Comparison The Bitterness of Poor Quality Remains Long After the Sweetness of Low Price is Forgotten

[IndyJay]

I never considered JD when I bought either of my tractors. Next time I buy one, I still won't.

My local JD dealer saved me from a regretful purchase when he charged me over $1,000 to replace the plastic HST fan, three belts and blades for my JD 394x riding mower. He apparently priced the labor for each part separately as if that was all they were doing. That was right before I expanded my tractor search beyond green and wound up with the "other" orange tractor.

 

[oosik]

The ONLY thing I've ever made payments on - our new house when we moved to Anchorage. We sold that house in '82 and with the profits we built our new house here that same year. Our house here is a PanAbode cedar timber home. I bought the Taco Wagon, brand new, with cash. Friend say I have the patience of Jobe. But monthly payments go against every fibre in my body.

 

[MinnesotaMorg]

I never considered JD when I bought either of my tractors. Next time I buy one, I still won't.

I think you should. If nothing else to make sure you're still making the correct choice as the consumer. I guess maybe you're boycotting JD because of right to repair then I get it.

 

[artf]

Buy Once, Cry Once! (author unknown, but frequently quoted in equipment & firearms choices)

Bought 2 JDs, never again. 11 months down for backordered parts, test equipment, etc. on a 49Hp tractor. British threaded bolts at $8.00 for a 50 cent SAE bolt?

I'll cry once again when I buy the new Kubota, but have no worries.

 

[5030]

I never considered JD when I bought either of my tractors. Next time I buy one, I still won't.

Your money, your choice.

 

[stso9d]

I like that advice and also... "be careful of what you wish for (cheap), as you may just get it." When you go shopping for any tractor, vehicle or attachment or even tools, you find out very quickly how good was your buy. If you see a issue with the new ones on the lot, that gives you a good clue as to what to expect once you get it off the lot. So you need to do your homework before you buy, and quickly weed out the bad ones from the good, and its not that hard if you truly look IMHO.

Quality and dependability are always key to satisfaction in a product, service and dealer support are the next thing you have to go over, and the engineering and manufacturing also need to looked at as you can find it can cause problems that remain even if the part is replaced.

So if you are comparing tractors, and one is 10 percent lower, what good does it do if you have to take it the dealer every few weeks, or many times a year. The few dollars you save is not worth the aggravation and time waiting for a working tractor or leaving your product rotting in the field for others.

So lets get all the marketing and sales pitches out of the way and get to the hard facts...

No matter what people claim, one fact remains, and that is the John Deere tractor is the best selling in the US and IMHO, the most valued, so thats where you start your search...

You cannot deny that and thats why you must use it as the standard, to compare all the other brands, and rank them accordingly. Its one of those things, the standard is set by the lead dog, and the others follow....

Never a truer

I like that advice and also... "be careful of what you wish for (cheap), as you may just get it." When you go shopping for any tractor, vehicle or attachment or even tools, you find out very quickly how good was your buy. If you see a issue with the new ones on the lot, that gives you a good clue as to what to expect once you get it off the lot. So you need to do your homework before you buy, and quickly weed out the bad ones from the good, and its not that hard if you truly look IMHO.

Quality and dependability are always key to satisfaction in a product, service and dealer support are the next thing you have to go over, and the engineering and manufacturing also need to looked at as you can find it can cause problems that remain even if the part is replaced.

So if you are comparing tractors, and one is 10 percent lower, what good does it do if you have to take it the dealer every few weeks, or many times a year. The few dollars you save is not worth the aggravation and time waiting for a working tractor or leaving your product rotting in the field for others.

So lets get all the marketing and sales pitches out of the way and get to the hard facts...

No matter what people claim, one fact remains, and that is the John Deere tractor is the best selling in the US and IMHO, the most valued, so thats where you start your search...

