Tar river attachments

[random]

I'm about a half hour from Tar River's address, anyone want me to go take a look?

Wouldn't be a bad excuse for a bike ride this weekend...

 

[mcmxi]

I'm about a half hour from Tar River's address, anyone want me to go take a look?

Wouldn't be a bad excuse for a bike ride this weekend...

Heck yeah! I'll even chip in for gas!

 

[old and tired]

Heck yeah! I'll even chip in for gas!

Beans and Brats? That should be enough gas!!!!

 

[mcmxi]

I'm about a half hour from Tar River's address, anyone want me to go take a look?

Wouldn't be a bad excuse for a bike ride this weekend...

So did you head out to Tar River's facility?

 

[random]

Got tied up last weekend so never made the trip. I'll see if I can wander over this weekend.

 

[mcmxi]

Got tied up last weekend so never made the trip. I'll see if I can wander over this weekend.

I'm curious, but only as long as you're not chased off the property by a pack of guard dogs or worse.

 

[UpNorthMI]

After searching for a reasonable weight twin lid compact grapple for my L3901 I settled on a CV-60 model from MTL, I placed my order at Christmas last year for an amazing price of $999 delivered. It turned out that there was an inventory error and I would have to wait for the next batch.

I got a little frustrated after 2 months and started looking around for other suppliers / manufacturers of this design of grapple. After some web search time and many phone calls, I discovered some interesting facts. Most companies selling this type of grapple simply purchased them from a US based contract manufacturer/ fabricator. I talked to the fabricator who told me who they supplied recently with this product in hopes of finding one in stock. The product supplied is often specified by the reseller with certain options, grease fittings or not etc.

I found the same product being sold at a very wide price level. The fabricator even told me when they were shipping the next batch to MTL.

in summary my conclusion is that MTL is selling US made product. The reason why we see similar product from many companies is that they are buying products from large contract manufacturers.

MTL was great to work with and we’re very open and honest about my inventory problem, the end product was a great match for my L3901, a twin lid at 350lbs. The price and value is great.

 

[Jchonline]

If they bend as easily as described, avoid. The lid claw is not well designed/supported. Look to be all made in China somewhere but that could be wrong. I see nothing on their website to indicate they are made in the Americas. Belco is also a South American company Originally. Personally I would avoid them.


@old and tired USA attachments makes everything in the USA. I have one of their buckets. Solid work.

 

[mcmxi]

I talked to the fabricator who told me who they supplied recently with this product in hopes of finding one in stock. The product supplied is often specified by the reseller with certain options, grease fittings or not etc.

Who's the fabricator? Surely they didn't have you sign an NDA.

After some web search time and many phone calls, I discovered some interesting facts. Most companies selling this type of grapple simply purchased them from a US based contract manufacturer/ fabricator.

In post #25 I included the paragraphs below from MTL's website. So which is it? Do they "custom manufacture" or do they "contract with one of the largest production plants in the US"? Are either of those true? It's just crap on a website, like a "Made in the USA" sticker on a grapple.

"MTL Attachments offers some of the highest quality skid steer products made in the USA. We are located about 40 miles west of Atlanta, GA right off I-20. We stock a full line of skid steer attachments. We custom manufacture all types of attachments for tractor/ skid steer or any custom application.

Our Guarantee - We will have the best prices available for the highest quality attachments possible. We contract with one of the largest production plants in the US to manufacture the best attachments for the price, we then cut overhead prices, sales forces & advertising costs to a minimum to bring the ABSOLUTE best pricing possible. Our Quality vs Price can not be matched. All of our products will have a similar brand on the market - nationally known - that we can offer for less. We will continue to work on pricing and stocking levels at our distribution facility located in Waco, GA. with over 4 acres of attachments and equipment - we are a true wholesale to the public facility. We are a family owned, operated with over 30 years of expierience associated with fortune 500 companies."

 

[UpNorthMI]

There was no NDA, the MTL CV-60 grapple I purchased was manufactured by a Denton NC fabricator, who seems to make a lot of attachment products for many different US attachment sellers & distributors. To be clear I am in no way linked or affiliated with any of them.

As tractor owners we need to support all of the US based independent manufacturers and sales companies that provide us with many great alternatives than just buying attachments at your main dealers. I've purchased attachments from a long list of these companies.

Many tractor owners are benefiting from the great prices and equipment selection that is only there because of the contract or partner fabricator type relationships and business model. Most attachment companies would not survive or be in the market if they had to manufacture in house everything that they sell.

Even companies such as Everything Attachments (of which I own many attachments) do not make everything that they sell and also import some of the products they sell. As an open and free market it is great that we have the ability to select what we want and to buy at different price and quality levels.

As far as MTL go, I can only say what a great company bringing reasonably priced products (in my case US made) to all of us tractor owners. Yes there are some other very well made, maybe even superior products out there at much greater cost but we don't always need to buy that solution. I think MTL is doing a great job of "wholesaling" to the public.

To the OP, I'm guessing Tar River is another seller purchasing contract fabricated product and simply putting their name on it.

I tend to look at the positive side of life, it's easy to be critical of everyone else out there!

 

[mcmxi]

As tractor owners we need to support all of the US based independent manufacturers and sales companies that provide us with many great alternatives than just buying attachments at your main dealers. I've purchased attachments from a long list of these companies.

