WHwest8597 85 #1 Posted May 5, 2018 What are the thoughts OEM or after market parts. I use OEM belts. When it comes to blades and filters I have used both. I have bought after market blades and air filters from Cutter's Choice in Erie, PA in the past. There are some good OEM prices on Ebay from time to time. I only recently bought a tractor with an oil filter (315-8). I have only used a Kohler filter. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cee245 773 #2 Posted May 5, 2018 (edited) I've always tried to use a quality part at the best price I could find at the time of purchase. Oem is usually better for most parts but, for our tractors we have to sometimes depend on the aftermarket brand. What part or parts are you talking about? Edited May 5, 2018 by Cee245 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pacer 3,160 #3 Posted May 5, 2018 I've HAD to buy so many after market parts (yes, even Chinese) and actually had pretty darn good luck with them and with availability of OEM's becoming more and more scarce (and costly!) ---- I dont pay much attention to where it comes from anymore. Many bearings/seals, 3-4 of the complete engine rebuild sets, elect components, etc, etc 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pollack Pete 2,273 #4 Posted May 5, 2018 Like you,I also like OEM belts.Mostly use aftermarket mower blades.I see no difference.At least on my barren lawn.Usually use Stens engine filters.Genuine Toro hydro filters.The tractors are so old that I don't think they recognize after market parts.They're just happy to get new parts once in a while. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 63,848 #5 Posted May 5, 2018 24 minutes ago, pacer said: I've HAD to buy so many after market parts (yes, even Chinese) and actually had pretty darn good luck with them and with availability of OEM's becoming more and more scarce (and costly!) ---- I dont pay much attention to where it comes from anymore. That's about what my experience has been. I've been careful to select the best deal and parts with good reviews whenever I can. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EricF 589 #6 Posted May 5, 2018 Agreed - non OEM parts are getting to be a fact of life. Some just aren't available any other way. Or I'll go with a reliable channel supplier, like Stens for some things, where they have a reputation for either using the same OEM contractors or parts specifically made by their contrators to meet or exceed OEM specs. (And even a lot of OEM parts like seals and filters and belts are made by external contractors, and not necessarily the same ones year-to-year.) At least with Wheel Horse, a lot of bearings and machine parts are just "standard" items that are available by size and application. Less oddball OEM-only stuff to have to track down. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 63,848 #7 Posted May 5, 2018 3 minutes ago, EricF said: Less oddball OEM-only stuff to have to track down. In this case I regularly buy "known good used" parts from a reliable source such as @A-Z Tractor. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites