wonder. Pop had to go to a rundown trailer park with cash at night,left the finish mower that went with the deal,went back 2 days later and it was gone,as was the individual who was living there.

 

[Henro]

The dealer did not think he should talk to me about the loan.

That is probably reasonable on the part of the dealer.

Last December I bought a used mini excavator from a guy that deals with used stuff out of his home. I found pictures of his house on Google earth street view that showed different excavators/equipment in his yard at different times. When I went and looked at the excavator I had a good feeling about the guy.

I typed up an agreement of sale which basically said that he was the sole owner of the equipment, that there were no outstanding liens or encumbrances on it, listed his drivers license number and my drivers license number, his home address, and some other details that I don’t remember without looking at what I typed up the time. He was agreeable with signing the document. I made two copies and we both signed them; he took one I kept one.

He made it a point to show me the serial number sticker of the excavator, and said if you don’t see this on the piece of equipment don’t buy it, walk away.

From what you described it sounds like what you’re considering is an up an up sale. If you’re buying the tractor from the guy and he’s showing it to you at his home you are probably fairly safe with the transaction.

It certainly would not hurt for you to get a document put together like I did, just for peace of mind if nothing else. It would also be helpful if you would end up deciding to sell the tractor in the future.

 

[Deleted member 47704]

Sometimes its cheaper to buy new.

 

[GBJeffOH]

I don't know how it can be so clean.

 

[DustyRusty]

I had a similar problem trying to get information for the Kubota dealer about buying a used BX. I found out who the selling dealer was, and he confirmed that it was a cash purchase, and no liens that he knew of. I asked about getting the original certificate of origin, and the dealer got it for me from Kubota. It took about a month. A couple years ago, I bought a Vermeer wood chipper, and the dealer gave me the Certificate of Origin, along with the sales paper. Problem is that unlike an automobile, there is no titles to these machines, and it is difficult to check to see if they are legit or not. Be very careful when dealing with people that only want cash. If you pay with a bank check, he will need a bank account to cash it. If he doesn't have a bank account, then he probably doesn't have clear title for the machine, because he probably couldn't have afforded originally.

 

[PaulL]

Sounds reasonable to me that he wants payment before you take the machine. Hell, I sure would.

Also sounds reasonable that it was bought new from a local dealer, and the Kubota loan was paid off 4 years later. That's about how long a Kubota loan is. And I can't really imagine Kubota tolerating that being in arrears, so he must have paid a bit each month for 4 years. It's unlikely he somehow has money still owning on it.

It sounds legit to me. I'd buy it. But it comes down to your risk tolerance. When you buy second hand you have to have some trust. In my experience most people can be trusted, but if you get any bad signs then you should walk.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

re: why is it so clean ??
gee, I looked at the picture and wonder HOW does someone GROOM the lawns AND keep the driveway SPOTLESS ????
only 108 hrs, 4 yr old tractor, he didn't use it much ? couple hours a month....
i've got 500+hrs on my 3 yr old BX23S, it ain't a 'trailer queen'....

 

[Fordtech86]

re: why is it so clean ??
gee, I looked at the picture and wonder HOW does someone GROOM the lawns AND keep the driveway SPOTLESS ????
only 108 hrs, 4 yr old tractor, he didn't use it much ? couple hours a month....
i've got 500+hrs on my 3 yr old BX23S, it ain't a 'trailer queen'....

Not sure what your point is, mine was 4 years old with 12 hrs on it when I got it, now 8 years old with 350 hrs. People buy things for different reasons Sound like the OPs deal is legit.

 

[BAP]

I don’t know the answer to wether they would tell you or not, but you might try calling Kubota Credit Corporation and see if they will run the serial number through their system to see if it still has an outstanding lien on it.

 

[D2Cat]

I had a similar problem trying to get information for the Kubota dealer about buying a used BX. I found out who the selling dealer was, and he confirmed that it was a cash purchase, and no liens that he knew of. I asked about getting the original certificate of origin, and the dealer got it for me from Kubota. It took about a month. A couple years ago, I bought a Vermeer wood chipper, and the dealer gave me the Certificate of Origin, along with the sales paper. Problem is that unlike an automobile, there is no titles to these machines, and it is difficult to check to see if they are legit or not. Be very careful when dealing with people that only want cash. If you pay with a bank check, he will need a bank account to cash it. If he doesn't have a bank account, then he probably doesn't have clear title for the machine, because he probably couldn't have afforded originally.

Because someone request cash for a purchase does not mean they do not have a bank account or have clear title to item!!!

 

[CraigCZ]

If it is paid off it seems like Kubota would have sent him final paperwork that the loan has been paid in full. When I have paid things off, weather earlier or not, I have ALWAYS asked for official paperwork stating it is paid in full and the account is closed. He may have the paperwork and that should help.