Value Proposition: What Makes Your Brand Of Tractor Better Than The Others?

   / Value Proposition: What Makes Your Brand Of Tractor Better Than The Others? #81  
I tried to buy a Deere, but the local dealer simply didn't want my business - and they own all the JD locations in 100 miles of here. The Kioti dealer was and is fantastic - and other dealers locally spoke highly of them. They treat me like I'm a valued customer.

I don't make a living from my tractor, but I use it to maintain some rather challenging land. There are seven or eight dealers of a variety of brands local to me, in the southern San Joaquin Valley of California. Lots of agriculture here. At least three of the dealers (Deere, Kubota, and Kioti) have been here over 60 years. The Kioti dealer is third generation family-owned, with three locations, and sells Massey Ferguson as well as Kioti. The owner even offered to deliver both the models I was considering to my home and let me try them out for a weekend - said he's just add them to his rental fleet when I was done with them - AT NO CHARGE, no strings attached.

I had a hydraulic leak that needed immediate attention, so I trailered the tractor down to the service department. The service manager asked what the issue was, and went out to see the tractor. Ran back and grabbed a couple of wrenches and a can of cleaner, and fixed it right there on the trailer. Hasn't leaked a drop since. Again, no charge. Acted like he was happy to be able to get me fixed up quickly and right back to work. Hard to beat that kind of service.

I'm just a one-new-tractor-in-a-lifetime customer. And a low-dollar one, at that. They have big farming and dairy customers who buy multiple big tractors. Yet every person at the dealership treats me like I matter just as much as the guy who spends six figures with them. If my tractor got stolen tomorrow, I'd be calling this dealer for a replacement.
 
   / Value Proposition: What Makes Your Brand Of Tractor Better Than The Others?
  • Thread Starter
#82  
All else being equal, if I can do something that helps an American keep their job, especially at a company founded in America and run by American people, I like doing that, at least as long as that remains an option. I'm sure many others do too, and not just the ones too stupid to know any better.
I am of the same mind but as you will hear many here say John Deere makes no effort to earn it. Almost everyone here that has experience with Deere and their dealers has a story about walking into a dealer and not being given the time of day. I personally find that a problem. Some of these well established American companies have become arrogant and lost their respect and appreciation for who their customers are.
I tried to buy a Deere, but the local dealer simply didn't want my business - and they own all the JD locations in 100 miles of here. The Kioti dealer was and is fantastic - and other dealers locally spoke highly of them. They treat me like I'm a valued customer.
Case in point.
 
   / Value Proposition: What Makes Your Brand Of Tractor Better Than The Others?
  • Thread Starter
#83  
The Kioti dealer is third generation family-owned, with three locations, and sells Massey Ferguson as well as Kioti.
How far is the Kioti dealer from you?
The owner even offered to deliver both the models I was considering to my home and let me try them out for a weekend - said he's just add them to his rental fleet when I was done with them - AT NO CHARGE, no strings attached.
How important was that to your decision to purchase the tractor you have now?
I had a hydraulic leak that needed immediate attention, so I trailered the tractor down to the service department. The service manager asked what the issue was, and went out to see the tractor. Ran back and grabbed a couple of wrenches and a can of cleaner, and fixed it right there on the trailer. Hasn't leaked a drop since. Again, no charge. Acted like he was happy to be able to get me fixed up quickly and right back to work. Hard to beat that kind of service.
Agreed and that's the way it should be.
 
   / Value Proposition: What Makes Your Brand Of Tractor Better Than The Others?
  • Thread Starter
#84  
I am sharing this video as it is relevant to this thread. However, Neil's statement, "Kubota is run by the engineers and not by the sales and marketing arm" deserves an explanation.

 
   / Value Proposition: What Makes Your Brand Of Tractor Better Than The Others? #85  
Difficult to answer unless experience includes a wide variety of brands...

I grew up around the car business and drove a different car every day and really had a lot of exposure...

As for dealers if you didn't like one chances are another one in the same city with more in neighboring... not quite the same with tractors I learned.

Currently own Deere, Kubota, Farmall, Ford, Caterpillar and each has strong points...

As for dealers no one treats me better than Caterpillar and I am a nobody...

i can't say Deere treated me bad other than to say I could not get the time of day even after traveling only to learn I would need to order sight unseen.

Ford and Kubota about in the middle... exceptional service at one Kubota and the worst at another... and the reason given I did not buy my BX from them so they were not going to sell me a tiller... OK.

I guess I lucked out on my BX23 as it has been great and done much more than I could have imagined...

The folks at Deere Yellow have been very good too...
 
