Color Changes

[3Lfarms]

Contact LS corporate and they will put you in touch with their area manager. Talk to him about which dealer meets your needs. It will probably take a couple days, but if you tell them you are going to buy a tractor (but haven’t committed to a brand) and aren’t just a tire kicker, they will talk to you.

 

[hks003]

Color Change makes sense to me. I went from John Deere to Kubota partly to save money.... and did so in spite of the weird orange color. Saved a lot of $$, too. About ten years went by before I realized that in spite of the color, I had come home with a machine at least as good, and probably better.

I don't recall ever seeing a JD dealer or a Kubota dealer here in the western US that sells anything else than their brand. Maybe they will carry some other brand implements, but not other tractors. There probably are some; I just don't know of them.
rScotty

I don't know this for sure, but I've heard that those two brands specifically have a high involvement from corporate and don't allow many dealers to sell brands other than theirs anymore. They used to, but not in recent years.

 

[Jim Nelson]

In our area the original Kubota dealer started out selling mainly construction tractors,Massey,New Holland,JCB,etc.. He then started selling Kubota and was amazed at how soon they caught on. He later sold to a dealer who bought several dealers in the general area and dropped the heavier construction grade stuff.At our local store they only carried Kubota and New Holland compacts and recently dropped the N.H. line.

The J.D. dealer was a general ag. center that carried a full line of the small J.D. equipment from lawn mowers and weed eaters to the cuts. About 6 or 8 years ago J.D. pulled their franchise but they are still in business, just no tractors. I'm not sure how far you would have to go to buy a J.D. tractor now.

 

[Tennsawdust]

One of the tractors I am considering is a LS MT125. The local dealer has handled the line for at least five years.

I wasn't considering Kioti, since the long time (over 20 years) local dealer died and nobody here over the last couple of year had picked up the line. Well, lo and behold, the LS dealer now is also the new Kioti dealer. That has me a little concerned. Seems to me, the two lines are direct competitors to each other and maybe the LS line gets dropped.

Should this be something to be concerned about?

We have a local dealer who has been selling both Kioti and LS on the same lot for several years. He has added Yanmar of late. It doesn't seem to be an issue. Some people like Kioti better. Some LS. The dealer has no preference as long as he gets a sale.

 

[k0ua]

My Kioti dealer (5 paw dealer, and has many of them on the lot) also has a bunch of New Hollands on the lot. They were New Holland long before they were Kioti. They seem to be successful in both lines with multiple locations around the region. I wouldn't be concerned that they have two lines to sell.

 

[3gunr]

The kubota dealers here sell other brands as well and have for many years.