Have you ever sold a tractor due to no dealer support?

[CoyPatton]

Have you ever sold or traded a tractor due to no dealer support? Meaning out of practicality. Not out of frustration or anything else.

Six years ago, we bought a brand new John Deere locally. Specifically went that route so that I could drive to get parts same day if something broke. And there are some repairs I'd be afraid to tackle, so wanted a local dealer for that.

Here's the timeline starting after the purchase (which we are very pleased with the purchase and we love the tractor).

1) Went to pick up extra keys for the tractor, just to have them around. Dealer handed me two keys and I thought I'd test the keys before putting them with my other spares. The keys didn't fit. No problem, the dealer swapped them out the next day.
But if I hadn't checked, I could have been in a bad spot thinking I had extra keys when I didn't.

2) The U-joint on the John Deere (Frontier) brush cutter gave out. I'd like to keep mowing so I call the dealer to see about picking up a U-joint.

"I have several in stock. $950"
"No, thank you. I just need the U-joint. Not the whole shaft."
"It doesn't come that way. We only sell the whole shaft with both ends. $950"
"I have the schematic and part number. I'll bring it in."

I brought in the part number and he found the U joint in stock. But ONLY because I brought the part number to him.

3) The kids called to report a hydraulic hose started leaking. I told them to take it off and carry it into the dealer for a new one. I forgot about this because they had it under control. A week later I find a Kubota (gasp!) box in my truck. Why is a Kubota box in my truck?

"Because the John Deere dealer said they don't stock hydraulic hoses. They told us Kubota makes hydraulic hoses and we should take it (the John Deere hose) to Kubota because they could make a hose in one hour."

They were right, by the way. Kubota made them the hose on the spot.

Sooooooo. . . .

We're not mad or upset in any way. This has been a great tractor and these are small parts that are expected to wear out over time. But I'm worried that if I really need something done that I cannot do, the dealer won't be able to do it either.

To put a finer point on it-- This tractor is running great. But we are thinking of trading it for another brand NOW, so if it breaks later we won't be stuck with a tractor that nobody can fix.

What do you all think?

As I always tell people that are shopping for fairly new tractors, they need to shop the dealer more than the brand. Specifically shop the dealership parts department and service department. These are the areas you will be working with long term.
The hydro hose does not surprise me. The equipment is expensive and trying to get that up and going when there is a well know good source is a lot of work.
The PTO shaft says someone is lazy to me.
Is there another Deere dealer around?
Personally it is late in the game to shop the dealer, but if you moved or bought from an individual you would be shopping the dealership after purchase possibly.
As for work done 6+ years later is there an independent mechanic that could do the work in your area?
Tough call that only you can decide.

 

[CoyPatton]

One more point... my machines vary in age... 1985, 1989, 1996, 2004, & 2015. Eleven years is current to Deere.

Agreed with today’s internet (although I do want to support a local business, if the business supports me) Deere parts for a 6 year old tractor should be available for years and years.
Where I currently live the Deere dealer is very good at supporting large equipment—but lacking in the SCUT and CUT market. They sell very few and kerp very little in stock. They can get the parts fairly quickly according to friends who have 1025’s.

 

[CliffordK]

My largest issue with John Deere is what they have done with denying owners the right to service their own equipment. My second largest issue is what the green paint costs. I bought a new McCormick 115 hp cab tractor with what I considered superior features for $11,000 less than a comparably equipped 100hp JD. When I asked the JD dealer why I should give him $11k more than for the McCormick the only answer he had was that it would be worth more when I traded or sold it. Needless to say, that wasn't enough of an answer and I enjoyed that McCormick for many years. I retired a couple of years ago still smiling with that $11k in my bank account.

I'm not sure of the full cost of your tractors. But, no doubt that $11K green bump will also depreciate.

So 20 years down the line, in many cases the resell value of both tractors will be closer together than that $11K difference. So you'll still lose money.

Hopefully a salesperson can name more benefits such as driving, handling, service, electronics, longevity and service intervals, etc. There may even be benefits of one-stop shopping, so tractors and equipment would go through the same dealers and service companies.

"Right to Repair" sounds like a growing issue related to new equipment.

 

[CliffordK]

Working on a JD5205, the instrument cluster (fuel, temp, hourmeter and tach) do not work. A replacement cluster is listed at $790.20 (RE232256). The customer wont pay that much (cant blame them) but it will end up costing him almost that much for me to plug in analog guages.

