I bought a JD based mostly on price and capabilities. Other factors that entered in were prior experience with the brand (model M purchased new in 1950 by my grandad that was the first tractor on my farm and is still going strong), proximity to dealer, and country of manufacture. I was quite suprised to find a new JD which outspeced comparable models from NH and Kubota and was also priced as low as the NH and considerably lower than the Kubota. Many think you pay for green paint alone but I found that to not be true when I actually visited a few dealers, at least at the 43 hp level. I suggest that folks not believe much of what they hear or read, but go find out the truth for themselves. I am very happy with the performance of this tractor, which uses less fuel and gets the work done much faster than the Ford 2000 that it replaced. I also appreciate the durability, with not a single breakdown of any kind after 3 years of hard use. My only trips to the dealer have been to pick up oil filters.
What encourages you to buy a John Deere?
- Thread starter Mark@JD
- Start date
- Views: 15778
I just purchased new JD 4120 for the following reasons.
1) Good reputation, appears to be as high or higher quality than others
2) Long term availability of parts
3) Plenty of dealers
I have owned
Massey Ferguson, decent tractor poor hydraulics
Deutz, great tractor local dealer droped them after Ag industry in our area went to houses, no other dealer nearby.
Case decent tractor, no local dealers.
I have worked as a mechanic years ago on
Long tractors, and was not impressed with their quality.
Kubota tractors, seemed like great tractor, but we had problems getting parts. They had long leadtimes and were very expensive. I admit things could could have changed since then.
Case Tractors, seemed good overall, but no local dealers anymore.
I dont know anything about any of the new brands of tractors, but am hesitant to take the plunge with them after splitting the case on a Long tractor and seeing the lack of quality.
Things I dont like about JD.
Requested product info from website months ago, and have never received.
Requested quotes from website, never recieved them untill after I called the dealers.
Difficulty in getting prices for kits, I dont like having to go through salesman for them instead of parts counter.
Would like to be able to order common items off of the internet and have them shipped directly to me.
However, I am very pleased with my tractor.
1) Good reputation, appears to be as high or higher quality than others
2) Long term availability of parts
3) Plenty of dealers
I have owned
Massey Ferguson, decent tractor poor hydraulics
Deutz, great tractor local dealer droped them after Ag industry in our area went to houses, no other dealer nearby.
Case decent tractor, no local dealers.
I have worked as a mechanic years ago on
Long tractors, and was not impressed with their quality.
Kubota tractors, seemed like great tractor, but we had problems getting parts. They had long leadtimes and were very expensive. I admit things could could have changed since then.
Case Tractors, seemed good overall, but no local dealers anymore.
I dont know anything about any of the new brands of tractors, but am hesitant to take the plunge with them after splitting the case on a Long tractor and seeing the lack of quality.
Things I dont like about JD.
Requested product info from website months ago, and have never received.
Requested quotes from website, never recieved them untill after I called the dealers.
Difficulty in getting prices for kits, I dont like having to go through salesman for them instead of parts counter.
Would like to be able to order common items off of the internet and have them shipped directly to me.
However, I am very pleased with my tractor.
Spudland_Dave
Veteran Member
Being from a farming family I realize the single most important piece of ANY durable good such as equipment....
DEALER Support
That being said, my local dealer REALLY took good care of me when I was fixing up an old F935 I picked up off a golf course....they treated me as if they sold me the machine way back in the day and went above & beyond for everything...example...within the first week (before I had my service manual) I needed some technical info...they graciously pulled a technician and helped me find the correct manual and page and then even photocopied it for me. The tech also gave me some tips & tricks... IMO none of that was "required" on their part....we were talking about a 18 year old tractor they never sold nor serviced. Natually my thought process when shopping for my new machine was, heck if they treated me that good on an old beater, imagine how they'll treat me on a shiny new one! Needless to say, this summer when shopping for a 35-40 HP Cabbed Machine, I got a great deal and was treated VERY good the entire time. Unfortunately since then that dealer has been bought up by a Mega store, so we'll see what happens. I'm not overly fond of the new mega store, but the people inside it are still the same. For now, I'm content with them.
