What's the deal with Trail Gear?

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Status
Not open for further replies.
Almost a year ago i bought from them a Hi-Steer system and a couple of months later a hydro assist, i got the parts delivered quickly and the price and quality are competitive IMO.
Regards.
 
TG's products are mostly foreign made, and that doesn't appeal to a lot of people. Some of there stuff is lacking in quality as other competitors, such as their springs. They tend to sag and require replacement. its easier just to buy a set from all pro, and get a higher quality product.

Also, a lot of people hate that they've become so huge. their customer service has been s***ty lately.
 
I have nothing against TG. I just prefer other companies that are still loyal to the Toyota off-road enthusiast, instead of just being greedy. I do buy from TG, but only after searching Marlin, Allpro, Inchworm, blah, blah, blah. Marlin still loves his customers and what this community represents. I'm not so sure about TG. TG does sell some pretty cool schit that the others don't (ARP knuckle studs come to mind).
 
There was an issue a number of years ago about an employee (employees?) from Marlin leaving and going to TG and subsequently TG started selling a number of products very similar to Marlin's offerings. This was followed by other items that had been developed elsewhere suddenly having TG versions. Combine this with TG's size and it is hard to compete with them - even if you were the one to develop something first. Left a bit of a foul taste in certain people's mouths.
 
No, go with PSC or Howe, its a way better product.

Marlins manager went to TG when TG first started up, told TG pricing and were to buy what from Marlins suppliers. Marlin was working with the owner of TG before it was TG, for $ reasons. In short when Marlin decided to pull out of the deal because a clause in the contract that would have kept Marlin out of the Off Road market for 5 years, Marlin decided it wasn't a wise investment. TG then got pissed off at Marlin and stole most of his designs.

When it comes to the quality of most of their parts they care more about the cost then how well they work. Yes they can ship it fast and at a good price and will even give you a warranty for a new one. But when you junk breaks on the trail and you're on a 7 day vacation will they tow your but home? Nope. So you decide which company you'd like buy from. The one that makes stuff that is far less likely to break or the one your pocket book agreed with one afternoon.
 
The best is to search and review each one of the products you are intersted in. You will find plenty of info. Lets say a shock hoop or a truss or brackets.... Pretty hard to screw that up so as a working non rich man I will buy TG each time. But when it comes to moving parts I do my homework and wiegh the odds. Most of the time its true and you get what u pay for.
 
Not for nothing, but if marlin could actually stock and ship his stuff and provide decent customer service, trail gear wouldn't exist. He created a demand in the Toyota 4x4 market by not fulfilling supply, pretty much creating Trail Mart. I am not saying Marlins guys aren't knowledgeable, they are some of the best minds in the 4x4 community, that doesn't mean they can run a business.

I am not advocating Trail Gear, I wont buy their stuff, and I wont even buy from a vendor that sells their stuff, but the simple fact still remains that if someone could call Marlin, place an order, and actually get it within a reasonable amount of time Trail gear wouldn't be nearly as big as they are.
 
4WheelUnderground said:
..when you junk breaks on the trail and you're on a 7 day vacation will they tow your but home? Nope. ...
Click to expand...

I know who will fix it, in fact, he even fixes crap that's not even his, just b/c he's that kind of guy.
Marlin%20repairing%20Chinese%20Crap%20wheel%20bearing.jpg
 
dubsb said:
Not for nothing, but if marlin could actually stock and ship his stuff and provide decent customer service, trail gear wouldn't exist. He created a demand in the Toyota 4x4 market by not fulfilling supply, pretty much creating Trail Mart. I am not saying Marlins guys aren't knowledgeable, they are some of the best minds in the 4x4 community, that doesn't mean they can run a business.

I am not advocating Trail Gear, I wont buy their stuff, and I wont even buy from a vendor that sells their stuff, but the simple fact still remains that if someone could call Marlin, place an order, and actually get it within a reasonable amount of time Trail gear wouldn't be nearly as big as they are.
Click to expand...

x2 on this comment. I once called marlin 4 times in one week to try to place an order. No one ever picked up the phone! I gave up. I also could not place on-line either. Pissed me off bad. I finaly got some of the parts at a local 4x4 shop (thanks GTF). I am ging to try to order from them next week and I hop I do not get the same results.

I don't buy a lot of parts but I run some TG stuff and like it. Some Marlin stuff and like it too. I want an All-pro T-case parking break. I will shop all companies and who ever offers the best stuff for the best price gets my $. Not everyone makes the same stuff so different places get my $ for diffrent stuff.

That being said do your research on what you plan on buying.
 
Historically Marlin has taken some big hits because of his poor customer service. I swore at one time I would never do business with him again. Well, never say never. I've place a few orders over the last few years and they all went smooth. Maybe a little tardy getting the junk to UPS, but nothing to make me cranky. The reality? When it come to certain parts Marlin is the man. His seals are the schitz, as are some of his gears. There are some things he excels at and we should be supporting his innovation. He has learned from his past mistakes, and service is significantly better than it was.
 
4WheelUnderground said:
Marlins manager went to TG when TG first started up, told TG pricing and were to buy what from Marlins suppliers. Marlin was working with the owner of TG before it was TG, for $ reasons. In short when Marlin decided to pull out of the deal because a clause in the contract that would have kept Marlin out of the Off Road market for 5 years, Marlin decided it wasn't a wise investment. TG then got pissed off at Marlin and stole most of his designs.
Click to expand...

Just for that reason alone I don't know why anyone would ever do any business with them. I mean why innovate when you can just steal it? Sure is easier and cheaper that way.
 
I don't know the details on the alleged theft here, but hay, in this industry if your stuff is not patented then you are just asking for it.
 
The problem with patents is that once a patent is on the books other companies can see exactly how your widget works. They make a few small changes and then sell their widget with the minimal changes to avoid infringement.

What the patents do not cover is how you produced the widget (if you don't patent your process that is). If you can produce the superior widget with a process unknown to your competition you will have an edge.

That being said most truck parts do not require a rocket scientist to reverse engineer, patented or not.

Sorry about the hijack. I do like the TG hydro assist but overall I am a big Marlin fan.
 
Thanks every1 for the education.
Actually can get everything I need from PSC for about $189 cheaper than TG, and the stuff is USA made.
Win Win.

:cheers:
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Share this page

Back
Top Bottom