   / Value Proposition: What Makes Your Brand Of Tractor Better Than The Others? #86  
The decision to go with the Kioti was very much influenced by the dealer. Lots of manufacturers produced a 30-35hp CUT with a manual transmission. The Mahindra "dealer" was a finance company - sold utility trailers and Mahindra tractors. Used an independent repair service. Only stocked HST models, and was unable to source a manual transmission model for me. As a relative newbie to tractors, did not give me much confidence. The Kubota dealer had high prices, but had a rental return 25hp with 700+ hours that would be about the price of a new Kioti 34hp. The LS dealer at the time had a rented lot with a banner on the fence, no service facility, and looked ready to close forever without notice. The Case dealer had a single tractor in the size I was looking for, two years old, with 80+ demo hours on it, priced at full current retail. He did, however, tell me his family had a Kioti for over 20 trouble-free years, and that the dealer was a really good guy.

I really wanted a dealer that was truly in the tractor business, with real parts and service departments, and within two hours driving time - although I was considering driving 500 miles to Dave's in Redding to buy a Branson. Fortunately, the local Kioti dealer checked all the boxes and more. He had half a dozen of the model I wanted out on long-term rental, and promised me the first one back in would be mine. Two days later, called me to tell me all the renters were buying the rentals, but he'd found a brand-new one at the distributor that another dealer had on hold, called the other dealer, and gotten them to release their hold, and it was on a truck headed to us - AT THE SAME PRICE AS THE RENTAL RETURN.

I live about 25 miles from the dealer, San Joaquin tractor. I drive past the Deere and the Kubota dealers to get there. The LS dealer is gone. The Case dealer moved to a new location, still doesn't stock CUTs. The Kioti dealer continues to sell every Kioti he can get, still acts like an old friend, and still makes time to talk with me when I stop by or call.
 
   / Value Proposition: What Makes Your Brand Of Tractor Better Than The Others?
  • Thread Starter
#87  
The decision to go with the Kioti was very much influenced by the dealer. Lots of manufacturers produced a 30-35hp CUT with a manual transmission. The Mahindra "dealer" was a finance company - sold utility trailers and Mahindra tractors. Used an independent repair service. Only stocked HST models, and was unable to source a manual transmission model for me. As a relative newbie to tractors, did not give me much confidence. The Kubota dealer had high prices, but had a rental return 25hp with 700+ hours that would be about the price of a new Kioti 34hp. The LS dealer at the time had a rented lot with a banner on the fence, no service facility, and looked ready to close forever without notice. The Case dealer had a single tractor in the size I was looking for, two years old, with 80+ demo hours on it, priced at full current retail. He did, however, tell me his family had a Kioti for over 20 trouble-free years, and that the dealer was a really good guy.

I really wanted a dealer that was truly in the tractor business, with real parts and service departments, and within two hours driving time - although I was considering driving 500 miles to Dave's in Redding to buy a Branson. Fortunately, the local Kioti dealer checked all the boxes and more. He had half a dozen of the model I wanted out on long-term rental, and promised me the first one back in would be mine. Two days later, called me to tell me all the renters were buying the rentals, but he'd found a brand-new one at the distributor that another dealer had on hold, called the other dealer, and gotten them to release their hold, and it was on a truck headed to us - AT THE SAME PRICE AS THE RENTAL RETURN.

I live about 25 miles from the dealer, San Joaquin tractor. I drive past the Deere and the Kubota dealers to get there. The LS dealer is gone. The Case dealer moved to a new location, still doesn't stock CUTs. The Kioti dealer continues to sell every Kioti he can get, still acts like an old friend, and still makes time to talk with me when I stop by or call.
I'm glad you had such a good experience and I appreciate the detailed feedback.
 
   / Value Proposition: What Makes Your Brand Of Tractor Better Than The Others? #88  
Difficult to answer unless experience includes a wide variety of brands...

I grew up around the car business and drove a different car every day and really had a lot of exposure...

As for dealers if you didn't like one chances are another one in the same city with more in neighboring... not quite the same with tractors I learned.

Currently own Deere, Kubota, Farmall, Ford, Caterpillar and each has strong points...

As for dealers no one treats me better than Caterpillar and I am a nobody...

i can't say Deere treated me bad other than to say I could not get the time of day even after traveling only to learn I would need to order sight unseen.

Ford and Kubota about in the middle... exceptional service at one Kubota and the worst at another... and the reason given I did not buy my BX from them so they were not going to sell me a tiller... OK.

I guess I lucked out on my BX23 as it has been great and done much more than I could have imagined...

The folks at Deere Yellow have been very good too...
I agree. The folks at Deere Yellow are a whole different group than Deere Green.
The Yellow Deere dealer greets me when I come in. The service manager listens, decides on his own to make some phone calls to see if an attachment (Amulet thumb - JD doesn't even sell them) will work with my 310SG to save me some money over JD's thumb... and assigns a tech to talk to me about a engine temperature problem that I cannot seem to track down.
That is the only yellow JD I own and it didn't even come from them.
I can only assume they treat everyone like that.
rScotty
 
 
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