Most domestic content question

[canoetrpr]

I have to agree with everything Patrick has said so far.

My Kubota L3400 LA463 FEL is built in Georgia. The rest of it is made in Japan and I have no clue where the steel for those components is sourced from.

I recently drove a JD3520. The loader had a Made In China stamped on it and I know that the engine was a Yanmar made in Japan.

So far my Kubota might be coming out higher in domestic content between the two on engine and loader alone.

I know that the bota frame axle's were made in Japan but again don't know where the steel came from. Anyone know where the axle and the frame were made for the JD 3x20 machines?

I have to admit that I was turned off by the Made in China on the JD loader but I do recognise that as bias rather than a legitimate concern about quality. After all JD didn't get to where they are by sourcing junk!

The JD 4x20 machine engine is made in Mexico I believe. Next time I go to a JD dealer I will take a look to see where the loader and frame/axle is made. Would not suprise me if it came out relatively higher in domestic content compared to its competition.

 

[Mickey_Fx]

I also have to agree with Patrick's comments especially about China. I've been to China a number of times and have visited/toured numerous companies. Have found companies that range from builders of junk to world class. The problem we have as comsumers is trying to find out is, what kind of company the item we're about to buy or just looking at came from. Doesn't help when what we're looking at is one of those items where numerous companies are building product from the same design and all we can usually see are the labels and color or paint.

 

[TrippleT]

I would say that most of them are built to the specs of the company. That is to say, that if it is John Deere, New Holland, it will be built to their specifications. And, will be supported for a certain period of time with parts and etc.
What is a shame, is that the country that put men on the moon seeks outside the US to get a product made that can be sold here.
Figure that. I don't think it takes a rocket scientist to reach a conclusion there.

 

[patrick_g]

A few years back (5-6) when my tractor (Kubota) was new, I was given to believe that it was built entirely in Japan. I would have been happy to buy a comparable US built tractor but I couldn't find one. I don't think any of the compacts are US made.

I bought my Dodge thinking it was built in the USA like my Ford (Kansas) and found a few months later it was Hecho en Mexico (can you say naieve?) Hey, my excuse is that I don't shop and buy a lot of vehicles. My previous truck was an '84 Ford and prior to that a '64 Ford.

Customer satisfaction hinges on several attributes, not just price. If there were US built tractors in the range of interest to me that could at least compete a little with foreign tractors in overall customer satisfaction I would have paid more to get one but there were no options along those lines.

When not driving one of our three pickups I drive our Prius which is PURE BRED Japanese. It has no equal and no serious competition in its niche. Consumers Reports shows it to have been voted #1 for 4 years straight in customer satisfaction including price, performance, utility, economy, and on and on with some high dollar luxury BMW behind it in the #2 slot.

If there were an American car that even was serious competition and didn't cost toooo much more I would be driving that instead. I really prefer buying American but will not accept massively higher prices for goods of lesser quality that are not competitive.

If any of the above is no longer true, please straighten me out, the entire marketplace is dynamically changing and I don't track it all that closely.

Pat

 

[RobJ]

I would say that most of them are built to the specs of the company.

I would agree.

I would say they are 100%...us steel. But probably cast somewhere else. China does not have the steel to maintain their growth.

Years ago I'd say the bigger tractors are more US made, probably not anymore.

 

[N80]

I disagree with those who are encouraging us to 'just answer the question.' Even if there is a concrete source for that info, which apparently there is not, there is still no reason why we can't ask 'why are you asking?' The question itself is a loaded one, some clarification would benefit the asker.

The reason for the question can shape the nature of a valid response. Not having the reason for the question leads to off topic comments that may or may not be helpful/appropriate.

If the OP cannot or will not or doesn't want to tell us why he wants to know, then he may get less useful info and more useless info.

Wanting to know purely where the raw materials come from is different from wondering who makes the money which is different from wondering who is the most patriotic. Knowing what he actually wants to know will be to his benefit.

 

[RobJ]

I disagree with those who are encouraging us to 'just answer the question.' Even if there is a concrete source for that info, which apparently there is not, there is still no reason why we can't ask 'why are you asking?' The question itself is a loaded one, some clarification would benefit the asker.

The reason for the question can shape the nature of a valid response. Not having the reason for the question leads to off topic comments that may or may not be helpful/appropriate.

If the OP cannot or will not or doesn't want to tell us why he wants to know, then he may get less useful info and more useless info.

Wanting to know purely where the raw materials come from is different from wondering who makes the money which is different from wondering who is the most patriotic. Knowing what he actually wants to know will be to his benefit.

But there are a whole bunch of "just because" questions asked here everyday. speculations, etc. Reminds me of this thing I read when I was a kid, "Sometimes I sit and think, sometimes I just sit".

 

[patrick_g]

Clearly we have been asked how high is up and how long is a roll of string and now we are off to the races once again like the 3 blind men and the elephant with each of us touching a different part of the beast. The OP asked an OPEN ENDED question to which closure will not be found in this forum until and unless the question is refined.

Meanwhile we will exercise free speech on related topics thought to be sufficiently similar until the next target of interest comes along to distract us.

Note the OP's clarification:

"I want to know where, because I always gauge initial qaulity by where something was made (among other factors)."

I think given this quote that an alert observer has sufficient information to put all the rest of the discussion into perspective.

Pat

 

[N80]

Reminds me of this thing I read when I was a kid, "Sometimes I sit and think, sometimes I just sit".

My wife once asked me what I think about while I'm hunting and sitting in the woods all those hours. I told her I didn't think about anything, which constituted the primary appeal of the hours of hunting in the first place!

 

[N80]

Clearly we have been asked how high is up and how long is a roll of string and now we are off to the races once again like the 3 blind men and the elephant with each of us touching a different part of the beast. The OP asked an OPEN ENDED question to which closure will not be found in this forum until and unless the question is refined.

Meanwhile we will exercise free speech on related topics thought to be sufficiently similar until the next target of interest comes along to distract us.

Note the OP's clarification:

"I want to know where, because I always gauge initial qaulity by where something was made (among other factors)."

I think given this quote that an alert observer has sufficient information to put all the rest of the discussion into perspective.

Pat

Amen.