How did Kubota get such a large market share ?

[aczlan]

I had no opinion on this
UNTIL a friend bought a Kubota here in the Fingerlakes portion of upstate New York. John deere swallowed the idea of a "MEGA Dealer" and allowed one company to buy up ALL the dealerships in the area including those that were primarily "small equipment" operations. Unless you need mower blades, the service I have experienced at 4 of the JD Mega dealer's 6 locations (they closed two others they felt were un needed) is awful. I even experienced having my 2305 returned from a transmission service with a loose drain plug. When you complain you get blown off. My most recent experience was a $150.00 bill to fix my rear flashers, when all it needed was an $8.00 diode. My only alternative thanks to JD allowing a one owner monopoly in our area is to drive over 80 miles for parts and service.

Would this be the dealer who bought out the Ontrack dealers? If so, my feeling with them has been that if you aren't buying a couple of 150k machines from them every few years, you aren't worth their time (I grew up ~5 mins from one of their locations).

My friends experience with the local Kubota dealer is a polar opposite, COMPETENT, friendly, and helpful describe the local Kubota Dealer (who has competition within 35 miles in all 4 directions).

Would that be Blazeys? If so, we have had similar experiences with them. Not always the cheapest, but not unreasonably expensive either and its always done right, or they make it right.

Go figure... a monopoly doesn't feel like they need to compete..... but they forget all of us don't bleed green, or red, and may be willing to go ORANGE. They don't really care about the small tractor market and make as much off what sell as they can. I'd like to think our local farmers are treated better.

My parents neighbor (who is a farmer that bleeds green, curses metric stuff and has LOTS of green equipment) gets treated very well at the green dealership I mentioned above...

Aaron Z

[Buckgnarly]

Best way to solve service problems is learn to DIY......then you only have yourself to blame when things get messed up!

[bp fick]

"My parents neighbor.... curses metric stuff​"



That is tilting at windmills in today's world. I've had a full set of metric tools for over 30 years, which are needed to work on any car/truck from Detroit. Just sayin'.

[aczlan]

"My parents neighbor.... curses metric stuff​"
That is tilting at windmills in today's world. I've had a full set of metric tools for over 30 years, which are needed to work on any car/truck from Detroit. Just sayin'.

Yep, he is fighting a losing battle, but he dislikes anything metric.

Aaron Z

[murphy1244]

Yep, he is fighting a losing battle, but he dislikes anything metric.

Aaron Z

Then what does he drive?? GM has been metric for years..

[aczlan]

Then what does he drive?? GM has been metric for years..

90's Dodge pickups. His wife drove a Jeep of some sort last i heard.

Aaron Z

[john_bud]

I curse metric stuff too. But what I REALLY curse is when there are english fasteners and metric on the same vehicle. Some "world" cars have english body fasteners and metric engine (or the other way around). It really P's me O!

[aczlan]

Between my Volvo, 3 Kubotas, a couple of Caravans and a Dodge pickup, I have a pretty good mix of SAE and metric sockets/wrenches.

Aaron Z

[300UGUY]

I looked at Kioti, deere, Mahindra, NH, and Case/IH. But I ended up with a Kubota, the Kioti was pretty comparble in price, but I wasn't impressed with the dealer. NH was more $$, the Mahindra dealer went tits up, Case was a hour away. Deere was more money, and the sales guys were very lazy. Basically didn't want to leave the building to show me a tractor. The Kubota guy let me drive 2 tractors, invited me in to have a coffee, and an hour later, I'd spent 20K. Btw, the Deere place is a mega dealer.

[Baby Grand]

John deere sells a lot of tractors etc,but how did Kubota get such a large market share on the compact tractor market ?
Was it because of quality/durability ?
Was it because of value for the dollar ?
Was John Deere late in getting in the compact tractor market as compared to Kubota ?

I think Kubota entered the small ag tractor market that had been nearly abandoned by the domestic makers in the 60's.
They were already building small ag tractors for the small family farms of Japan and had to give those farmers quality/durability & value.
The used tractors wound up on the West Coast and found buyers, leading Kubota to recognize a potentially huge US market oportunity.