Tractor Owner Enthusiasm

[/pine]

Not trying to kick a hornets nest...but it seems that owners of off brand tractors (anything other than the top three) seem more enthusiastic about their machines or are they just looking for moral support ??

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

I’ve noticed everyone seems to be a fan boy of their chosen brand… to a fault

 

[repete]

I had not noticed it myself but will look a little more in the future. If it is so, I suspect they are looking for information that is not easily searchable hence more "first time" questions.

 

[scaredychicken]

I like tractors, and I have ...

by retail choice, the orange
by used deal, the green, and then the yellow
by vintage, the white and red

I think everyone (me included) tries to justify their purchases, or the expenses, and gather moral support (supporting the notion that they made a good, or at least reasonable, purchase)

It might even come down to buyers remorse, or my favourite ... the Sunk Cost Fallacy (go for broke, over committed already)

The sunk cost effect is manifested in a greater tendency to continue an endeavor once an investment in money, effort, or time has been made. Evidence is presented that the psychological justification for this behavior is predicated on the desire not to appear wasteful.
,
Nobody wants to acknowledge a poor purchase decision ... cars, tractors, whatever, so they carry on. For me quality, track record,
features win over cost. I have bought some high quality lemons (used VOLVO dl sedan lasted only 6 weeks), sometimes things just break. Sometimes you get what you pay for.

Cognitive Dissonance may also be a factor ... According to this theory, when two actions or ideas are not psychologically consistent with each other, people do all in their power to change them until they become consistent. The discomfort is triggered by the person's belief clashing with new information perceived, wherein the individual tries to find a way to resolve the contradiction to reduce their discomfort.

full disclosure - I have a psychology degree that pops up occasionally, I hate typing, so I steal from Google LOL
I have been victim to all of these dilemmas, not currently though.

 

[Oaktree]

I’ve noticed everyone seems to be a fan boy of their chosen brand… to a fault

To an extent, certainly Kubota owners seem this way. JD owners seem quick to crab about company policies.
Personally, I'm brand agnostic, have a Kioti now, it replaced a JD. Both were/are good tractors, only traded the JD because I wanted something bigger.

 

[tshep]

I normally could care less, I inherited a Kubota.
I am impressed that - I have yet to be told "NO PARTS, at any price" for anything except common bolts, washers, nuts gone to open stock (and spec'd).
My model has hit 20 years.
I have been turned down on car parts after only 5 or 6 years, if model changed (exhaust, brake lines for instance).

 

[Torvy]

I’ve noticed everyone seems to be a fan boy of their chosen brand… to a fault

This. Say something about JD or Kubota being overpriced and a bevy of their fans will descend like locusts in the 1850s Great Plains. The same can be said of most brands. The caveat being those who have had problems with the brand. Users, at least, bear no responsibility for tractor failures. They only fail due to poor engineering or workmanship. Little known fact...only machinery to experience this phenomenon.

 

[scaredychicken]

The biggest problem with most machinery issues can be found directly behind the steering wheel.



I should say that one of the biggest choices that I made, was not the Brand and Colour, but rather the Dealership, and Proximity... ie. I'm lazy, and convenience played a roll.

I bought Kubota (new in 2018) - dealership was great, I know the dealership owners, 45 min away (so, pretty local). Deere probably would have won me over in some ways (very comparable), but I did not know the dealerships at all, and the 2 JD Dealerships are both 2 -2.5 hrs away. More difficult for service. Kioti was a close option ...
I have a John Deere 12 hp ride-on mower, old, reliable, and has a KAWASAKI engine ... tough for me to part with
The Jacobsen is mostly sentimental vintage
The Cub Cadet zero-turn was an opportunistic deal that I could not pass up

 

[Torvy]

The biggest problem with most machinery issues can be found directly behind the steering wheel.

In the computer world we called it a short between the chair and the keyboard.

 

[/pine]

IMO...The biggest fear the lessor brand owners face is consolidation and their brand getting bought out by a bigger fish...

It's inevitable and sooner or later it happens in every industry...unfortunately it is the economy that sometimes forces the scenario...

When it happens there are two basic ways it can go...the bigger fish simply removes the lessor brand from the market and sells off all the assets they can't convert...this can leave owners in a lurch...
...or the acquiring co. can inventory existing parts stock and offer support for however long...neither scenario is ideal...