Not to start an argument..............

[jenkinsph]

I for one am very concerned about the U.S. loosing the industrial and manufacturing base. I would much prefer to see us keep the jobs and ability to manufacture here at home.

 

[stravis]

So based on your logic, if you had the need, you would not buy a John Deere 9030 series machine with 530hp. After all that is the biggest tractor that they have in that line and is at the top end of the 425hp-530hp lineup. They are probably really only designed for the 425hp and they just put the bigger engines in, right?

I have no problem buying the biggest and best that a company has, if that is what I need. If anything I feel that the company put more of an effort into it to make it the best that it can be just because it is at the top end of there line. But then that is just me.

I doubt I'll ever have need for a machine that size, but my thought still stands. I doubt JD put as much research into that 9030 as they do the smaller. I doubt it is made entirely of parts made uniquely to handle that HP. Do you? Does it really matter in this argument? Are you offended that I didn't want the largest tractor Kioti or Kubota made?

 

[stravis]

Assembled in Georgia out of large sub assemblies totally manufactured and assembled overseas. It is cheaper to ship the tractors broken down into large sub assemblies and assemble the big chunks here than it is to ship them whole. Big deal, the fenders and wheels get bolted on in Georgia.

No rice burner foreign recycled tin cans for me, I bought AMERICAN when I got my one ton dually Dodge with Cumins turbo diesel engine. Right?

Or so I thought until I discovered the danged thing was assembled in Mexico, Yep, hecho in Mexico!!!

Pat

I didn't say the rubber for the tires was harvested in Georgia. I didn't say the copper for the wires was mined just outside of Macon. I said it was put together in Augusta. I do all I can to buy American. I think I did pretty well with this machine.

By the way, my Chevy 2500 was made in Indiana I believe. (Just for clarification, the alternator was made in Mexico and the muffler in Canada, but the truck was put together in Indiana.)

 

[stravis]

Rather than try to find fault in my tractor choice, why not answer this part of the post:

If you were looking at equally equipped (not necessarily equal quality, just same HP, roughly same features, etc) machines from each manufacturer, both "big three" and gray market and you were told to choose one and it would be given to you for free, which brand would you choose?

I'd be willing to bet that very few of the current gray market brand owners would still choose the gray market brand. I'd also be willing to bet that very few of the big three owners would choose the gray market machines.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

I doubt I'll ever have need for a machine that size, but my thought still stands. I doubt JD put as much research into that 9030 as they do the smaller. I doubt it is made entirely of parts made uniquely to handle that HP. Do you? Does it really matter in this argument? Are you offended that I didn't want the largest tractor Kioti or Kubota made?

Your joking, right? You actually think that they put more thought into a smaller machine than the big ones? Yes, I think that the larger hp tractors are designed to take the power that is put into them. And no I don't care what tractor you have, I just disagree with you that the largest tractor of any lineup is an inferior machine, as in not really made to take the hp that happens to be put in it. So aren't you uncomfortable having the largest hp model in the 5E series lineup? After all, it probably really isn't made to handle that 101hp. Maybe you should have stepped up to the 6D series, then you would not have any strength worries.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Rather than try to find fault in my tractor choice, why not answer this part of the post:

If you were looking at equally equipped (not necessarily equal quality, just same HP, roughly same features, etc) machines from each manufacturer, both "big three" and gray market and you were told to choose one and it would be given to you for free, which brand would you choose?

I'd be willing to bet that very few of the current gray market brand owners would still choose the gray market brand. I'd also be willing to bet that very few of the big three owners would choose the gray market machines.

First of all, I think that you use the term "grey market" wrong. I believe that grey market tractors are machines that have been built for and used in foreign countries and then imported to the United States as used machines.

As far as me having my grey market tractor, (Mahindra) I would be one of the few that would chose my Mahindra 7520 4x4 over ANY other tractor in the 70-80hp size. It overall out specs any other tractor in its class. It is extremely comfortable to operate, has the right ergonomics for me. After 5 years of use, it has been a very good machine for me. Does that answer your question? :confused2:

It is my thinking that if you had ten different brands, all the same hp range, all painted the same color, all for free with no warranty, that a lot of people would be surprised at which brands would be chosen first. While Kubota, John Deere, CNH, and AGCO all have very good machines, a lot of the others are as good or even better in some instances. This is what my findings have been after going to very large AG shows for several years.

 

[lilranch2001]

I have not had a tractor in 5 years, so when I decided last fall it was time for me to get a new toy, I spent 5 months researching, and looking at tractors. I looked at every brand that I could find a dealer in my area. I started with Orange, everyone has them around here, so I thought that is what I wanted, my first impression was a lot of chinsey parts (fenders are tinny, controls are wimpy) JD did have some nice features, but they did not have very high pump capacity. Plus our local dealership is somewhat of a arrogant A hole. I liked the MF but had a little misunderstanding with the dealer but overall, price was not all that different between the 4 brands I looked at.
I kept going back to the Bobcat, I feel good on it and so far I like the way it works when I get seat time.
Compared to my old 8N, I feel like I am running a Cadilac

 

[MessickFarmEqu]

AEM doesn't account for utility vehicles or turf products, which Kubota sells quite a bit of.

Yea, 250,000 is on all product lines, not just compacts. Thats what we've been told anyway.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Yea, 250,000 is on all product lines, not just compacts. Thats what we've been told anyway.

So Niel, what was the purpose of mentioning 250,000? We were-are talking utility tractors here, not lawn mowers and RTVs, or even excavators. :confused2:

If anyone wants to talk numbers, lets hear what gross profits are. I don't see were number of units made-sold and gross revenues do any good at all. What good is it if a company does 10 billion in business, but is in the negative AT ALL! I want to hear about profit and what percentage was made vs gross revenues.

 

[wedge40]

I've read some but not all. I'll be the first to admit that it seems to me that JD people are very proud of their Green paint. I've never owned a JD, and maybe if I did I'd be very proud of it also.
For me any major investment starts with sales. I walk into a place and they ask question and I ask questions. If they don't know the answer fine, find out and get back with me. Second is service. Once I've bought a product, service is what will bring me back to it again and again. Even if I have to pay more to get it. My tractor right now is a 43 year old Ford that I can still pretty much get parts for. Even though I'm having a hard time finding a replacement PS cylinder, but thats another story. Now I have two dealers that are about the same distance, and both are owned by the same company. But one always treats me like a real customer and the other hardly has time for me. Guess who gets my buisness?

For a first time tractor buyer, who knows little about tractors, well it's a toss up. I think some would choose on price alone and not consider the other aspects like service and parts availability. Hopefully they would know people who own potential brands and talk with them.

In the above paragraphs you can pretty much replace tractor with automobile and it would still pretty much fit.

Wedge
Oh and speaking of resale.. My 43 year old tractor is worth about $2K more than original retail price.