Tractor News New Holland going out of business???

[Farmwithjunk]

I just noticed orange tractors on the local NH dealer's lot...

Seems they have taken on Kioti as their second line equipment. Kind of unusual, because I've only ever seen blue there.

The closest NH dealer to me is basically a lawn mower/industrial equipment dealer. They carry NH and Deere (for now) The next closest NH dealer is an ag dealer primarily. When I drove past it last friday, imagine my surprise when I saw Mahindra tractors mixed in with the NH units on the lot.

NH (Ford) USED to be a popular brand around here, along with Massey Ferguson and Deere. Now days Deere (and to a lesser degree, MF) seem to be chasing everyone else out of the area.

 

[JoeinTX]

"Between all the sophisticated words and corporate scuffle, does this mean I won't have to worry about my warranty and parts will be available years from now? Or should I just trade my NH in for a Deere or Kubota..."

Um, no. You have no worries in that area.

Regarding dealers, NH has always been strong in my area and they run neck-and-neck with Deere here. Dedicated Case dealers have sort of atrophied especially in areas where a strong NH dealer existed. On the other hand, Case Construction dealers are strong here........I know of only one serious NH construction dealer within a few hundred miles.

 

[foggy1111]

You'd be better served by speaking of what you actually KNOW from hands on experience, than of repeating the nonsense you pick up from the anti-green crowd on some internet website. I've spent a little time on those sites. They tend to frequently be a little short of facts and long on brand bashing.

And since when was a Case combine "green"?

And you need to look at the latest offerings from Deere.

There's a good reason why the top 2 selling brands have such a huge market share.....

Oh....and try to find a Claas combine that's been in the field more than a couple or 3 years....They're few and far between. Not the "best" when it comes to life span....Not to mention nearly no resale value relative to Case and Deere. No one with their right mind spends several hundred thousand bux with the knowledge their investment will be sand down a rat hole in short order.

I am not up to speed on the quality of combines these days.....BUT......Claas was building combines for Ford waaay back in the 70's. IIRC we offered 3 models of Claas / rebadged into Ford combines back then.

They were pretty good machines back then. But Gleaner, IH, Case & JD sold far more machines in our market.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

I am not up to speed on the quality of combines these days.....BUT......Claas was building combines for Ford waaay back in the 70's. IIRC we offered 3 models of Claas / rebadged into Ford combines back then.

They were pretty good machines back then. But Gleaner, IH, Case & JD sold far more machines in our market.

Combines of today have technology and computers oozing out of every pour. They require a level of field service backing that the average mechanic can't fathom. Without product support that's VERY current, your huge investment might just be a huge liability. Claas just doesn't have the wide spread support that a Deere or a Case combine will have. With the fact that quite a large portion of the country doesn't have immediate access to Claas dealer service, cost of that service can be very expensive (and slow) when techs have to travel long distances. It's not just a fluke that Deere and CaseIH outsell everyone else by such a wide margin. Farmers that spend $300,000 or $400,000 on a combine aren't generally willing to wait 3 or 4 days to get back up and running.....at any cost.

My combine is 12 years old. (Deere 9610) It's as dependable as a new one, which is to say, FAIRLY reliable....Combines are high maintenance machines. .But parts for current models are easier to come by than with models a few years old. And there is where Deere and CaseIH REALLY shine.. And the "other guys" sorta slip into the darkness.

 

[sweep]

My mom and pop NH dealer was shut down last year. . Place was kinda run down and dirty but they had the parts in stock and their mechanics have been there forever and knew their stuff.

Since then the 2 NH dealers to the East and West of me now have showrooms look like the new Harley Davidson showrooms. Employees are all in matching attire and I don't mean shirts but pants also. Spotless and hi-tech/latest trend displays. Looks like they are gearing more towards the hobby farmers and suburban home owners.

I'm expecting neon and displays of leather clad maniguenns with NH agriculture patches on them and chrome tractor accessories the next time I walk in and I'm not being entirely sarcastic.

 

[JasG]

My mom and pop NH dealer was shut down last year. . Place was kinda run down and dirty but they had the parts in stock and their mechanics have been there forever and knew their stuff.

Since then the 2 NH dealers to the East and West of me now have showrooms look like the new Harley Davidson showrooms. Employees are all in matching attire and I don't mean shirts but pants also. Spotless and hi-tech/latest trend displays. Looks like they are gearing more towards the hobby farmers and suburban home owners.

I'm expecting neon and displays of leather clad maniguenns with NH agriculture patches on them and chrome tractor accessories the next time I walk in and I'm not being entirely sarcastic.

