Chineese junk parts

[bertsmobile1]

Yeah, being an independant small business down here is tough, which is why so many fail.
The problems stems from managements ( including governments ) with a dominant white anglo male, over inflated, sense of their own self importance.
This is further fuled by the reliance of the education system on US market theory.
So we have people making decision based on the market being unlimited for a tiny market of 30,000,000.
There is only 11,000,000 houses in the entire country which when you think of it is a tiny market to share between 30 mower brands.
Aparently 10% of these are maintained by contractors so the volume of new mowers sold is quite small even if you allow for a new mower every 5 years.
Thus the fixed cost of warehousing & distribution are huge particularly when you look at the population spred and low volume sales of individual brands.
So people like me, who keep old mowers running, regardless of the brand are not looked on favourably.
The government is hell bent on making us a "free & open" market while the market is hell bent on being closed & restrictive.

 

[Lawnboy18]

Sounds crazy down there! I thought it sucked getting parts from the U.S. here in Canada, but after reading about what you go thru it isn't that bad.

 

[bertsmobile1]

Yes in theory you buy into a dealer network, if a franchise area is available.
Then the agency tells you what you can and can not sell.

I get a lotof repairs in becausse I am willing to do the legwork to find an alternaive source for parts.

But getting back to the original topic.
Just went to fix my favourite ( har har ) mower.
A World Lawn Cobra.
This is supposedly designed in the USA & fabricated in China.
This time he had bent a blade , about 10 degrees off horizontal, not a big problem I thought other than it had thrown the bottom bearing.
However 3 hours latter the blade and slightly wobbly bearing caused the spindle pulley to split into 3 pieces.
Pulleys, bearings, belts, blades all not covered by warrantee so another $ 500 bill coming his way.
So much for a "cheap" 60" mower.

 

[Lawnboy18]

Ouch! Client was better off buying a commercial grade mower made by a reliable company.

I stay away from those companies. Cheap Chineese knock off Exmark mowers.

 

[cashman]

I used to deal with Sean with Red Roo Equipment down there. They manufactured power equipment in Itawoomba. Sean was originally from Mississippi. He would come up to the states a few times a year and would purchase manufacturing supplies and load up a container to ship back. It was a mountain of paperwork to get the containers shipped back and also using UPS and FedEx on small shipments.

 

[motoman]

Berts, Congrats, an aussie won the bike DAKAR!



Now I have to talk about an impressive mechanism made in China. It is the electronic rain gauge I have had for several years. It says made in China. If they could pull that quality off in an AC engine they would have something. Some of you may have these. It has a little dual ended catch cup which dumps .04 inches of rain out and then saves the count for 24 hours. Any way the unit is mechanically well executed. Little brass inserts, stainless steel shafts, o-ringed battery cover, conformal coated pc board, stainless strainer , on and on. It is a joy to disassemble and clean. They CAN do it if they try. ( I still won't buy chinese tires)

 

[reynoldston]

Berts, Congrats, an aussie won the bike DAKAR!



Now I have to talk about an impressive mechanism made in China. It is the electronic rain gauge I have had for several years. It says made in China. If they could pull that quality off in an AC engine they would have something. Some of you may have these. It has a little dual ended catch cup which dumps .04 inches of rain out and then saves the count for 24 hours. Any way the unit is mechanically well executed. Little brass inserts, stainless steel shafts, o-ringed battery cover, conformal coated pc board, stainless strainer , on and on. It is a joy to disassemble and clean. They CAN do it if they try. ( I still won't buy chinese tires)

Back in the early 50's if it was made in Japan it was cheap junk, only now its China 60 years later. I do think China will get their act together but for now its all to do with money. As you said they can build quality electronic rain gauges but don't buy their fuel shut off valves or tires.

 

[bertsmobile1]

It is not China.
It is the rip of merchants in good old USA asking them to make cheap garbage to sell to you.
China has the largest number of satellites currently in space.
They built them themselves , launched them themselves and control them themselves.
China is every bit as capable of making better than Rolls Royce quality.
However they make what we order and we order the cheapest garbage that looks like top shelf so we can make a lot of money defrauding Joe public while blaiming the Chineese.
Some trillionare probably bought another seaside block of apartments in Florida with the profits he made on those dodgy taps.

 

[motoman]

Congratulation to Australia whose native son won the DAKAR bike race----anyone there?? Oh well, front porch I guess.