And a good stick is mighty cheap and makes a very accurate fuel gauge.

The old analog gauges are quite tolerant to abuse like getting them wet.

 

[Lastkidpicked]

I just have to point out, how do you know a different brand dealer would be any better? And I don't think the problems you have brought up would make me consider switching.

Thanks to the advice on here, we decided to keep the tractor.

Yesterday we needed to remove the radiator to blow it out and clean it. Digging into the machine, we were amazed how well designed and simple the tractor is. It was actually a pleasure to work on it.

 

[cathy liebchen]

We have 3 Kubota dealers within a 35 mile radius so it is an easy choice for us

 

[stephanadams]

Have you ever sold or traded a tractor due to no dealer support? Meaning out of practicality. Not out of frustration or anything else.
Showbox jiofi.local.html tplinklogin
Six years ago, we bought a brand new John Deere locally. Specifically went that route so that I could drive to get parts same day if something broke. And there are some repairs I'd be afraid to tackle, so wanted a local dealer for that.

Here's the timeline starting after the purchase (which we are very pleased with the purchase and we love the tractor).

1) Went to pick up extra keys for the tractor, just to have them around. Dealer handed me two keys and I thought I'd test the keys before putting them with my other spares. The keys didn't fit. No problem, the dealer swapped them out the next day.
But if I hadn't checked, I could have been in a bad spot thinking I had extra keys when I didn't.

2) The U-joint on the John Deere (Frontier) brush cutter gave out. I'd like to keep mowing so I call the dealer to see about picking up a U-joint.

"I have several in stock. $950"
"No, thank you. I just need the U-joint. Not the whole shaft."
"It doesn't come that way. We only sell the whole shaft with both ends. $950"
"I have the schematic and part number. I'll bring it in."

I brought in the part number and he found the U joint in stock. But ONLY because I brought the part number to him.

3) The kids called to report a hydraulic hose started leaking. I told them to take it off and carry it into the dealer for a new one. I forgot about this because they had it under control. A week later I find a Kubota (gasp!) box in my truck. Why is a Kubota box in my truck?

"Because the John Deere dealer said they don't stock hydraulic hoses. They told us Kubota makes hydraulic hoses and we should take it (the John Deere hose) to Kubota because they could make a hose in one hour."

They were right, by the way. Kubota made them the hose on the spot.

Sooooooo. . . .

We're not mad or upset in any way. This has been a great tractor and these are small parts that are expected to wear out over time. But I'm worried that if I really need something done that I cannot do, the dealer won't be able to do it either.

To put a finer point on it-- This tractor is running great. But we are thinking of trading it for another brand NOW, so if it breaks later we won't be stuck with a tractor that nobody can fix.

What do you all think?

This includes everything from mattresses, appliances, tractors, and cars.

 

[dodge man]

I believe the John Deere issue with you not being able to work on your tractor is dead. JD backed away from it. They never really said you couldn’t work on it but it was more the software and interface they were trying to lockdown.

 

[Dftodd]

I believe the John Deere issue with you not being able to work on your tractor is dead. JD backed away from it. They never really said you couldn’t work on it but it was more the software and interface they were trying to lockdown.

That's pretty much every dealer out there. Proprietary software which you can gain access to. Pay the licensing fees and take a course to learn how to navigate the site.

Give me a code list and I can handle the bulk of the repairs on my equipment.

The majority of codes are self clearing once the fault is fixed. The exception is emissions related. Injectors as well def/ dpf systems.

 

[jigs_n_fixtures]

From my place it is two or two and a half hour, 120 or 150-miles to any kind of dealer. But in my small remote town, there is a shop which specializes in fixing tractors, of any brand. And now, one who specializes in hydraulics.

The u-joints on the drive shaft between the engine and transmission failed. I had to cover the cost of the labor, and TYM warrantied the new parts, because they hadn’t put anything in their service manual on maintaining those joints. They covered the cost with the local guy, because of the distance to any dealers.

While dealer support can be important factor in buying a new tractor, in some cases having components which are commonly used in a range of equipment is important. Me engine is a Mitsubishi used by a host of manufacturers, including Cat and Bobcat. I can buy complete rebuild kits for it on ebay for around $1000. Hoses I can get made locally. In general I can fix 90% of what might go wrong on my tractor, and there are local shops which can handle what I can’t. Particularly since I have the parts and service manuals if they need them.