New land... need a tractor!!

[IslandTractor]

It's kind of funny to sit back and watch trends on a forum, and this thread is a perfect example. One trend I've noted is that there are folks who pretty consistently make recommendations that they try to tailor to the poster's questions, stated needs, etc. The other trend is that there are folks who consistently recommend the exact make and model tractor they own almost regardless of what the OP asks. One has to wonder why that's the case. :confused3:

I think that #2 is a pretty much universal phenomenon when guys ask guys for advice. Cars, trucks, stereos, cameras, motorcycles....all advice trends towards "get what I got" with the unspoken subtext being "because I'm a fooking genius".

#1 is what you get when guys are on best behavior and before anyone else challenges their genius assessment.

And, it would be worse if we were all women but for different reasons.

 

[jenkinsph]

I think Murph gave an example from Michigan Iron. To be fair, Michigan Iron is one of the best Kioti dealers so not every dealer will be that advanced with on line parts lookup or ordering. And, I don't doubt that bigger organizations like JD and Kubota are likely to make these centralized on line resources available faster. From my perspective it doesn't matter much as I have a service manual and can get the Kioti dealer parts guy on the phone pretty quickly.

I asked because YOU were playing down Deere and Kubota support.

I might also add that the list of tractors on Michigan Iron is far from complete, but I still think that is a great effort on their part. Does Kioti have a similar parts online website?

You see I think all of the tractor brands will try to support their equipment. I don't see Deere or Kubota doing anything less as you surmise.

 

[IslandTractor]

I asked because YOU were playing down Deere and Kubota support. I might also add that the list of tractors on Michigan Iron is far from complete, but I still think that is a great effort on their part. Does Kioti have a similar parts online website? You see I think all of the tractor brands will try to support their equipment. I don't see Deere or Kubota doing anything less as you surmise.

I'm well aware that JD and Kubota support their tractors. I guess my point was more that large dealerships (as most JD and Kubota dealerships are) tend to provide that service/support in the dealership.

 

[jenkinsph]

All dealerships promote their shop if they have one. The purpose of the shop is to make a profit and that is a reasonable pursuit. All dealerships promote their parts department too for the same reasons. There are a lot of equipment owners who do their own work, you see them at parts stores and dealer parts counters on an ongoing basis. Large dealers and small dealers all depend on this parts business to support their bottom line. I simply don't see a basis for your assumptions and that is what I keep contesting. A well run tractor dealer will do their best to sell tractors, tractor parts and tractor service, that is how they make a profit.

 

[IslandTractor]

All dealerships promote their shop if they have one. The purpose of the shop is to make a profit and that is a reasonable pursuit. All dealerships promote their parts department too for the same reasons. There are a lot of equipment owners who do their own work, you see them at parts stores and dealer parts counters on an ongoing basis. Large dealers and small dealers all depend on this parts business to support their bottom line. I simply don't see a basis for your assumptions and that is what I keep contesting. A well run tractor dealer will do their best to sell tractors, tractor parts and tractor service, that is how they make a profit.

I understand your point. Not sure you appreciate mine. Here is a case in point:

I was bush hogging in thick brush and noticed that my 4wd was not working. I drove home and called the dealer. Dealer put me on the phone with one of his mechanics and we discussed the problem. He instructed me to get a multimeter and take my cell phone out and crawl under the tractor. He then proceeded to talk me through checking out solenoid function and then worked our way through switches and finally traced wiring until I found that brush had disconnected a push fitting. Reconnected and all was well. Took about 30+ minutes of mechanic time. I thanked him and that was all the dealer got.

I don't doubt there are other dealers who would behave the same way but I also don't doubt that many of the "corporate" dealerships would simply start talking about either a field call or bringing the tractor in for service. I like the kind of dealers, typically smaller, who work with you to solve problems even when there is no income for them involved. I like being able to talk to the owner himself. In a large corporate dealership that just isn't likely to happen when some guy who owns precisely one CUT that you sold him three or four years earlier calls with a problem. Sure, the dealer is there to make a profit and any troubleshooting call from a customer is an opportunity to generate business for the service side. I get that. If the dealer had suggested a service call when I called about my 4wd problem he would have been perfectly justified in doing so. In my case that would have been a logistical nightmare and expensive to do. I don't know that large dealerships where you call in to talk to your salesman would have been as flexible. Can a salesman authorize a mechanic to spend half an hour on the phone discussing a problem and troubleshooting with a remote customer??? I doubt it.

 

[jenkinsph]

I have only had to call in a few times in the last 10 years and just asked to speak to a mechanic and they helped me solve my problems. Both of the dealers I use are part of large multi store chains. Unless a customer is calling frequently and abusing the shop I suspect it is considered part of doing business. In my own business I get a few calls a year from people I don't know needing help and I do what I can to help them. It seems to help me in return these people tend to talk up my business much as you are doing now. It gets back to word of mouth is the best advertising.

 

[94BULLITT]

My real question is how big of a tractor w FEL would I want here... I don't want too big so that I can maneuver in the woods.

What all are you going to be doing in the woods?

 

[GManBart]

I think that #2 is a pretty much universal phenomenon when guys ask guys for advice. Cars, trucks, stereos, cameras, motorcycles....all advice trends towards "get what I got" with the unspoken subtext being "because I'm a fooking genius".

Luckily there are a number of people here who seem to be objective and really try to make informed recommendations that don't normally match up with the equipment they have listed in their profiles, and if it does, they usually have a reason more substantive than "it's the best." Regardless, I think it's probably pretty easy for most folks to spot the difference between the two types of responses.

It'll be interesting to see what the OP eventually decides to go with! Maybe somebody should organize pools on new member tractor purchases and all proceeds get donated to a 4H club or something

 

[ovrszd]

I also think sometimes posters are misinterpreted. For example, I might explain the purchase of my Ford tractor. I might discuss the advantages, features, abilities, etc. That might be interpreted as an attempt on my part to convince someone to buy the Ford. That's not my intent at all. I am simply giving an honest assessment of that particular brand/model. The reader can then use that information with information gathered concerning other brand/models to gain a fair comparison and make a knowledgeable decision.

Where the rub comes is when a poster of another "color" misinterprets my post and immediately goes on the defensive about their color. Then constructive discussion ends and repeated rambling begins. Currently the subject is small versus big dealers.......

 

[IslandTractor]

I also think sometimes posters are misinterpreted. For example, I might explain the purchase of my Ford tractor. I might discuss the advantages, features, abilities, etc. That might be interpreted as an attempt on my part to convince someone to buy the Ford. That's not my intent at all. I am simply giving an honest assessment of that particular brand/model. The reader can then use that information with information gathered concerning other brand/models to gain a fair comparison and make a knowledgeable decision.

Where the rub comes is when a poster of another "color" misinterprets my post and immediately goes on the defensive about their color. Then constructive discussion ends and repeated rambling begins. Currently the subject is small versus big dealers.......

TBN in the early 2000's was all about "color wars" with a focus on pointing out negatives about other tractors. Many folks left because of that. From my point of view that crap has diminished to be point that it is almost notable when someone attacks another tractor brand. I think what has happened is simply that people have come to realize that tractors are basically commodity machines these days with excellent reliability almost regardless of who the manufacturer is. You choose a tractor based on specs and dealer and budget much more than quality considerations. There really are no Yugo tractors. All tractors are essentially Toyota, Mazda, Honda, Kia, Hyundai etc and all are reliable. Guys may boast about their fancy cab or strong loader but I just don't see much knocking of other brands anymore.