# FEL quality



## justnewell (Apr 27, 2008)

I am new here and need a lot of help to make a informed decision. I plan to buy in the next couple of months and have many questions. I have learned a lot through my searches but not all I need to know. I am looking at a 26-28 hp 4wd powershift Yanmar. It appears my best bet is to shop at a UTDA member, if not please let me know. UTDA members appear to only use Koyker fel, however at other sites I see Bulldog and VTEX. Are there real quality differences in these different units?


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## Live Oak (Dec 22, 2003)

I can't speak for the other brands but my understanding and experience has been that Koyker makes a good quality loader.


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## mark777 (Jul 23, 2004)

The ‘Bulldog’ loader is manufactured in China. I have had a few instances where repairs were necessary (re-welding broken welds and rips in our shop) and hydraulic parts were very difficult to locate. They are OK but built with light, thin materials and are much better suited for soft, light or loam materials. They are almost exclusively used on reconditioned tractors from Vietnam.

I have heard of VTEX, or a brand similar, but have no experience with them. The abbreviation strongly suggest another foreign design and maybe an indication of retailers that buy wholesale tractors from S.E. Asia. I.E. ’V’ for Vietnam and ’TEX’ indicating the central hub of importation and distribution of these tractors and FEL’s in the Dallas-Fort Worth TX area.

I believe the UTDA dealers use Koyker loaders for these reasons: The strong and reliable history of the company and replacement parts accessibility AND the company’s warranty (2 years?) plus they have designed and include most base loader platforms that fit gray market models….

I wont state that all tractors that are not UTDA are bad or somehow inferior, but the UTDA dealers spend several hours adding ROPS - seatbelts, PTO shields, neutral safety switches, over-run couplers (ORC’s) and anything else to bring them up to contemporary safety standards with a six month warranty on every tractor. I would take great care with tractors with low or zero hour meters, equipped with Bulldog loaders or ’other’ indications that the tractors don’t come directly from Japan.

Good luck with your tractor hunt!

Mark


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## justnewell (Apr 27, 2008)

Many thanks TF and Mark777


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## chrpmaster (May 5, 2004)

Come on guys where are your manners?

Let me be the first to welcome you to the Tractor Forum justnewell!arty: 

Hope you come back often and share your experiences buying your "new" tractor. Of course we always like pictures too.

Andy


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## justnewell (Apr 27, 2008)

Thanks for the "welcome". Hope to have nothing but good experiences to share but will gladly share all. Hope to be able to even recomend a dealer here in the East. Bill


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## mark777 (Jul 23, 2004)

Andy's right...where are my manners? A belated WELCOME to TF. 

Good luck with your tractor search and look forward to future posts and updates. 

Mark


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