Thrings Farms partnering with Farmers Weekly, answer readers’ questions. Russell Reeves advises a reader on how to resolve their concerns over hired equipment.
Question: I have a three-year-old telehandler bought from new on a five-year hire purchase (HP) agreement. During the two-year warranty period we had axle oil seals replaced on three wheel hubs.
The tyres started to delaminate so all new tyres were fitted even though they were only 50% worn. The tyre fitter discovered excessive side movement - ie wobbling wheels, so we removed the hubs to check and set the bearings.
We discovered that the inner bearing race was rotating on the stub shaft with 0.5mm to 0.9mm clearance. Bearings should be tight on the stub shaft and not rotate. Usually they have to be pulled off with a bearing puller but all four could be spun on the shaft and pulled off easily by hand.
We think the stub shafts had been over machined in the factory, causing extensive hub component damage. Really we need complete new hubs, which are very expensive.
The telehandler has done 2,100 hours, 90% of which are from light duty carrying two or three bales to fields within a three-mile road radius. Heavy use has been only occasional, at hay time for loading/stacking.
Where do we stand and what are our options? Is it possible to pass the problem onto the HP company as inferior goods not manufactured correctly?
I have already spent £500 on additional seals we fitted ourselves and £1,500 on new tyres when the originals were only half worn.
Answer: You may have been sold defective equipment, and there are a couple of options for you to explore. First, I suggest reviewing the terms of your warranty and seeing whether you can make a claim for the money already spent and damages to fix the telehandler. The warranty’s wording will need to be checked carefully to see whether it allows you to make a claim retrospectively, assuming you are outside of the 2-year period. If so, this will likely be your cheapest and most efficient way of reclaiming the money and having the telehandler fixed (dependent upon what is covered under the warranty).
If your warranty does not help you then you may need to consider making a claim against the seller under the Sale of Goods Act 1979. You have suggested bringing this against the HP company, but it is more likely that seller of the telehandler will be the defendant. This assumes that your contract was with the seller, because I suspect that the HP company simply provided finance to you – the terms of sale need checking.
You may be able to resolve the matter amicably with the seller, particularly if you have a good relationship with them. If not, and you still wish to pursue your claim, then the first thing you need to do according to the Civil Procedure Rules is send the seller a Letter Before Action. This letter will need to set out why you are making a claim and how much for. This may allege that the telehandler was not fit for the purpose or of satisfactory quality which is a breach of a contractual term impliedly incorporated into your contract with the seller by way of Section 14 of the Sale of Goods Act 1979. The sum you are claiming should be sufficient damages to put you into the position you would have been in had there been no breach. This is likely a sum to fix the problem although you cannot better your position, so it may be a slightly lesser sum to take into account that (presumably) you will replace the hubs with new hubs, whereas had there been no breach you would have hubs with reasonable wear and tear.
The seller will have to respond to your Letter Before Action in a reasonable period of time, failing which you are entitled to issue Court proceedings. Whether that is advisable will be dependant upon your chances of winning and it is important to bear in mind that the burden of proof will be upon you to show that the telehandler was defective and that the damage was not caused, for example, by your improper usage. To do this you will probably need a report from an independent expert. Subject to the expert’s cost it may be better to obtain a report at the outset and enclose it with your Letter Before Action because that will look stronger.
You have not said how much the telehandler will cost to repair but that should be factored in when deciding whether you wish to instruct solicitors to advise you. It is also worth checking whether you have any Legal Expenses Insurance which might cover your legal costs.
Thrings’ Agriculture team is one of the largest of its kind in the UK with decades of experience in successfully supporting its farming and landowner clients to achieve their aims and the potential for their business. The firm has also been chosen by the NFU to act for its members in more countries than any other firm.
Find out more about how we can support farmers, food producers and rural communities on our Information for Farmers page.