Why is Massy Ferguson not a bigger deal?

   / Why is Massy Ferguson not a bigger deal? #11  
I agree with this. But in my area, either their focus is changing or local dealers are out of step. My tractor budget was $50K +/- for a Kubota L6060 tractor. Cash in hand. The response I got from Kubota dealer(s) was pitiful and I sometimes felt I was an interruption to their business by walking in and asking about a tractor purchase. I spent a lot of time in the showroom or lot waiting for someone to acknowledge me. I developed a sense the dealers sell more than they can get from Kubota. My next guess is they have begun steering their purchases toward ag or commercial customers that will come back for lots of add-on goodies and regular service in their shop. That is not me-- I am just a lowly one-unit residential customer who (gasp) does my own oil changes.

To clarify, all the other brands were visibly wanting my business, at multiple dealerships. Kubota wasn't. At multiple dealerships. So all I can do is guess.

The above was my experience with both Kubota and JD. I couldn't get any of the local Kubota or JD dealers off the dime to do anything with a compact tractor. I was recently at a local farm show and happened to be talking to a Kubota Regional Rep. He asked me why I didn't own Kubota compact tractor. I said that I couldn't get either of the two dealers, relatively local to me, to even discuss a tractor or talk a deal. On three or four different days, I spent several hours each day trying to get some assistance. He asked which dealerships had I visited. I told him. He said, sadly, you are not the first person that has told me about your negative experiences at those dealerships. We're really trying to do something about that. I guess that those dealerships are selling all the compact tractors that they want?

Also, spoke to an Eastern Massey Rep. According to him, Massey had one of their best sales years for compact tractors ever in 2017. He also said that AGCO is going to get more aggressive with their local advertising campaigns. I know that they don't give much advertising money to my local dealer and expect him to go it on their own.

I've had several issues with my last MF1754 as I've noted in several of my posts.. However, with some assistance from a forum member, stormcom (thanks again for your help), I've been able to make some progress with the tractor. I was able to get in touch with a Massey rep. that gave me some ideas on things to try with my tractor. Knock on wood, so far, so good! For the money, IMHO, Massey compacts are a good value compact tractor for the money! However, anything that is a good value for the money is useless if it is not working!
 
   / Why is Massy Ferguson not a bigger deal? #12  
Why isn't Your Father's Oldsmobile a bigger deal?
 
   / Why is Massy Ferguson not a bigger deal? #13  
I see less and less in my country. Years ago, they were #2 behind ford in my area. I never hear any complaints from owners. They look to be well built. Am I missing something?

Greetings Messmaker,

You ask a very legitimate question - but I want to highlight something of your own statement: "they were #2 behind ford in my area". So how big is "ford tractors" now ???

Jeff made a very good point in his post - which I'd like to elaborate on. Massey - in the old days made biiiiiiiig equipment. Farmers in many areas had hundreds and hundreds of acres and the quantities of farmers in states like Minnesota and Wisconsin were huge. Now back in the early 1980s something changed about farming - and we saw massive auctions in the mid 80's as many family farms were lost to major financial breakdowns of the systems that borrowed to them. Where once a 1000 acre farm stood - 500 acres of used farm equipment would get auctioned . . . and then do it again.

Kubota never had to deal with that issue - but Massey did as did numerous others that have names in history books but not on today's dealer signs.

And then again the farm equipment business for dealers was doing well in the 2000s until what ??? - 2010/2011 - when suddenly dealers couldn't sell big equipment and the only ones to keep their doors open and their sales force even seeing people were selling small cuts and scuts that they'd previously laughed at having.

You see dealers and salespeople "can" tend to get lazy. Easy fast sales on 100,000+ dollar units is intoxicating versus selling 10,000 to 25,000 dollar units. Farmers weren't buying big implements either because they had no money for it and exports were way down in price per.

I don't know about other parts of the U.S. - but in the upper midwest like Wisconsin - 2013 saw AGCO go to many dealers who used AGCO products - but not Massey - and said - "if you don't represent at least some Massey tractor product by 2014 - you don't get any AGCO company activity. And we saw numerous dealers suddenly carrying the GC products in later 2014 along with their Kubota or some other brands.

Now here is a true but funny story. I had been into a local dealer like that in early 2015. They had two GC's sitting outside and a long time salesman for them knew less about the product and the accessories and options - than I did. In fact, we sat at his desk with his computer on in front of him and I asked about XXXX and he couldn't even find that option. I asked abo0ut XXX and he couldn't even give me a price on that option. What he wanted was to sell me what he knew which wasn't about GC product. So later I went to the dealer I ended up buying from - and they were selling GC's quickly and they were looking for a GC1705 to sell and I suggested to the sales guy they contact XXX dealer because they had one sitting outside for 9 months already - and they did and the unit was transferred. But then when they tried to get the other unit from that dealer - that dealer wouldn't part with it because they couldn't understand how my dealer was selling them so quickly LOL.

