John Deere Over-Rated?

[Whitey]

WOW!I have only owned JD so I have a one sided opinion..... I am considering a change in color and find this thread interesting. I am going to start a new thread right now

 

[LBrown59]

IMO yes to both questions.

I agree.
It's much the same as the Toyota pick up is better than the Nissan pick up hype.
BTW I have Both Brands and will put the Nissan up as matching the Toyota any day.

 

[Cocre]

One other thing about Green. They have an online parts system that is phenomenal. I have never used it to purchase a thing, but it has detailed assembly drawings, along with part numbers, pricing, and dealer availability of every component on almost everything they have made in the last 25 years or so. It is free and you do not have to own a JD product to use the system, just sign up. Also their technical manuals (PDFs or print) are available at a cost that makes for good bedtime reading and can tell you how to repair just about anything that breaks.

Others may do the same, but I was surprised at how well they provide data for their products. They seem to be light years ahead of the auto industry.

 

[nunyabinis]

Many of the brands make quality products and in reality the prices aren't that different when comparing apples to apples.

The deciding factor for me buying a Deere was AFTER the sale. My experience is that NO ONE does after-sale better than JD. It does me no good if I get a low price on a machine and then have service issues that the dealer can't or more likely doesn't care to solve.


Another thing is that Deere dominates this area. If one dealer gives me grief I can go to three more within easy driving distance. Not so with other brands around here. Also, the Deere dealers around here have been in business it seems FOREVER. Not so some of the other brands. They come. They go. They come. They go.


Would I be "happy" with a New Holland, Kubota, etc...? HECK YES!!! I ain't never met a tractor I didn't like.

 

[Gittyup]

I own several Deere's as well as a several "non Deere's". I'm ANYTHING BUT "color blind". I've noticed MANY of those voicing anti-Deere sentiment have no real evidence or experience to call upon to base their remarks on. Quite simply, it's the old "I own orange/blue/red, so green isn't all it's cracked up to be".

I see NO evidence to say Deere is dramatically BETTER, nor do I see any real evidence to say they're any worse in ANY segment of their product line or consumer product speaking in general terms. They are leaps and bounds above EVERYONE in marketing.

As a whole, most Deere owners tend to over state their devotion to the brand. That's NOT Deere, but I'm quite certain "Mother Deere" doesn't want to discourage that line of thinking. In fact Deere has taken that aspect and ran with it. I suspect this heavily subsidized by the price paid for new equipment too.

Deere sells a quality product. So does several other brands. Where Deere has a leg up on the competition is AFTER the sale. Parts and service.......NO ONE puts as much effort into that end of the business. NO ONE. In THAT regard, they earn their laurals. How MUCH better? Well, that is a very subjective matter indeed.

In general, Deere is also a few steps ahead of the game in product developement and planning for their success in the future markets. They're quite often first, and almost never last to break into new product areas, or with new product developement.

Do they deserve to be "rated" higher than other brands in broad general terms? Probably so. Are they light years ahead of all others in all areas? Probably not. But like 'em or not, there's good reason for their success and the length of that success.

FWJ is right on (as usual). It's the "new" engineered features and inferred promise to stand behind their products years down the road that allow (and cause) Deere to charge what they do. I doubt that they are really making a significantly larger margin than other brands, when all costs are considered.
It's not cheap to maintain inventories of so many machines going back 50 years or more. Yeah, it's painful when that custom cast part costs 4 times what it should. It's equally as painful for JD to buy that inventory and tie up all the money for many many years never knowing if or when you'll sell enough to justify the costs. So, that pricey part costs exactly what it has to cost if you want it when you want it. I suspect the costs are also heavily subsidized by the price of new equipment.

Same for new features. Everyone loves to watch the "feature leader" put forth innovative products. But, they cost a lot of money to design, test, and deploy. For everyone that makes it to the market there are many others that die in the development cycle. And most of what JD puts out is extremely well engineered.

 

[MikeInEburg]

Another thing is that Deere dominates this area. If one dealer gives me grief I can go to three more within easy driving distance. Not so with other brands around here. Also, the Deere dealers around here have been in business it seems FOREVER. Not so some of the other brands. They come. They go. They come. They go.

At least in these parts, there are no longer any "single store" Deere dealers. Word is that the single-store dealers were "highly encouraged" to merge with other locals - or they simply lost the franchise. So, for us, it's a bit more difficult to go to a different dealer down the road...

Aside from that, I think that Deere provides a consistent, high quality product. Although I suspect Harley Davidson leads the way in getting folks to pay for the privilege of wearing advertising, Deere does a mighty fine job of it.

Mike

 

[rustedduck]

When I started looking for my first tractor, JD was in contention.

I then called my brother-in-law, who has been in the tractor repair
business for 30+ years, and asked him for his professional recomendation.
He stated there was only 3 choices i should consider (under 50hp).

1. Kubota
2. Ford
3. All the rest !

Take it for what is worth. I have had no problems with by Bota.

 

[two_bit_score]

Always Liked John Deere, But Is The Name Over-Rated & Over -Priced?

IMO, absolutely not.

 

[tjkadar]

FWJ pretty much summed it up. Its nice when someone does all the hard work for you!

 

[budlite]

I had owned a JD lawn tractor for over twenty years, so when I finally decided I needed a "real" tractor, I talked to a couple of farmers I know, and asked about JD specifically. Both said "That green paint is sure expensive". Nonetheless, that's what I ended up buying. For some folks, I think its the reputation or brand loyalty. Deere has tried, in my opinion, to pattern their marketing along the lines of Harley-Davidson - the "American" brand. (Yeah I know its not really). Like some other posters have said, they have a widespread dealer network and I think that's a comfort factor for some folks. In my case, it just so happened I have a friend with in-laws who operate a small, family-run JD dealership and I got what I thought to be a good deal. About 4K less than the Regional Deere dealer quotes from 3 of their dealerships. Have been a faithful Harley owner, and Chrysler too, but it appears that's about to come to an end.