In front of my local TSC, there are a bunch of "new" tractors that are "proudly assembled in Indiana", clearly from Chinese parts. I have to tell you, THOSE THINGS are CHEAP JUNK. Cheaply made, cheaply put together, and it shows.
Larry's original assertion that Kubota tractors have market share because they are "the cheapest on the market" could/would/should have been said much differently. They are, oftentimes, the least expensive of the "major manufacturers" in a point-for-point price comparison. That may be for a variety of reasons and, I concede, some use of less expensive components. Take the fender breaking as an example. Or the air filter bracket we're always whining about.
The rub is that most everyone here PROBABLY would have taken Mr. Larry's statement VERY differently if he stated it similar to the above. I think he actually said as much later, but the lid had been blown off by then.
In reality though, nearly everyone here would have made the same statement in a more sentitive way. And, I'm sorry to say, that the whole thing came from a dealer, probably made the comment that much more rude.
That said, I understand exactly what Larry was trying to say. And I don't necessarilly disagree with him. But dude! Have some tact! Know your audience before you get up in arms about the reaction then say even more awful things to defend your actions.
To be honest, none of us are paid to be here. We poke around here for the fun of it. Somebody comes down and spoils the fun...then what the heck are we here for? To listen to someone tell us that we bought our tractors SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY ARE A LITTLE LESS EXPENSIVE and not because we are intelligent humans, men, or purchasers with a preference in equipment?
Maybe dealers do get unfair scrutiny. Because we expect a little more professionalism from that community.
