Hmmmmm.... Hadn't heard that. Next time I'm at the Kubota dealer I'll check one out and report my findings. If the powertrain is built by another company it'll be stamped into the casting somewhere.
The real trick for this industry is figuring out what the market will want when the baby boomers are gone. there is a huge population of americans settling on semi-rural plots- people that grew up with gardens, animals, relatives in farming; these people want a touch of that, and the compact tractor lets them be an estate owner etc. but what is next? will the kids that grew up in the MTV 1980s yearn for 10 acres and a tractor? we may see a glut of 200 hr kubotas in 10 years as estate auctions run rampant....the CUT parade is at it's peak, and many have missed the profitable portion of the show. That is how business is....I will be interested to see who wins the next round.....
Considering this remark is from 12/2004, I think spm22's lucid thought about the looming demographic cliff was very forward-thinking as some 39% of boomers hope to retire into a small-town or rural setting. What wasn't considered was that the boomers will also leave behind the largest wealth transfer in human history. Case in point fully 1/3rd of the real estate on my lake is already sitting in trusts. So long as the trusts remain funded, the kids will be able to participate in their parents legacies.
Yep. I believe the general population growth will fill some of the vacuum us baby boomers will leave as we die off. So might not that much of a gap. Might even bring the purchase cost of these vacated estates down a bit. Will be interesting for you "young" guys to be a part of and hopefully cash in on whatever shift happens.![]()
In a low interest potentially deflationary era, I am wary of the demographic slump from 2018 to 2032 as the boomers draw agains their retirement savings and downsize. My generation has heard about this concern since I was 18 years old when Rose Perot first campaigned highlighting the demographic problem on the horizon.