Farmers are looking for less technology

[eserv]

Good to hear!

My 1950 Fordson E27n is money in the bank! ;-)

Dad and my uncle farmed 250 acres with two fordson major E27n's They were the only tractors we had until I was 14 years old!

 

[lugbolt]

I am staying mostly out of this because I am no longer farmin. Only thing I'm doing now is going to the farm to fix their tractor and even that's fairly rare now.

Most of the larger farms here are Deere. Deere owns the market for ag tractors and large implements for them in this area. Kubota doesn't stand a chance since deere's been around (here) for like ever and then some.

Guy across the road here pulls hay from his 194 acres (house sits on 22, not included, but he mows it with a ZD1211). Still using an old non emissions 4440 Deere to pull a disc mower and then a 3150 to pull the baler (4x5 round). I've asked him about upgrading to newer more fuel efficient and quieter/nicer tractor but he ain't having it. Said he'll sell the farm before he fights with tier 4 stuff. Although most of the fleet is green, his mower and small tractor are both orange; the 1211 and then he's got an L2800 that I see once a year for servicing. Just did the 400 hour service on it last week and had no issues outside the ordinary (HST switch and pump inlet hose crack). Both cheap and easy.

 

[bird dogger]

Reading this thread compelled me to go outside and brush the snow off to evaluate my twin cylinder Kubota forerunner! With a couple of scotch-brite pads and a gallon of Kubota orange it could be ready for the “new” pre tier 4 demand!! You can tell from the wheels that this is no lawn mower! This tractor would do well no matter what your produce or product is, whether it be sugar beets, tobacco, potatoes, peanuts, corn, logging, and even hay!! Guaranteed
to be pre Tier 4. In fact, it’s pre tier most everything!!

 

[BigG]

Get that puppy fired up!!!!

 

[Kurtee]

Nice pissing contest here. Just as a point of interest the same thing is going on in the transportation industry. The older trucks are being resurrected and run. Just cant go to California. I am thinking it is happening in the logging and construction industry also. These environmental rulings have cost people lots of money. Getting the emissions to where we are now took a learning curve. Who paid for the education? The end user, who else. Lots of dollars spent in the name of environmental issues. Where do you think it comes from?

 

[Daren Todd]

Nice pissing contest here. Just as a point of interest the same thing is going on in the transportation industry. The older trucks are being resurrected and run. Just cant go to California. I am thinking it is happening in the logging and construction industry also. These environmental rulings have cost people lots of money. Getting the emissions to where we are now took a learning curve. Who paid for the education? The end user, who else. Lots of dollars spent in the name of environmental issues. Where do you think it comes from?

Quite a few contractors are renting larger equipment instead of buying. If it starts acting up, they call the rental company to take this one back and give them another one.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

 

[JRaf]

I think its possible that some people commenting are missing the larger point (and I think this widely distributed article misses it as well). The problem isn't the size of the tractor, or the farm or ranch or the amount of money the "farmer" makes, and it's not just that older tractors (of any size) are simpler, more repairable, and less reliant on complex systems... it's that John Deere is heavily opposed to "Right to Repair". They're system and engine software is completely locked down, no one other than a dealer can access it, change it, manipulate it any way. (Nevermind that their parts are often proprietary... and have no third party option.)
The modern John Deere company believes when you purchase a tractor, you don't purchase an item or a machine, you buy a right to use their device.
This approach to business didn't work for Apple (they now authorize repair and distribute parts to non-Apple repair shops) and I think most of us hope it won't work for tractor manufacturers.
BTW, I'm not sure Kubota doesn't have a similar POV regarding right to repair. I'm not sure their systems aren't just as locked down, but they're not as big or powerful as JD.

 

[D2Cat]

I like older machines,

 

[skeets]

Kurtee the kid lives in Ca and has, I think 06 Dodge diesel 1 ton. They use to pull horse trailers and hay and well anything that need pulled. She had it in for service and had 5 offers to buy it on her answering machine, before she got home. SO yep seems lots of people are trying to go old school

 

[BAP]

I like older machines,

Looks like the perfect bureaucrat removal tool

 

[GreensvilleJay]

re: The modern John Deere company believes when you purchase a tractor, you don't purchase an item or a machine, you buy a right to use their device.

That's been Microsoft's way 'EULA' works for Windows and others...
'fun' thing with 'aps' is you click, they get use of all your data on your device....

 

[Magicman]

Doesn't have to be electronics, parts, etc. Think Kubota hydraulic fluid.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Doesn't have to be electronics, parts, etc. Think Kubota hydraulic fluid.

There are other fluids you can use.

 

[3bfarm]

I think there are several factors to this. The high cost of a new tractor makes a low houred used one a smart alternative. Getting away from computers and def is a plus. I can only comment about what I see here but my local JD dealer caters to 2 types of people. Big farmers that buy new and suburban type that buy small tractors and lawn mowers. Small farms that run older stuff they don't want that business. If they trade for an older tractor they wholesale it, there is very little on their lot except new or close to it. When I bought my Kubota I discussed with the salesman that people like me that they are trying to sell to, not the big ones but smaller operations. I priced a green one and according to adds I saw the Kubota was much cheaper, can't really price green they are not interested in talking to me. Is this the dealer or the company? I don't know.