Farmers are being urged to be wary of the clock readings on imported secondhand machinery.

It is also believed a discrepancy of hours on machinery is happening among Irish used tractors and loaders, not just imported equipment.

A recent discrepancy in recorded hours on an imported used tractor was brought to the attention of the Irish Farmers Journal.

The tractor was bought in the UK with 6,000 hours on the clock. However, when the diagnostic system was plugged into its Engine Control Unit (ECU), it showed the tractor had over double the hours compared to the clock reading.

Farm Tractor & Machinery Trade Association (FTMTA) chief executive Gary Ryan told the Irish Farmers Journal: “Customers can have more confidence when dealing with a reputable business such as an FTMTA member firm whether on a new or used machine. The investment in modern farm machinery is far too considerable for a buyer not to be sure of who they are dealing with and what they are getting.”

Tractors imports

Motorcheck.ie data shows 1,796 imported tractors were registered in Ireland between January and the end of July of this year.

Cartell.ie recently carried out a survey on 5,906 cars imported between 1 January and 30 June, in which 23% showed mileage discrepancies. While there are no corresponding figures available for tractors, farmers are being urged to be wary of clock readings.

While every car and van’s mileage is recorded at MOT and NCT tests and stamped service histories are kept for cars and vans, the same information is not recorded for tractors.

Currently there is no company that monitors machinery imports, this been the main reason for lack of figures. So, essentially if this is the carry-on with cars, it is likely that it is the case with tractor hours given that there is little to no traceability on a machine’s previous life.

Additional charges post-Brexit

It has recently came to light that revenue are contacting farmers and contractors in relation to importing machinery post a no-deal Brexit. The changes set to be introduced are likely to leave purchasing from the UK much less attractive.

According to Revenue, advice is that after Brexit machinery bought from the UK will face VAT at 20% from UK tax authorities at the time of payment. Once the machine or piece of equipment is home it will face Irish VAT at 23%. It is also advised that this equipment may face a further customs charge and import duties on top of UK and Irish VAT.

Advice

When buying secondhand it is important to assess the tractor on its general condition, not just its clock reading. Telltale signs such as worn pedals and worn out seats can be more representative of a machine’s past than its hours can. Buying from a reputable dealer where the tractor’s previous owners can be traced is advised. Private sales are generally “sold as seen” where the buyer may have no comeback if a problem may arise.