The point I'd make is - dealers had very comfortable businesses in the 70's but very tough businesses in the 80s and then it got better again in the mid 90s till the 2010 (???) time frame. During those hard time - many farms became 1 big farm instead. and consumption of big equipment dropped considerably because they didn't have lots of individual buyers.

AGCO (Massey) was slow to adapt to all the changes as the owner's changed hands. Meanwhile Kubota has either perfect timing or perfect luck or both because they created a marketplace that previously didn't really exist - and the retiring baby boomer generations fueled it.

Like everything else - there is ever more competition today on a world market basis and dealers that can adapt are doing OK and some dealers are struggling (even John Deere franchises). And one of the biggest problems that exists - is most of this newer equipment doesn't wear out - and smaller lower cost tractor product can do more than ever.

I think if you look on a national basis - you'll see MAssey is doing pretty well as a product group - but when you read on TBN - you can understand new users think they need to buy a product 10 minutes from their location. I dont' think its a correct concept - but that is what many often suggest to them. I know we have in Western WI a fair number of implement dealers - but had I not been willing to drive 115 miles - I wouldn't be nearly as happy as I am. Right product - good dealer - acceptable pricing - good backup - in that priority order for me.
 
   / Why is Massy Ferguson not a bigger deal? #14  
I'll simply state why I'm not in the market for a Massey Ferguson. The issue is that I don't know where they're built. They're a conglomeration of parts from all over the world with an American name slapped on them. My research tells me they have Iseki engines, or maybe the entire tractors are built by Iseki, I don't know for sure, with Chinese loaders, and an American name.

I believe they're good quality and represent a good value. If I can't buy American, then I like to buy Japanese. Massey is partly or mostly made in Japan, I don't know, but I'd prefer to buy a Kubota or a Yanmar because I can point to it and honestly say that it's a Kubota or Yanmar, made in Japan. I can't do that with Massey.

Tractorable, the Massey fels and backhoes are built in the U.S. and "the buckets" for those units come from China. The tractors like the GC1700s and the 1526 have their engines and tractors (other than fels and back hoes) made by Iseki in Japan. Iseki has been around longer than Kubota as I understand it. The larger Massey models like the 1700s and bigger have other name Japanese engines in them and the same American company makes the fels and backhoes for those. Don't know about the much larger equipment.
 
   / Why is Massy Ferguson not a bigger deal? #15  
AGCO=the MTD of farm equipment!
 
   / Why is Massy Ferguson not a bigger deal? #16  
   / Why is Massy Ferguson not a bigger deal? #17  
Last year I was in the market for a ~35HP CUT, and I checked with many brands.
I contacted MF via their main website, and a very nice person at a central sales communicated with me and repeatedly tried to get the "local" MF - about 30-35mi away - to call me, or email me, or send a raven - whatever - but they never did.
Needless to say, I didn't buy a MF, though it was definitely in the running on paper.
 
   / Why is Massy Ferguson not a bigger deal? #18  
Last year I was in the market for a ~35HP CUT, and I checked with many brands.
I contacted MF via their main website, and a very nice person at a central sales communicated with me and repeatedly tried to get the "local" MF - about 30-35mi away - to call me, or email me, or send a raven - whatever - but they never did.
Needless to say, I didn't buy a MF, though it was definitely in the running on paper.
That is part of their problem; attempting to contact through their website brings you to a central clearing house, rather than directly to the local dealer. The deal breaker for me though, was when I read that using my 3 pth backhoe would void the warrantee. I could understand things which are backhoe related, but not completely throwing it out as they implied. (Kubota dealers tell me that it isn't necessary.)
 
   / Why is Massy Ferguson not a bigger deal? #19  
I have an MF dealer in my town as well as one of the nation's top ten in a town about 20 miles away. They seem to be doing very well in the sub 60 hp market. Neither of these dealers carries big Ag tractors even though MF is AGCOs flagship band in the US.

As I understand it from the dealer Iseki makes all the MFs under 60 hp and the larger tractors are made in their Jackson, MN plant as well as the Challenger brand tractors. Iseki is part of AGCO which also includes the Valtra, Fendt, Allis-Chalmers, White, Olliver, Minneapolis-Moline, Hesston, and I am sure a few more.
 
   / Why is Massy Ferguson not a bigger deal? #20  
Don’t hope MF CUT’s gain too much market share. They will end up being priced like the JD and Kubota’s. My dealer sells Kunitz and Agco I went with the MF because the same size Kunitz was about five thousand more.
 

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