Stihl dealer, Rural King????

[Waltsuz]

We just moved to a new region. Last Stihl saw I bought came from a dealer and not a Farm/tractor supply business. We have 2 Rural King stores here and one sells Stihl equipment and the other does not. Was funny to talk to a sales rep that new very little about the saw I want. I walked out. Has Stihl opened up its policy to any business? Maybe we'll see these at Walmart, Regards Walt

 

[Greenthorn]

Yes! Mount Carmel rural king has a great tech.

 

[Waltsuz]

Yes! Mount Carmel rural king has a great tech.

Thanks Greenthorn, I thought it was unusual to have a dealer so unfamiliar with the Stihl models

 

[Greenthorn]

Wait till you go talk to the John Deere dealers....

 

[Waltsuz]

Wait till you go talk to the John Deere dealers....

I'm an orange guy, green is bad and don't burn good, LOL

 

[Greenthorn]

What part so in you at? I'm near Princeton/toyotaville.
I have a Kubota on my lawnmower...doe that count?
John Deere dealers also sell stihls around here.

 

[Waltsuz]

What part so in you at? I'm near Princeton/toyotaville.
I have a Kubota on my lawnmower...doe that count?
John Deere dealers also sell stihls around here.

Greene Co. We live in a small town called Owensburg. 20 miles west of Bedford....

 

[Greenthorn]

Prettiest part of Indiana! My brother lived in Oolitic.

 

[Waltsuz]

Prettiest part of Indiana! My brother lived in Oolitic.

He'd be right next door, I'm right next to the Crane entrance. We love it here....

 

[Ash_403]

The Rural King in Columbus, IN is a Stihl dealer also. They have been for about 3 years now. I don't know about the service tech knowledge though - good, or bad.
They do have quite a few equipment models on display though.

 

[stihlaficionado]

We just moved to a new region. Last Stihl saw I bought came from a dealer and not a Farm/tractor supply business. We have 2 Rural King stores here and one sells Stihl equipment and the other does not. Was funny to talk to a sales rep that new very little about the saw I want. I walked out. Has Stihl opened up its policy to any business? Maybe we'll see these at Walmart, Regards Walt

Two years ago I bought a Stihl 261 from the Champaign, Il. RK. Got it home & while opening the gas tank found that the saw had the residue of old gas in it. Returned it for a refund.

I usually can get 8-10 % off my Stihl dealer if I pay cash. I doubt RK can offer that.

 

[Macman125]

Rural king in Greenwood sells Stihl.

 

[Waltsuz]

I'll stick with the Stihl dealer the pro's use here. It's a small family owned business worth supporting. Rural King is great for popcorn.....lol

 

[Macman125]

I'll stick with the Stihl dealer the pro's use here. It's a small family owned business worth supporting. Rural King is great for popcorn.....lol

I agree on the popcorn lol.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

IMO Stihl letting smaller big box stores be dealers will be a slow death. ACE in Anchorage sells Stihl too, I've only heard bad from there, the salespeople don't know a sparkplug from a hammer, the saws are sold right out of the box (ie not assembled, fueled and tuned).

Years ago the one Ace was a great hardware store, but they remodeled and now focus on cell phones and shower curtains versus screws, nails and lumber.

 

[Oldman47]

When I was looking at complete sharpening kits at my local Rural King the salesman told me I didn't need the raker gauge and file because even their maintenance shop never filed down rakers. Now talk about confidence inspiring.

 

[Birdhunter1]

Rural King in Murphysboro, IL sells Stihl however less than 10 miles away in Carbondale, IL the Rural King is not a Stihl dealer. I don't know why but I would imagine the three other Stihl Dealers raised 10 types of hell about it (two are professional lawn/landscape shops while the other is a hardware store).

 

[Waltsuz]

We have 2 Rural Kings less than 15 miles apart. One store is new, its a Stihl dealer if that is what you would call it. The other is an older store that does not have Stihl products. The store clerk had no clue as to the questions I asked between a 461 and 661, both on display. I asked if they had a wrap handle for the 461 or a 461 in stock that did. He said I don't know let me find out. I asked him if I could speak to the one that answers his question, that didn't happen. He knew the price of the saw on display, that was about it. It took me about 30 seconds to determine I would not buy a saw from RK. This is a sizable investment for us, I'm old school, I need a bit more expertise from a salesman than what this store has. We have a great dealer I purchased from in the past from where we moved but its 4.5 hours away. Thanks everyone for the opinions and responses, Regards Walt