Ruston PT import to Australia

Hello Everyone,
I'm working on putting a little Ruston Hornsby collection together and decided, after a fair bit of research, to try importing an engine to Australia from England. It may seem strange to UK members that I've only seen one Ruston PT engine at any engine rally ever. So they're a bit rare out here. In fact to buy any working Ruston engine out here for under $1000 (£600 in UK currency) is unlikely - and I thought if my all up cost for a complete and running PT was about $1000 I'd be happy.
The other reason for putting in this topic is for anyone else thinking of doing this.
So, I found a nice UK ebayer who was willing to help me get the engine to port after I won the bid for £175. The exporter was also very helpful after I paid them £300. My research said I could be up for another $200 for customs etc in Australia. The engine arrived about 8 weeks later into the Port of Melbourne and so did another surprise - they told me I couldn't do my own port clearance and would have to use an agent. I found a helpful guy who set it all up with customs and quarantine fees for $225 and I thought I was home and housed until the warehouse who unloaded the container sent me a bill for an additional $400. Up until this point noone mentioned that. I rang port authorities who told me first-time importers always got this shock and these warehouses knew they had you over a barrel.
I've tried to get over it - it was an experiment - and I've learned a big lesson. My advice from asking everyone I spoke to is not to use an exporter in the country you are buying from but get it all arranged from your own country so that there are no surprises when it arrives. I may try it again from that angle - after I've paid off the unexpected.
Anyway, I now have a Ruston PT in my collection. Expensive but long-term I think worth it. Here's a picture.

I have just figured out who you are lol

are you related to a chap that goes by grey fergie ?

He was talking to me a while ago about my IHC M but i have finally ordered all the bits to get it up and running , hopefully will be a nice engine when its done .

Is the PT mike milestones old engine ?

Matt

Hello Matt.
Yes I got the engine of Mike - he was very helpful too.
Grey-Fergie is my nephew and has his Ronnies and Listers on my place. His jeep and fergie are at his pa's. If he was rich the collection would be so big there would be no space left. Josh reckons we ought to take a trip to England and bring back a whole container of engines and Fergie parts. I have to admit that he knows a lot more than me about Fergie tractors and Lister engines.
I take it that you have a youtube site too. Are you the one who gives him a bit of a stir? He loves it! Keep it up! Ask him if he knows any girls that are into tractors!

Graeme

Graeme, there's a few ways to look at this, yes it's cost you a lot to ship so that taught you a lesson so added on to the overall costs but at the end of the day you've got an engine that is very rare in OZ, if you did want to sell I'm sure you'd get a good return. We have the same problem getting engines and parts from the States, as soon as it hits British soil the taxes and more taxes are added.
Filling a container may be the cheapest way to ship to Oz but you'd need to look closely to see if your taxed on the container or each item.

Stu.

I'm sure you're right Stu.
Sometimes you get a bargain too and that makes up for those you pay a bit more for.
I'm enjoying the engines anyway and that's why I'm in it.

Graeme

Cheapest way to bring imports into the UK is via Malta. As Malta in in the EU and VAT is only 5% you pay Malta the VAT and then bring on into the UK with no more VAT to pay.

now that's useful to know .

but what sort of price are we talking to get from malta to the uk .....

I have heard when getting a engine from the states get them to be shipped from Canada it's cheaper , but i don't know why .

Matt

i agree i know the cost matters but as long as you get the engine you want thats all that matters, - i was unaware that you had engine shows in Oz - have you any pics of these shows?

i also think it is a good thing to have these forums to communicate or to help get parts when you need them, this forum is very friendly and everyone is willing to put themselves out for you, but i have a fuller and johnson so i joined a USA forum to try to get a few parts or information, and apart from 2 guys who are great chaps the rest are vevy unhelpfull,

The container idea is a good one and one that we should do here from the USA also, Steve.

Steve - Engine rallies in Oz are probably fewer and far between than in the UK but we do have them. They vary from little local get togethers to big national events.
The biggest one I've ever been to was last year. A centenary celebration at a place called Lake Goldsmith. Here's a link that I also put in a topic on the Rally Roundup section. There were lots of interesting engines there.

http://www.oldengine.org/members/pml/lg100th/index.htm

About parts for engines - I seem to have chosen the wrong make for parts. Ruston Hornsby parts seem harder to get everywhere - Especially carby parts like I'm missing for my PB and AP3. I've got a con rod without the big end for the AP too and so will have to try and use something from another engine I think.
If you have any ideas I'd be glad to hear. :chin:

Regards Graeme

Steve we do have another forum member (we have a few but this is the member you need) they have put some great OZ rally pics up his name is Triumphline, you'll have to sort his posts to find the pics but it's well worth the time as there's some cracking stuff.

I can't understand about bringing the engines via Malta as I'd of thought you'd need a shipping agent there to sort out the paper work, storage etc thus pushing the price up. From what I been able to work out, is find some one that imports tractors and get them to put the engine/s in the same container as the tractor and list it as tractor with spare parts then it's only the tractor you have to pay for, then just come to some agreement with the tractor owner how you should split the costs.

Stu.

PS you could try contacting a Columbian drugs baron as see how he gets stuff into the UK without paying taxes :stick lol: :stick lol: :stick lol: :stick lol:

Ruston PT parts shouldn't be too difficult for you to get in Aus, as internally they are practically identical to Wolseley WD models (I think), & I bet there's a few of those over there, being a sheep sheering company I think Wolseley shipped a lot of stuff over there.

Dunno about the rest of the Ruston range though.

On the subject of shipping stuff like this; I think you were lucky to have it make it over there in one piece. Usually, when stuff gets container shipped that far either something gets broken or stuff gets nicked. I was very surprised to see you got it without any damage or theft of parts.

I know a friend of mine spent a few years in New Zealand, when he had his car shipped back over (was a nice car, not just something normal) it had been ransacked! A huge amount of stereo equipment & performance extras had been stripped. I think he had stuff missing & damaged in his household bits & bobs too. There was nothing he could do about it, & he was never refunded in any way.

It's a dodgy business alright. You're putting a lot of trust in a lot of different people. You never know who's going to have their hands on your stuff before you eventually get it. Plenty of chance for things to go wrong.

Also, many sellers don't like the thought of their country's heritage going overseas. I know a lot of my dad's friends who restore motorbikes won't sell to foreign buyers, as so much stuff ends up in places like museums in Japan, never to be seen again. Some people get very protective over their heritage (not that it's that likely between England & Australia, as we share a lot of heritage & seem to get on very well as countries)

Still, I'm glad to see you got it. But I think you've got some lovely engines over there in Aus, I would love a few of them myself. I've read a few stories about engines over there in the past, there's quite a following I believe, & many engines have survived very well in much of the country, mainly because of the predominantly dry environment.

Best of luck in your Ruston endeavours