Unpopular HST?

rtimgray · Nov 12, 2003

I visited the local Kubota dealer yesterday while looking for a groundskeeping tractor for the plant. The dealer has had Kubota in his line for 13 years (and it is the only tractor line he carries) and he had about 35 units on his lot. The mix was two B-series, 5 M-series and the rest were the Lxx30 series.

What struck me as odd is that almost all of them had the DT transmission (as the dealer called it). I think he had two HST tractors on the lot. I asked him if that we because he sold out of HST tractors quickly or what, and he said that the HST were nice but not very good sellers for them. He said they probably sold the standard transmission 10 to 1 versus the HST, so they just didn't stock very many. He also said that they had only sold a total of one or two of the powershift-style transmissions, and those had to be ordered strictly at the request of customers - he said they would never carry them on their lot - not that there was anything wrong with them or that they had any problems, they just didn't carry them.

From most of the posts that I have seen on this board, particularly regarding Kubotas, the HST seems to be the overwhelmingly popular choice. I thought that I had read posts where dealers couldn't keep the HSTs on their lot - maybe this place is just an oddball. Not what I expected to find at a dealer (i.e. lots of DT sales, few HST sales).

And I thought that the Lxx30 series were very nice tractors, no matter what type transmission they had.

Boondox · Nov 12, 2003

Just out of curiousity, what sort of area do you live in? The reason I'm asking is the DT has more PTO HP and is sometimes more popular in rural farming areas where every bit of HP matters.

Having driven both, I vastly prefer the hydrostat.

Pete

chim · Nov 12, 2003

It must be an area-related thing like Pete says. When I bought my B7500 about a year and a half ago, there was what appeared to be a used tractor with something like 3 hours on it. The paint / decals were faded, but there were no signs of wear, no dents, etc. When I asked the dealer about it, he told me it was a "gear tractor". He said it was sitting there on the outdoor lot so long it just looked older. He also said he was thinking about putting a backhoe on it in the hopes of sparking some interest to get rid of it. The HST's outsell others by a huge margin here in this part of PA...........................chim

higgy · Nov 12, 2003

Here in Idaho if you are buying a small tractor ie lxx30 the HST sells more but the shuttle shift is not that far behind. In larger tractors its a toss up as to the drive system.

just my 0.02

Richard · Nov 12, 2003

Having been is sales before, it might also be simply, it doesn't sell much because they dont have them.

In my opinion, people tend to buy that which they see. I use to run a plumbing department for a lumber yard. The store was THE smallest store in that district. I jazzed up the vanity isles with custom order Kohler lavatories & faucets, fancy cabinets from Omega cabinets...

When I took over the department it was dead last in special order Kohler sales and when I left, it was number one. The ONLY reason for that change in my view, was the product was THERE for people to compare and make up their own minds.

I'd bet if the dealer had 50% HST units on the lot, their sales OF hst would pick up dramatically.

"If you build it they will come..." if you stock it, they will buy it!

(not to discount the other ideas about local conditions etc..)

Richard

Bird · Nov 12, 2003

Richard, as you said, there may be many reasons why the geared tractors outsell the HST in a particular location, but I agree with your theory and suspect that's the most likely scenario. Good point.

jcollins · Nov 12, 2003

We are a dealer in Texas and the HST is by far the best selling transmission on both the NH and Kubota side.

TresCrows · Nov 12, 2003

It may well be that industrial users prefer geat transmissions. They are generally very conservative, no frills buyers. Like another said, it may also be because the dealer is ignorant of HST and does not stock them and therefore cannot sell what he does not have. The dealer I bought from had a good mix, the smaller the tractor the more liely it was HST on his lot. The dealer downtown is mostly into industrial sales and they do seem to carry mostly large units with geat tramsmissions and then oddly, flocks of BX units, which are of course HST. J

DavidJ · Nov 13, 2003

I've been reading this and I'll just pass along what my salesman told me when I bought my HST.

They have 2 dealerships about 60 miles apart and he said that they very seldom sell HST units at the place where I bought mine, but sold several at the other location.

One is located in the center of farm country and the other close to a larger city. Also the dealership where I bought mine sells 10 times as much large ag equipment as anything associated with CUT's.