SERIOUSLY Speaking, if the new mega store were to shaft me, I would seriously sell my 3520 Cab (with only 67 hours on it) and go buy a Massey or CaseIH cabbed tractor tomorrow morning because I'm now dealing with that CIH/MF Dealer for ANYTHING non JD Related because they give me the warm & fuzzies...not the cold box store feeling.... Box store already gave me the cold shoulder this summer when I was shopping for Snowblowers...
So back to your question, 2 big factors....the DEALER, and The "Heritage" of Deere, I feel Deere isnt gonna go anywhere so in 15 years when I need filters and other parts for my Deere, Deere will still be there to support it. All that being said, CAT has been around forever too, but I'd NEVER buy a CAT tractor because of the dealer model they choose to use.
DEALER Support
That being said, my local dealer REALLY took good care of me when I was fixing up an old F935 I picked up off a golf course....they treated me as if they sold me the machine way back in the day and went above & beyond for everything...example...within the first week (before I had my service manual) I needed some technical info...they graciously pulled a technician and helped me find the correct manual and page and then even photocopied it for me. The tech also gave me some tips & tricks... IMO none of that was "required" on their part....we were talking about a 18 year old tractor they never sold nor serviced. Natually my thought process when shopping for my new machine was, heck if they treated me that good on an old beater, imagine how they'll treat me on a shiny new one! Needless to say, this summer when shopping for a 35-40 HP Cabbed Machine, I got a great deal and was treated VERY good the entire time. Unfortunately since then that dealer has been bought up by a Mega store, so we'll see what happens. I'm not overly fond of the new mega store, but the people inside it are still the same. For now, I'm content with them.
SERIOUSLY Speaking, if the new mega store were to shaft me, I would seriously sell my 3520 Cab (with only 67 hours on it) and go buy a Massey or CaseIH cabbed tractor tomorrow morning because I'm now dealing with that CIH/MF Dealer for ANYTHING non JD Related because they give me the warm & fuzzies...not the cold box store feeling.... Box store already gave me the cold shoulder this summer when I was shopping for Snowblowers...
So back to your question, 2 big factors....the DEALER, and The "Heritage" of Deere, I feel Deere isnt gonna go anywhere so in 15 years when I need filters and other parts for my Deere, Deere will still be there to support it. All that being said, CAT has been around forever too, but I'd NEVER buy a CAT tractor because of the dealer model they choose to use.
here's an example...just the other day a cousin called me. he lives about 200 miles from atlanta and was having trouble getting a part for a competitor branded combine. they have a warehouse in atlanta and I live about 45 miles from it. the parts were in the warehouse and his local dealer had given him the run around for 4 days. mind you, the parts were just bushings, totaling $54...but they were keeping him down and his soybeans were in desperate need of harvest. long story short, he asked me to pick the parts up and meet him half way with them, of course I didn't hesitate to help. the dealer didn't attempt to take care of him at all. on the flip side I've had JD dealers go out of their way like that to take care of me...making a special trip for a part to get me up and running.
BlackRaptor
Gold Member
Well one big reason is I have always like the Deere product line. it's still an american owned company.
I grew up on John Deere tractors so I have a lot of fond memorys.
Last reason if I have 4 John deere dealers within 35 minutes of my house you just can't go wrong with that kind of support.
And deere is so darn pretty and I have lots of deere shirts and what not so if i switched brands i would have to buy new clothes haha.
I grew up on John Deere tractors so I have a lot of fond memorys.
Last reason if I have 4 John deere dealers within 35 minutes of my house you just can't go wrong with that kind of support.
And deere is so darn pretty and I have lots of deere shirts and what not so if i switched brands i would have to buy new clothes haha.
Slatecreek
Bronze Member
There were a couple of main factors that influenced our decision to purchase John Deere, first being the helpfulness of the dealer. Our salesman was very knowledgeable and the local dealership came with high recommendations. Second was that John Deere seems to hold its value when it comes time to resell. The 2320 has lived up to our expectations, and we have been very satisfied with the whole John Deere experience.