I couldn't agree more, but in order to do that we need to know which ones are actually making attachments and implements in the US. I know my MX was mostly built in Japan and I'm ok with that. I also know that the Everything Attachments grapple, box blade, land leveler and tooth bar that I purchased from them this year were made at their facility in NC.

I have a Land Pride hydraulic front snow blade, rear blade, rotary cutter and pallet forks and am confident that they were all manufactured in the US too. If I'm going to hand over thousands of dollars for something I would rather it weren't made in China.

By the way, what kind of product support do you expect from a company that pretends to be a manufacturer but is merely a distributor? If MTL, Tar River and similar are only distributors, why the subterfuge, why pretend to be manufacturing implements and attachments? This is why they have crappy web pages that a 3 year old could put together, no videos of testing, no videos showing workers building the products we're buying with order numbers often in plain view, no Ted and Travis equivalents, just a PO BOX and a building to store inventory in.

So what's the name of the "Denton NC fabricator?" If you don't know the name then you really don't know anything.

 

[UpNorthMI]

I couldn't agree more, but in order to do that we need to know which ones are actually making attachments and implements in the US. I know my MX was mostly built in Japan and I'm ok with that. I also know that the Everything Attachments grapple, box blade, land leveler and tooth bar that I purchased from them this year were made at their facility in NC.

I have a Land Pride hydraulic front snow blade, rear blade, rotary cutter and pallet forks and am confident that they were all manufactured in the US too. If I'm going to hand over thousands of dollars for something I would rather it weren't made in China.

By the way, what kind of product support do you expect from a company that pretends to be a manufacturer but is merely a distributor? If MTL, Tar River and similar are only distributors, why the subterfuge, why pretend to be manufacturing implements and attachments? This is why they have crappy web pages that a 3 year old could put together, no videos of testing, no videos showing workers building the products we're buying with order numbers often in plain view, no Ted and Travis equivalents, just a PO BOX and a building to store inventory in.

So what's the name of the "Denton NC fabricator?" If you don't know the name then you really don't know anything.

Many of these companies are not distributors, they are contract manufacturers, I’m not sure you are understanding the difference. They are selling a product that is built to their engineering and design, with components that they specify and often free issue to an outside fabricator/ assembler. This type of business model allows the fabricator to remain busy working at volumes and allows the attachment companies to produce efficiently. They are not pretending to be manufacturers they are actually employing US companies to fabricate and assemble their equipment.

every industry contract fabricates, including Kubota, Land Pride and all US based automotive companies.

Their product support is not linked to their manufacturing business model, it is a question of attitude and corporate culture. There are many attachment companies that have great support but fabricate a lot of equipment in China, WoodMaxx is one that comes to mind, a US veteran run company.

Over the last 18 months there have been many changes in the world, steel and component price increases are unprecedented and the cost of a shipment from China has more than doubled, I’m sure we will see more items manufactured back on shore. At the same time the manufacturing base in the US seems to be struggling with current work volumes.

 

[mcmxi]

Many of these companies are not distributors, they are contract manufacturers, I’m not sure you are understanding the difference. They are selling a product that is built to their engineering and design, with components that they specify and often free issue to an outside fabricator/ assembler. This type of business model allows the fabricator to remain busy working at volumes and allows the attachment companies to produce efficiently. They are not pretending to be manufacturers they are actually employing US companies to fabricate and assemble their equipment.

I understand just fine. We call them vendors when they design a part to our specifications, parts that we actually design and test. I'm fortunate to work in an industry where nothing is made by vendors overseas but I'm still not convinced that the MTL and Tar River types "design" anything. It is purely conjecture on your part that they do, just as it's conjecture on my part that they don't. Since it's hard if not impossible to get any verifiable information on these companies that could just as easily be buying from China, I won't support them.

I'll continue to look at companies like Land Pride, Everything Attachments, MDS, Virnig and Loflin that are far more transparent in what they do, how they do it and where they do it.

I want to buy a log splitter and have been down the rabbit hole of US made models vs. the majority of Chinese stuff that sits outside Murdochs, Home Depot, Lowes etc. I'm ok with paying a premium for American made products if they're good products so that's what I try to do.

 

[UpNorthMI]

I was also looking for a US built log splitter a few years ago, take a look at All Wood Log Splitters, I purchased an Oak model and have never looked back. US made, veteran owned company, great products and service, serious equipment.

My MTL compact vertical grapple was fabricated by Loflin to MTL specifications. An arrangement that I’m sure is beneficial to both companies and to tractor attachment buyers who want to buy US made products.

 

[mcmxi]

I was also looking for a US built log splitter a few years ago, take a look at All Wood Log Splitters, I purchased an Oak model and have never looked back. US made, veteran owned company, great products and service, serious equipment.

Thanks for the recommendation but I'm probably going to buy an Iron & Oak 30 ton horizontal/vertical model. I've been looking at them for over a year now. I want a good one but I'm not going to be using it to split 3 cords of wood every day so $9k for a splitter wouldn't make sense for me. That said, the 30 Ton horizontal commercial unit with log lift is appealing at a mere $7,800.

Apologies for the sidetrack.