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Aug 23, 2023

Russia

As parts for older foreign tractors such as Deutz and Belarus become costly and harder to find, tractor salvage yards have become a valuable resource. Paul Rypinski gets several calls each day at his

As parts for older foreign tractors such as Deutz and Belarus become costly and harder to find, tractor salvage yards have become a valuable resource.

Paul Rypinski gets several calls each day at his tractor repair business from customers looking for Belarus and Deutz parts.

For every call, his answer is the same.

“I know I can’t get it,” said Rypinski, who owns Paul’s Tractors in Kirtland, Ohio. “All that stuff has come down to a slow roll right now.

“If you have a Belarus, Deutz or any of these older European tractors, you better hope they don’t break down.”

The difficulty with importing parts for European tractors surfaced when the pandemic struck in 2020. A decline in the workforce compounded the problem, Rypinski said, and now the turmoil created by the Russia-Ukraine war has made things even worse.

Belarus tractors, which are now MTZ, were made in Minsk, Belarus. Deutz, which is now Deutz-Fahr, is based in Germany. Parts for those tractors are imported and stocked in warehouses, according to Rypinski, and right now it’s costly and difficult to bring them overseas.

“There are enough people around here that rely on them, but how it will affect farming here in the U.S., I don’t know,” he said.

The difficulty in getting aftermarket parts from overseas has made things a little busier at Earl Hoover’s salvage yard in Mifflinburg, Pennsylvania. Pale green Deutz tractors cover several acres at Hoover’s business, and he said the salvage demand has been picking up. Where it will peak, he has no idea.

“One reason why they’re looking for used parts is the price has become so unreal for Deutz parts,” Hoover said. “Deutz was a good tractor, but the parts are priced unreasonably high.”

As an alternative, Hoover works with local machine shops to make some of the most sought after parts, such as transmission components and gearing. Anything that was a weak point on a Deutz tractor, Hoover tries to have them made.

Aside from skyrocketing prices, another challenge looms for tractor parts imported from Europe.

According to Tim Wentz, field director with the New York-based Northeast Equipment Dealers Association, the sanctions and tariffs against Russia in response to the war could worsen a supply chain that was already reeling from the pandemic.

Russia is a significant producer of iron ore, he said, and the material is used to make the steel necessary for parts. The U.S. produces very little raw steel and much of it is manufactured overseas. According to Wentz, it’s a supply chain issue that impacts every tractor and farm machinery manufacturer — and many are based in Italy, France and Germany.

“We’re living in a global supply chain world. It’s going to be a mess,” he said. “It’s going to get worse.”

As far as imports of tractors, the MTZ models at the plant in Minsk aren’t that common in Pennsylvania, according to Wentz. While older Belarus models are still in use, any stoppage of the MTZ tractors and equipment won’t have a major impact.

“The loss of that brand is not going to affect our access to equipment,” he said. “What I think is impactful is the price inflation in parts and the supply chain.”

For now, Rypinski said even though it’s difficult to get parts from overseas, there is a limited supply of basic items available. Once the suppliers run out, however, that could be it for a while.

“I’d be making sure I have enough filters and tune-up stuff to keep the old Belarus and Deutz tractors going for the future,” he said. “Our biggest customers are the small farmers, and this is probably going to be an issue for a while.”

We are proud to announce this article has won a 2023 Professional Keystone Media Award:

Niche Publications, Ongoing News Coverage, Second Place.

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