Spudland_Dave
Veteran Member
I think that goes hand in hand with what I said in my prior post...what keeps the value there is a solid company which isnt going anywhere...and a dealer that supports that product.
IMO What seperates the top tier & 2nd tier tractors isnt the build quality, options, or cost, its the Safe & Secure feeling a person gets KNOWING there will be support down the road.
Hey Mark...Wheres my Free Hat for answering this survey?
KML
Gold Member
This is a cut and paste from a post I made to another tractor forum a while back. I think it explain very well why it's green for me. I've since replaced this garden tractor with a 2210 and got $4100 for it on trade.
"Hello all,
I've been reading the forum for a while and wanted to share this. It's a little long.
A few years ago I purchased a new Craftsman GT5000 with a 25HP Kohler and a 48" deck. It was a very enjoyable machine and it handled the hills on the one side of my property well and did a good job mowing. As my property had been neglected for years by the previous owner the little garden tractor found itself being asked to do more and more. When I started plowing a with a Brinly 10" the machine started to show it's limitations. I eventually damaged the steering when I hit a rut pulling the plow. Not the tractors fault, I was using it VERY hard and it just wasn't up to all I asked of it.
I did some research and decided that a 430 would fit my needs. After looking at some really rough tractors I stumbled onto a 1994 455 at the Deere dealer right down the road. It had a 60" deck and the 3PT, the clock was at 915 hours. He wanted $4200 and would give me $1100 for my craftsman!!! I was pleasantly surprised to say the least. Heck they even lent me thier trailer to take it home for a weekend test drive. He wanted to make sure it was what I needed before I decided. It was a joy to use. Just looking at numbers I went "down" 3HP...yah right! that diesel is amazing! I wrote the check and He loaded me up with a free hat, oil filter, transaxle filter and some other odds and ends. He then said if you have any problems give me a call and we'll take care of you.
And then it happened...After about 20 hrs of what I would consider very "normal" use I was back blading gravel and the transaxle locked up tight. The tracor wouldn't budge. My neighbor came over with his 4210 and we picked the back of the tractor up and slowly pulled to my place. I called the dealer and told him what had happened. He said to bring it in. I was worried about how much it was going to cost I had run through the service manual and there were very few inexpensive things that could cause this so I offered to remove the transaxle thinking it would help with the labor costs.
I removed the transaxle and got it to the shop, the mechanic started right into it and it was UGLY. A bearing on the pinion shaft had failed and sent roller bearings through the transaxle. The ring gear, pinion shaft, side gears all had big chunks taken out. Dollar signs were racing through my head, this was going to hurt.....I had installed a rear PTO myself and was thinking they were going to use this to tell me I did it.......
I went out front and talked to the man who sold me the tractor and gave him the autopsy report then asked "how are we going to do this". His reply almost floored me, " We'll take care of it." WHAT! I couldn't believe my ears.."you'll take care of it"? this is a 14 year old used tractor! He said you've only put 20 hours on it, this shouldn't have happened. He and the mechanic agreed that the rear PTO had nothing to do with it. True to his word they replaced everything inside the differential and final drive. Well over a $1K just in parts! They got it finished and back to me in 3 days! It's in the tractor and everything works perfectly!
All I can say is that when I decide to move to a bigger tractor it'll be green and come from his store!!! I don't care if brand X is a cheaper or looks a little better on paper I don't think I would ever find another dealer that would step up to the plate like this!
I'm sorry if this sounds evangelical but it would have been very easy (and reasonable) for him to do much less than this and he didn't!"
"Hello all,
I've been reading the forum for a while and wanted to share this. It's a little long.
A few years ago I purchased a new Craftsman GT5000 with a 25HP Kohler and a 48" deck. It was a very enjoyable machine and it handled the hills on the one side of my property well and did a good job mowing. As my property had been neglected for years by the previous owner the little garden tractor found itself being asked to do more and more. When I started plowing a with a Brinly 10" the machine started to show it's limitations. I eventually damaged the steering when I hit a rut pulling the plow. Not the tractors fault, I was using it VERY hard and it just wasn't up to all I asked of it.
