Lot more blue than green?

JJJackson · Mar 1, 2004

It seems that in this area, rural central Alabama, the brands of choice seem to be based on three things, dealership, type of operation and size of operation. The larger farms are almost all green but that is who the local dealer for the last 30 years has been trying to sell. The medium and small farmers seem to be mostly blue but we have a dealer that is also a 30+ year dealer with a good rep. Until last year our closest MF dealer was 75 miles away and the new dealer we now have here only is trying to sell gov. and consumer under 40hp. We are getting a lot of poultry operations and there is starting to be a lot of orange showing up on these operations because the 9000 series seems to be made to work in poultry houses. I own 2 blue tractors myself and the reason is the dealer and that is what I grew up with. But I am also in the poultry business and I just bought a new tractor to use in my operation. I wanted blue but they just do not make a tractor that fit my needs so I checked out the orange and had decided to buy a 9000 low profile and I liked the dealer, then I decided to check what green had and for the money and features I bought a JD 6220 low profile because it fit my needs and the dealers are becoming more small farmer friendly. As for as lawn and garden type tractors I see a lot of different brands but blue and green are dominant with some MF red starting to show up because of agressive advertising by the new dealer. I have always been blue loyal but the new blues are just not the same, just my thoughts. I do know in my case buying green was a hard decision to make, because the NH dealer has been a personal friend for 30 years, but I am now happy I bought a JD it fits my needs.

choreboy · Mar 1, 2004

Rockyridge,
You interpreted the gist of my question well, but it was not intended as a "green slap "
You wrote: Blue =good--- Green= bad"

I did not intend that meaning. But maybe you nailed it by suggesting that many green owners buy and keep forever.

I think deep down I had originally intended to buy a used green tractor.....and went looking for it. During the search
( still in progress btw..) I made the observation stated in the original "more blue than green " which I posted and many followed up on....

Someday soon there'll be a tractor in the pole barn, honest....
/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

rockyridgefarm · Mar 1, 2004

I was exaggerating my point by saying good vs. bad.

There are a lot of great machines on the market. Some have strengths in different areas. Some are good just because they are cheap. Seems there is a market for all.

MessickFarmEqu · Mar 3, 2004

As a dealer, I have been to a few sales training seminsars New Holland's numbers for the compact market show Kubota with a strong lead followed by Deere and NH in a near tie. (I think, its been awhile). I am a Kubota dealer and feel that have a great product thats priced competitivly. New Holland would be a better market share if the company would work out their problems. I am biased, but I don't think Deere has much going for them. We all know that in the end the dealer is the most important factor. That concerns me when it comes to all the gray market and lesser brands. The distributioin system is just not there for parts and implements.

Bob_In_MN · Mar 3, 2004

Messick,

I agree that Kubota makes a nice tractor. The guy down the road has 7500--nice machine.

Just curious though--what is it that makes you feel "John Deere doesn't have much going for them"?

Bob

Old_Hickory · Mar 3, 2004

( Just curious though--what is it that makes you feel "John Deere doesn't have much going for them"? )

He is a salesman and he sells New Hollands and Kubotas,that is why he says that.

Bob_In_MN · Mar 3, 2004

I'm a salesman too--not tractors, but it makes no difference.

Been through a ton of sales training courses and most have a simple message. Never knock the competition, especially if the person you are speaking with owns one of the competition's models.

Essentially the rule of thumb about putting down the competition exists because of the following thought process:

Deere doesn't have anything going for them. Bob bought a Deere. Therefore--Bob doesn't have anything going for himself.

I'm using Messicks words not to pick on him, but to make my point. People really do think the way I just described.

Bob

thcri · Mar 3, 2004

( I'm a salesman too--not tractors, but it makes no difference.

Been through a ton of sales training courses and most have a simple message. Never knock the competition, especially if the person you are speaking with owns one of the competition's models.

Essentially the rule of thumb about putting down the competition exists because of the following thought process:

Deere doesn't have anything going for them. Bob bought a Deere. Therefore--Bob doesn't have anything going for himself.

I'm using Messicks words not to pick on him, but to make my point. People really do think the way I just described.

Bob

)

Yeah, I am not a sales person, but I do have about six sales persons working for me and that is one thing I never allow them to do is knock the competition. If you can't say what you have then don't say it. I originally was going to buy an orange tractor and orange only. The sales person just sat there and bad mouthed New Holland. He did not tell me one thing about his orange tractor at all. So on the way home I just had to check out the blue ones. Well I ended up with New Holland. Please I am not knocking the orange tractor at all, only the sales person that I dealt with. I would have bought orange no matter what the price was but I was just turned off.

As far as Deere not having anything going for them. They didn't get to be the number one in sub-compacts for nothing. They have something going for them and yes at times they have constantly have competition going after them and they may fall back some (never behind) but they typically will gain all lost ground back fast.

Ok I rambled way too much.

murph

Tractors4u · Mar 3, 2004

As for Mr. Messick's comments, you can take them with a grain of salt as the old saying goes. He has been down in the John Deere forum stirring things up. He bashes Deere for claiming to be made in America yet he mis-states where New Holland gets there engines from. Then he comes back and says he can't keep up with New Holland any more than he can Deere. Supposedly he works at a New Holland dealership. I would think a dealer would know where his engines come from.

DavesTractor · Mar 4, 2004

( I took a 3 hour drive to visit Dave's Tractors in Red Bluff. Dave knows how to treat a customer. He spent about 2 hours with me letting me drive anything I wanted and explaining in detail the adv/disadv of each make. He even let met loose with a backhoe in his orchard. At least he said it was his. )

Richard, I'd recommend coming back in a couple of weeks and I'll let you try out a flail mower in the orchard for a couple of hours. Then perhaps a tiller in the garden for a while. I might just get this place whipped into shape with all this free manpower. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Rat, give us a few weeks and we'll have our new building up. They poured the second section of slab (71 yards) today. One more smaller section is planned on Friday and they will build the loading dock next week. A crew starts standing the steel at the end of next week. Our current facilities are humble at best, so we bought the orchard next to us so we can expand. We plan to put in some test areas for tractors. An area to dig, drill post holes, level gravel humps, try out the loader, etc. What do you think about that idea?