Years ago Ford/New Holland was #3 around here behind Deere and IH with farmers. Over the last 20 years I have seen many switch to Case/IH and Deere. I only know of 1 farmer that still is totally "Blue". The only dealer left that was totally New Holland, is now selling Massey along with New Holland, and they push compacts and utility stuff. They don't have any large (150+ hp)farm tractors on the lot.

 

[JDGreenGrass]

To the OP...IMO, you made huge assumptions with little research. :confused2:

 

[RickB]

The recent divorce of CNH (New Holland's parent) and ISM (longtime builder of Ford and NH compact tractors) and new relationship with Korean manufacturer LS has left both real and imagined deficiencies in the NH compact tractor line. Additionally, NH has had and still does have major product availability issues with tractors, skidloaders, and TLB's that have left some dealers' lots looking sparse despite longstanding orders for product. These problems have forced an unprecedented number of NH dealers to take on new lines in the last two years or so in order to have an available offering of tractors to sell.

There are several threads here discussing individual aspects of all of this. What is not openly discussed is the reality that in order for CNH to maximize the potential efficiencies and profitability of the merger/buyout/whatever of New Holland and CaseIH, the product lines and dealer networks have to be further consolidated. That may mean a major change to one or both brand identities at some point.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

The recent divorce of CNH (New Holland's parent) and ISM (longtime builder of Ford and NH compact tractors) and new relationship with Korean manufacturer LS has left both real and imagined deficiencies in the NH compact tractor line. Additionally, NH has had and still does have major product availability issues with tractors, skidloaders, and TLB's that have left some dealers' lots looking sparse despite longstanding orders for product. These problems have forced an unprecedented number of NH dealers to take on new lines in the last two years or so in order to have an available offering of tractors to sell.

There are several threads here discussing individual aspects of all of this. What is not openly discussed is the reality that in order for CNH to maximize the potential efficiencies and profitability of the merger/buyout/whatever of New Holland and CaseIH, the product lines and dealer networks have to be further consolidated. That may mean a major change to one or both brand identities at some point.

To over simplify things a great deal, that's essentially what AGCO has done with regards to discontinuing the AGCO tractor line (and dealers) in favor of the singular Massey Ferguson brand. It may seem like a bad move to some old school AGCO brand (ex Allis Chalmers guys mostly) owners/fans, but the reduction in redundant models will continue create a leaner, more competitive brand as a result. I can't help but wonder how long AGCO will continue with separate Gleaner and Massey Ferguson combine lines.....Long story short, the move to a single brand name has started to show up in a positive light for AGCO's bottom line. Of the "big 3" (Deere, CNH, and AGCO) AGCO has the best assets to debt ratio as a result of recent moves. While that's "just another statistic", and not indicative of net worth,....it IS a great position to be in with todays unstable economic environment.

I heard talk (and it was just that....talk....and speculative talk by people on the outside) of Fiat splitting Case IH and New Holland, then selling one or the other.....or BOTH.... AGCO was supposedly tendering an offer at one point....In any event, IMHO, the Case IH and New Holland lines have "blended" just enough so that splitting them would be a tough row to hoe. I'd suspect they're forever linked at this point. (Even if Fiat decided to "cash in") That said, and with the knowledge of how things have gone with AGCO, I could see CNH changing into a single brand line. As unpopular as it might be with some, it makes good business sense.

Since I heard the very first rumors of splitting CaseIH from NH, I always viewed that possibility as old IH "Binderoids" wanting their beloved IH brand back as a separate "entity"....Not happenin' boys...That ship done sailed.....

 

[DavesTractor]

The recent divorce of CNH (New Holland's parent) and ISM (longtime builder of Ford and NH compact tractors) and new relationship with Korean manufacturer LS has left both real and imagined deficiencies in the NH compact tractor line. Additionally, NH has had and still does have major product availability issues with tractors, skidloaders, and TLB's that have left some dealers' lots looking sparse despite longstanding orders for product. These problems have forced an unprecedented number of NH dealers to take on new lines in the last two years or so in order to have an available offering of tractors to sell.

There are several threads here discussing individual aspects of all of this. What is not openly discussed is the reality that in order for CNH to maximize the potential efficiencies and profitability of the merger/buyout/whatever of New Holland and CaseIH, the product lines and dealer networks have to be further consolidated. That may mean a major change to one or both brand identities at some point.

Well said. NH dealers that sold a lot of 20-50 HP tractors had little choice but to reach out to other brands to fill the void.