I did some research and decided that a 430 would fit my needs. After looking at some really rough tractors I stumbled onto a 1994 455 at the Deere dealer right down the road. It had a 60" deck and the 3PT, the clock was at 915 hours. He wanted $4200 and would give me $1100 for my craftsman!!! I was pleasantly surprised to say the least. Heck they even lent me thier trailer to take it home for a weekend test drive. He wanted to make sure it was what I needed before I decided. It was a joy to use. Just looking at numbers I went "down" 3HP...yah right! that diesel is amazing! I wrote the check and He loaded me up with a free hat, oil filter, transaxle filter and some other odds and ends. He then said if you have any problems give me a call and we'll take care of you.
And then it happened...After about 20 hrs of what I would consider very "normal" use I was back blading gravel and the transaxle locked up tight. The tracor wouldn't budge. My neighbor came over with his 4210 and we picked the back of the tractor up and slowly pulled to my place. I called the dealer and told him what had happened. He said to bring it in. I was worried about how much it was going to cost I had run through the service manual and there were very few inexpensive things that could cause this so I offered to remove the transaxle thinking it would help with the labor costs.
I removed the transaxle and got it to the shop, the mechanic started right into it and it was UGLY. A bearing on the pinion shaft had failed and sent roller bearings through the transaxle. The ring gear, pinion shaft, side gears all had big chunks taken out. Dollar signs were racing through my head, this was going to hurt.....I had installed a rear PTO myself and was thinking they were going to use this to tell me I did it.......
I went out front and talked to the man who sold me the tractor and gave him the autopsy report then asked "how are we going to do this". His reply almost floored me, " We'll take care of it." WHAT! I couldn't believe my ears.."you'll take care of it"? this is a 14 year old used tractor! He said you've only put 20 hours on it, this shouldn't have happened. He and the mechanic agreed that the rear PTO had nothing to do with it. True to his word they replaced everything inside the differential and final drive. Well over a $1K just in parts! They got it finished and back to me in 3 days! It's in the tractor and everything works perfectly!
All I can say is that when I decide to move to a bigger tractor it'll be green and come from his store!!! I don't care if brand X is a cheaper or looks a little better on paper I don't think I would ever find another dealer that would step up to the plate like this!
I'm sorry if this sounds evangelical but it would have been very easy (and reasonable) for him to do much less than this and he didn't!"
yankeerider
Platinum Member
My first John Deere was a 112 Garden tractor that was 11 years old when I bought it back in 1981. Because of its age, I first went to the dealer to inquire about the availability of parts before I bought the machine. That tractor worked hard for me, proved its ruggedness, and I was always able to get parts I needed. When I decided I needed a bigger machine, it came down to Ford and JD. (I owned a Ford 9N and made frequent use of my FIL's Ford 2000.) I selected the JD 755 for its slightly smaller size and turning radius over the comparative Ford. The Deere dealer worked with me when the steering valve failed on the 755 just out of warranty. Nine hundred fifty operating hours and 18 years later, the 755 has not given me any further trouble. I'm sold on green because of reliability, capability, and service. It's been a bit contagious, because when my wife decided she wanted a gator to replace her golf cart, she wouldn't consider any other brand. She insisted that the HPX be the green and yellow, not that oive drab!
317140
Bronze Member
I have a 73 140 John Deere, a 317 and a 3520. The 317 is on loan out to my brother.Its been gone for 2 years and I think he forget where he got it. When we were growing up Dad was a John Deere Dealer. We did custom work on the farm and used every kind of John Deere Tractor made. The 140 still mows the grass every week with a little help from the 3520. Dad instilled in my brothers and I a work ethic and an appreciation for Quality and Value that has stood the test of time. John Deere is just a better value and a better choice in the long run. I just hope they don't get away from the philosophy that has made them a respected worldwide name. Good value Good Products and Good Dealers.