Where are you guys getting your parts?

[Craftsman Garage]

I buy parts from Amazon, EBay, and local Hardware store that is also a Scag, Bad Boy, and Stihl dealer. For me, quality of part, selection, service, picking rate accuracy, and how quickly I can get the parts are more important than saving 10-20%. Customers never complain about my parts prices.

Hlw49-So you are buying 3 spindles and marking them up 165%!!! That is one healthy mark up.

Rotary, Stens, and Oregon usually require around a $200 minimum order for free shipping. I rarely order enough at one time to meet this minimum. Also, these companies don’t even seem eager to help out small shops. In other words, initially act like they want your business. I do about $7000 in parts purchases per year in a one man shop. I realize they normally have tiered prices based on volume. I don’t expect the best price. I do however, want someone to hustle for my business like I used to in outside wholesale sales for 8 years.

Don’t forget about smaller suppliers like 8ten and Hipa. Going to the Equipment Expo in Louisville, Kentucky next week. Getting hooked up with a new alternative supplier(s) is one of my goals for the trade show.

Yeah, that's where we have been buying parts. I did discover how good 8TEN blades were, now I put them on everything! Hipa makes some good parts too.

 

[Auto Doc's]

I mostly use Ebay and other online sources like Green Farm Parts, Parts Tree and Jacks small engine.

When dealing with older JD machines sometimes the dealer is the only choice because they have spent the money to retain their NOS parts in warehouses over the years.

As machines age past 10 years there are very few manufacturers who still stock the older parts for them like John Deere does.

 

[mechanic mark]

Me and my dad are running a repair business. I fix the riding mowers, he fixes mostly JD 300 series(316, 318), 400 series(425, 445,455), and JD gators. Where are you repair guys getting your parts? It sets him back a while waiting for JD OEM parts to ship, etc. (Not to mention how outrageous JD parts cost) That's why I don't do JD lol.

Greenpartsstore or Amazon Prime

 

[Tiger Small Engine]

Greenpartsstore or Amazon Prime

So it seems a shop has to be a bit larger to use Stens, Rotary, and Oregon, as a general rule. I was told before opening up to get hooked up with these suppliers. Once I realized the minimum purchase for free shipping, tax exempt rule, and not a significant savings for lower tier sales, I never pursued these suppliers.

 

[Hammermechanicman]

So it seems a shop has to be a bit larger to use Stens, Rotary, and Oregon, as a general rule. I was told before opening up to get hooked up with these suppliers. Once I realized the minimum purchase for free shipping, tax exempt rule, and not a significant savings for lower tier sales, I never pursued these suppliers.

If you have a tax ID number you can get a Stens account and buy tax free. Also Stens has store on amazon. Parts are a few dollars more than if you have an account but not paying $12 shipping makes it about the same price. I have a stens account but if i need one or two parts it is cheaper and faster delivery to order through the stens store on amazon if you have prime

 

[Roullyme]

I’ve been using the John Deere parts lookup to check diagrams and part numbers before ordering anything. Makes it easier to be sure I’m getting exactly what I need, especially for older models where things get tricky.

 

[ACF]

i use the following company for most of my parts

NHC Distributors, Inc.
109 Lakeside Drive
Philadelphia, MS 39350 US
sales@nhcdist.com
Phone: 800-222-8409
Fax: 800-549-7911

 

[justin@justintime]

Rotary is a great place to start for aftermarket parts. If you wanna be a dealer, American-made with American steel blades and filters, also available in gator style. and most pulleys and idlers are OEM for Husqvarna MTD products. as for JD parts, good luck. I use Hartville Hardware for OEM JD belts and electronics, and I dump part numbers on eBay looking for guys who have enough unloading stock. Ariens I use Ariens parts direct for OEM Ariens parts, Stens forget them they dropped my dealer discounts and wacked me with a $1000 order all at retial 2 years ago and pretty sure they are failing. Power distributors for Briggs and Stratton parts, NGK plugs, Oregon chains, bars, and blades Kinetix oils (great oils fyi). I do this out of my house with a Master Tech from Briggs and Stratton. Sign up for the Power Portal. its free its how you become a master tech Im also a EETC Master tech not free but nice to have. Gardner INC they suck but OEM Husqvarna, Tufftorque, MTD, Kohler, NGK, Redrock turf for OEM Toro parts and Kawasaki parts. Pats smallengines is good for Kawasaki engines and rebuild kits kawasaki does not offer rebuild kits pats puts them together all OEM kawasaki parts. Any OEM part I want I check my normal places but I also check ebay stihl OEM parts I get all of them from ebay there is obviously risk becuse unlike most us good mechanics there are riff raff scum that try to pawn off aftermarket as OEM.

 

[g-man57]

I'm just a retired guy who likes to pick up non-running mowers cheap and fix, clean, them. I usually end up giving them away. I may charge a little if I need to spend too much on parts.

I'm almost 80 now so I took my rear engine Snapper to the local dealer where I bought it. I burned up the deck belt when I didn't empty the collector soon enough. I replaced the drive belt on a neighbor's similar mower - it was a job and that was some years ago. So I didn't want to get into it now. Anyway, they ordered the parts from Snapper 5 weeks ago - still backordered. I asked them if they ever use Stens or Rotary or Ebay or Amazon... The woman at the desk got really indignant that I would ask such a question - as if only Snapper genuine parts are good. I'd rather have any belt than no mower.

Luckily the rider went down in fall. One summer my 21" Cub Cadet with a 6.5hp Kawasaki engine went down in mid-June - head gasket. I didn't get it back for 6 weeks! Grass grows fast around here in June. I ended up having to buy another mower!

I think I'll write to their corporate management and ask them to start using other parts suppliers when the OEM parts are not available.

 

[bodean]

I buy parts from Amazon, EBay, and local Hardware store that is also a Scag, Bad Boy, and Stihl dealer. For me, quality of part, selection, service, picking rate accuracy, and how quickly I can get the parts are more important than saving 10-20%. Customers never complain about my parts prices.

Hlw49-So you are buying 3 spindles and marking them up 165%!!! That is one healthy mark up.

Rotary, Stens, and Oregon usually require around a $200 minimum order for free shipping. I rarely order enough at one time to meet this minimum. Also, these companies don’t even seem eager to help out small shops. In other words, initially act like they want your business. I do about $7000 in parts purchases per year in a one man shop. I realize they normally have tiered prices based on volume. I don’t expect the best price. I do however, want someone to hustle for my business like I used to in outside wholesale sales for 8 years.

Don’t forget about smaller suppliers like 8ten and Hipa. Going to the Equipment Expo in Louisville, Kentucky next week. Getting hooked up with a new alternative supplier(s) is one of my goals for the trade show.

A local repairman would buy extra common parts such as blades, filters, spindles, etc. in bulk, then would sell anything that he did not need immediately for a job to the general public. That way he could get bulk prices. If you needed something else, then he could order and usually have it within 2 or 3 days. He was my go to parts guy for 30 years, but unfortunately he passed from colon cancer.