Deere reliability?

[rockyridgefarm]

I recently purchased my tractor and had some issues with it. Did I make a mistake buying a Deere? I don't think so.

When I was shopping, I went to a number of dealers representing various brands. Here is what I noticed:

The Kubota dealers all had CUTs. They also had a few riding mowers. I didn't see any front mowers, or heavy ag equiment.

My Deere dealer had push mowers, riders of several styles. He had chainsaws, and gators. There were CUTs, Utility tractors, and huge AG machines (complete with satelite guided operation). He had Harvesting and seeding equipment and plenty of forage stuff. He had Deere weedeaters and 15ft batwings, with MXs, LXs and finish mowers of all sizes. I didn't see any skidsteers, but wouldn't be surprised to see them nest to a telehandler and 110TLB.

While we were there, my friend picked up parts for his 1954 Deere, with help from friendly, knowledgable parts girls, who handle parts for all that stuff.

We talked to their techs who handle all that stuff, all from John Deere.

My salesman handles all that range.

So, if there is a little issue setting up my CUT, and many problems can be traced back to dealer prep, then I understand. I know my product pretty well; but it is hard to imagine supporting that deep of product mix. And I was pretty explicit that my needs came behind the farmers that were depending on them, for their livelyhood.

 

[varmint]

This has proved interesting, but I don't think we've really learned anything? But then, maybe it was a dead-end orange vs' green issue that I should have foreseen. From my personal experience, with both Kubota and Deere products, limited but growing, this seems to be like most everything else: there's good and bad to be said about all aspects of the whole mess. Perhaps what would be worthwhile would be for the moderators to conduct a broad survey, where owners could respond to what tractors they have, and whether they've had problems... The survey would have to ask the right questions to be useful- that'd be the hard part. The concept of going with brand that is represented by a dealer you like could be important. Then again...

 

[F350Lawman]

I think this is one of those no win situations. It reminds me of the political accusations that the more you deny, the more you raise the publics suspicion. Now the original issue may have been bogus but once you respond it now has legs. The harder you fight the more guilty it makes you.

I don't think that this was the original intent of the poster but you're right this is where it goes. Some people like orange and they will say their more reliable and otheres like green and will say the opposite. Both sides are equally convinced they're right, after all that's why they bought orange or green. Not likely to see someone post about what a knucklehead they were buying the wrong color /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Sort of reminds me of something I once saw in a movie the therapist asks "how much alcohol do you drink a day?" if the answer is:

(1) 15 drinks
the response is-"gee, you're an alcoholic"

(2) I don't drink
the response is-"gee, you're in denial and obviously an alcoholic"


YOU CAN"T WIN

 

[bigpete]

LOL...kinda' like the old comedian's line about being asked in court how often he beats his spouse and his dog.

 

[Bird]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( "how much alcohol do you drink a day?" )</font>

I never knew how doctors determine whether you drink too much until recently when my own doctor told me. True story. He said a guy who drinks too much is a guy who drinks more than his doctor does. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[5030]

I am reall glad we live in America, here, as long as you have the proper amount of money and good credit, you can buy ANY BRAND YOU WANT . As far as I am concerned, they are all good. I just happen to like Kubota's better, but this is America, so we are entitled to our personal opinion. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

 

[CountryBoy]

:grin
LOL

 

[Whiskey]

Bird:

I'll drink to that....... /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Whiskey

 

[rockyridgefarm]

That's right, 5030! Real glad to hear you got your A/C fixed- are you gonna help me with mine?

Actually, its been real nice, here... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[glennmac]

This post is only for Varmint. The rest of you please avert your eyes.

Varmint, you ask a simple question about reliability and request opinions. Having read tractor forums for almost four years and having spent a significant amount of time in tractor service bays, here are my opinions:

1. People here try hard to be diplomatic. The site has grown so large there is now almost a PC culture.

2. People are naturally defensive about the brand of tractor in which they have invested their time, money and psyche.

3. There are no available public data about the reliability of different brands. Monitoring tractor forum complaints is probably the best metric possible--along with talking to service people who work on multiple brands.

4. There were significant problems reported with the first two years of the JD 4X00 series. The 790 seemed relatively problem free.

5. My impression is overwhelmingly consistent with yours: far fewer problems have been reported by Kubota owners on these forums than any other brand in the four years I have been reading them.

6. My continuing opinion, which I cannot prove, is that, on average, Kubota's compact (and now subcompact) tractors have been, for at least the past 10 years, significantly more reliable and problem free than JD's.