Buying Advice Cabela's selling Compact Tractors

[daugen]

Let's take this from another angle. Cabela sells boats, apparently successfully.
Clearly they feel us outdoorsy folk all think along the same lines and we all have a boat and
a tractor.

But wait. I do...and I bet many of you do. Particularly if you are a lake boater.
Like any good company they are trying to find niches and exploit them.
somehow.
I hadn't connected the boat to tractor part before.
You know, because boats won't work on land and tractors won't work on water.

glad we've got that settled.

 

[Cherokee140]

This has sure been interesting to say the least. Just to play this back, after seeing so many posts related to Cabela's tractors that presented lots of questions and more than a few things being written that were not true, I decided to identify myself and post a summary that laid out all of the facts related to Cabela's now offering tractors and implements. I know this forum well, and I knew that there would be some negative comments, but it seemed worth to at least let folks know about Cabela's approach. In the end, for those that have a genuine interest in knowing the facts and not speculating, there is now something to refer to. That was the goal. For those that posted supportive comments, or made the effort to ask others to tone things down a bit, I thank you. For those that thought that being overly critical is how they serve fellow TBN members, God bless you, and I sincerely wish you the best, even if you might happen to work at or own a competitive tractor dealership. Again, I am not a Cabela's employee, I'm an Ag Equipment guy who is helping Cabela's put together a new business. Nothing more, nothing less. One thing that I am absolutely certain of is that neither me nor anyone else that's involved in what Cabela's is doing will ever find it necessary to speak poorly of another, whether they are a competitor or a tractor enthusiast. We choose to let our customers judge how well we serve them, just as any good business does.

You have not talked to Tim D. then.....or perhaps he does not work there any more.

 

[GManBart]

There are not going to be as abundant as your local WaWa.

I think I'd trade our Cabela's for a couple WaWa stores....great coffee, great subs, and awesome baked goods (not that I need any donuts!).

 

[sd455dan]

Let's take this from another angle. Cabela sells boats, apparently successfully.
Clearly they feel us outdoorsy folk all think along the same lines and we all have a boat and
a tractor.

But wait. I do...and I bet many of you do. Particularly if you are a lake boater.
Like any good company they are trying to find niches and exploit them.
somehow.
I hadn't connected the boat to tractor part before.
You know, because boats won't work on land and tractors won't work on water.

glad we've got that settled.

I can see it now- the new Cabela's tractor with the hitch hooked to a brand new boat on a display that looks like a boat ramp ... actually sounds pretty neat, i am sure it would make me smile, and look it all over-
We looked at the new TYMs a few years ago -believe it was a cabbed 353 hst?? and the fit and finish was good...

 

[lilranch2001]

This has sure been interesting to say the least. Just to play this back, after seeing so many posts related to Cabela's tractors that presented lots of questions and more than a few things being written that were not true, I decided to identify myself and post a summary that laid out all of the facts related to Cabela's now offering tractors and implements. I know this forum well, and I knew that there would be some negative comments, but it seemed worth to at least let folks know about Cabela's approach. In the end, for those that have a genuine interest in knowing the facts and not speculating, there is now something to refer to. That was the goal. For those that posted supportive comments, or made the effort to ask others to tone things down a bit, I thank you. For those that thought that being overly critical is how they serve fellow TBN members, God bless you, and I sincerely wish you the best, even if you might happen to work at or own a competitive tractor dealership. Again, I am not a Cabela's employee, I'm an Ag Equipment guy who is helping Cabela's put together a new business. Nothing more, nothing less. One thing that I am absolutely certain of is that neither me nor anyone else that's involved in what Cabela's is doing will ever find it necessary to speak poorly of another, whether they are a competitor or a tractor enthusiast. We choose to let our customers judge how well we serve them, just as any good business does.

I agree, a dealer that piped up made me lose some respect I had developed for them based on peoples comments on TBN over the years, but they came off to me fairly aggressive on this thread, and very defensive and seemingly not completely upfront on another thread I have been reading. It seems like either he is not the kind of guy I would want to do business with, or currently having problems with his business now and is piling on to help his own standing in the industry

 

[daugen]

when one spends his time knocking the competition, it only shows an inherent weakness that without much
good to say about one's product, all one has air for is finding fault in others.

I do love those comparison charts though. You know the ones where they find every conceivable advantage and list them, regardless
of the relevance. chrome gas cap? check oh dear, yours is merely painted...
ultraleather armrests? check. oh dear, yours are just slippery vinyl
Platinum service? check. oh dear, yours is merely bronze
and so on

 

[Deerherd]

I'm sure it had nothing to do with the fact that TYM will sell tractors to anyone, and virtually every other OEM is tied up in other exclusive licensing agreements.:thumbsup: Its not like there are lots of options to choose from.

Putting TYM and Cabela's down doesn't advance your standing in my eyes, it diminishes it. I do own products from 3 of the 10 manufacturers you list in your signature and should I ever need parts for them, I'll buy them locally.

I don't think thats true at all. I'm here, and have been for a long time. There is upside. You just have to be willing to swim with the sharks and realize that you loose control of your corporate message. While its causes stress at time, it builds trust and respect and over the long haul people will reward you for it.

We will have to agree to disagree. There is a big difference between factory people contributing and a dealer posting who is actively seeking business from participating on this forum. Selling parts or machines online at discounted prices and circumventing the burden of sales taxes isn't building trust and respect, it's a business model based on price alone.

I'm sure you have endeared yourself to Kubota and their other dealers in the network but it may be contributing to that stress or loss of corporate message you speak of. Only you can decide if it's worth it.

 

[dave1949]

I've purchased things from Messick's and would again. They are head and shoulders above the mostly non-existent NH dealers around here. The NH parts diagrams on their web site have been useful too. They provide proven value to their customers.

Just because Neal is a dealer and competitor doesn't mean he loses the right to express an opinion or offer his insights. His opinions can be challenged by anyone, just like the rest of us. I haven't seen any rebuttal to his opinions, just remarks indicating he shouldn't express them.

 

[kcflhrc]

There's already someone with direct ties to the Cabela's tractor line here, so you're wrong any way you look at it.

It's the internet Bart, do you believe everything you read here? You have no idea who this guy is or what his motives are. Last time I checked Cabela's wasn't a manufacturer of anything. You said OEM then you side stepped that. Now your saying I'm wrong? Please!

 

[RDrancher]

I did a job for a customer yesterday that had just purchased a tractor and roto tiller attachment from Cabelas. He mentioned that their credit line was one of the main reasons. Easier to get approved? I don't know and I didn't ask.

It was a pretty busy day and I didn't get to look at the tractor up close. It did look to be kinda small for a 35 hp. But it looked nice and shiny!