You cannot deny that and thats why you must use it as the standard, to compare all the other brands, and rank them accordingly. Its one of those things, the standard is set by the lead dog, and the others follow....

never a truer maxim…

I like that advice and also... "be careful of what you wish for (cheap), as you may just get it." When you go shopping for any tractor, vehicle or attachment or even tools, you find out very quickly how good was your buy. If you see a issue with the new ones on the lot, that gives you a good clue as to what to expect once you get it off the lot. So you need to do your homework before you buy, and quickly weed out the bad ones from the good, and its not that hard if you truly look IMHO.

Quality and dependability are always key to satisfaction in a product, service and dealer support are the next thing you have to go over, and the engineering and manufacturing also need to looked at as you can find it can cause problems that remain even if the part is replaced.

So if you are comparing tractors, and one is 10 percent lower, what good does it do if you have to take it the dealer every few weeks, or many times a year. The few dollars you save is not worth the aggravation and time waiting for a working tractor or leaving your product rotting in the field for others.

So lets get all the marketing and sales pitches out of the way and get to the hard facts...

No matter what people claim, one fact remains, and that is the John Deere tractor is the best selling in the US and IMHO, the most valued, so thats where you start your search...

You cannot deny that and thats why you must use it as the standard, to compare all the other brands, and rank them accordingly. Its one of those things, the standard is set by the lead dog, and the others follow....

never a truer saying…

 

[RSR]

This thread has been wildly entertaining to read. I feel as if it should have been titled, "An ode to P.T. Barnum, or, there is a sucker born every minute."

Research has repeatedly shown that "price" is a poor indicator of "quality" or "value". From golf balls, to cars, to wine, to food, to health care. However, it is also well-established that most US consumers DO equate price with quality (strongly evidenced by many posts in this thread). In fact, common business strategies seek to exploit this naivety by artificially inflating prices to suggest higher quality to the buyer. And guess what? It works!

The most effective strategy is to take a logical and measured approach to your buying decision. Certainly, there are factors like availability of parts, close access to dealers, etc. that make John Deere an attractive option, and may warrant the higher price in some situations. Certainly, this may be more likely in large ag applications. But, to make a blanket statement that an appropriate approach to making a financial decision is to assume that the most expensive option is the best option is the epitome of naivety. P.T. Barnum would be proud.

 

[Jstpssng]

I got it...
I thought he was talking about me!

I knew what he meant as well. Dodge Man was obviously thinking of me when he posted it though.

 

[Jstpssng]

it is also well-established that most US consumers DO equate price with quality (strongly evidenced by many posts in this thread).

Part of that is the reputation. The last time I was tractor shopping I needed something quickly, as I'd kept my old 275 too long, and something broke every time I tried to use it.
I leaned toward Kubota as we've had good luck with them over the years; my father bought his first of half a dozen or more in 1977.
It also was the first time that I didn't have him to bounce ideas off from, so I went with a company which I am familiar with and have had good luck.

I looked at others including a 3038 JD but it was too small and light for what I need. I looked at Massey but there was a clause in the warranty voiding it if I used my 3pth BH; no matter what the issue was. (I no longer use it on the Kubota either, but...)
I considered a Kioti but didn't know much about them yet they were priced the same as a Kubota. I found a couple of Fords in nice shape but they wanted close to the price of new for them. I looked at Mahindra-briefly- but they just didn't look like something I'd want to trust.

 

[Cougsfan]

One thing that throws a fly into the ointment here is that the best quality and value are not always the case with the highest priced items. I know a lot of people (many on this forum) who automatically assume if something is more expensive, it must be better. That is definitely true quite often, but if you blindly use that as a manner of choosing what to buy, you could be paying a lot for a false sense of security. Often the more expensive item perceived as having higher quality has similar quality as a competitive but lower priced item, but the company has spent a lot more effort into marketing to create the perception of better quality. I feel John Deere falls in that category. John Deere makes decent CUT tractors, but are they tractors of a higher quality that justifies their higher cost? Not from my observations.