IMHO THIS TRACTOR PUTS JD TO SHAME!

[dieselscout80]

One other thing to keep in mind at least around here and that is, 99% of the commercial farmers here are all running JD equipment and are 'married' to JD so they won't be purchasing anything else, anyway. Never seen a Fendt here and probably won't either. No way with the nearest Fendt dealer being so far away that any of them would even consider buying one or leasing one for that matter. JD actually has 3 dealers within 50 miles of us. 99% of everything here is green and I expect that won't change no matter how good the warranty is. All has to do with dealer location and parts and service availability. Keep in mind that all new tractors are T4 final and ECM controlled, consequently, for most issues other than very routine maintenance, dealer intervention will be required.

I think buying what your local dealer has makes the most sense especially when downtime means maybe the loss of a planting or harvest time/opportunity.

 

[deserteagle71]

Just checked for Fendt dealers near me. Nearest one is ~ 250 miles...and has NO tractors in stock.

 

[wolc123]

Just checked for Fendt dealers near me. Nearest one is ~ 250 miles...and has NO tractors in stock.

There’s probably a bunch of them stranded in Baltimore.

 

[Hay Dude]

The closest Fendt dealer to me is over 130 miles away so they are a no sale for me. Besides, I'm not looking for a new tractor anyway. If I was, it would not be them, but by the same token, not a JD either.

A guy making 100 round bales with a 90HP kubota doesn’t need a Fendt.

 

[Hay Dude]

There’s probably a bunch of them stranded in Baltimore.

I remember thinking Agriteer was lucky they got their shipment before the attack on the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

 

[MapleLeafFarmer]

the first 25 post have said it all... very nice, great quality, fantastic to use, popular on other side of world, etc...

The one thing not yet said is downtime.... JD and Kubota have the shortest commercial downtime ratings in our area (probably in N.A.). Both dealers around me deliver parts 24 hours a day / 7 days a week right to a GPS location in a field.

Unless a competitor can beat these downtime numbers and quick service/parts commercial users (us guys that require our equipment to make a living) will never consider changing as we only have limited windows to make our work and need our equipment up and running. Downtime can be wickedly expensive.

other than the odd Hutterite colony, in our area not too many of us have good / used 1/4 million dollar tractors standing by in case primary equipment breaks.

But I sure wouldn't be ashamed to own one if the luxury of parts and service was a non issue.

 

[jyoutz]

No thank you, lol; I don't have a quarter mil to drop on a house, a used tractor of that price is just a painful tease.

A quarter million house is a fixer upper in many locations.

 

[ultrarunner]

All my cousins that farm or forestry have Fendt…

Fendt tractors go back to 1930 and during war years it sold gasification tractors that used wood fuel.

The family was well know for clock tower clocks.

Some of the cousins have very old yet very dependable Fendts and I believe Fendt is still the market leader in Western Europe.

Steyr is the Austrian competitor and Steyr is the Mercedes of tractors as Steyr makes the Mercedes G wagon and is also Arms maker.

Every little mountain farm's first tractor was a single cylinder diesel hand crank back in the 1940’s.

That said small Kubota tractors are making inroads.

 

[Agvg]

Just checked for Fendt dealers near me. Nearest one is ~ 250 miles...and has NO tractors in stock.

Most Fendt tractors are tailor made to the customers, here in Europe most all tractors are built specifically for the use and wishes of the buyer. The same with cars, most dealers only have a few demo cars, you order the car as you want it. They might have a few "std" cars premade for order located at a storage but it takes time to get them to.

 

[Agvg]

Ever bother to look underneath your 'Sprinter' van? Look hard because there is no frame. They are all welded together Unibody construction so don't get in an accident with it because the repair costs are astronomical. How do I know? I know because the outfit I retired from had a pai of them for parts delivery and one got in a wreck and because they also had a repair shop they decided to repair it themselves and it turned into a nightmare cutting it apart and welding it back together and I got to watch and it was ugly.

European vans haven't had a frame for many decades, it makes no sense for this type of vehicle.

Do believe the last MB van with a frame was the Vario