We still use our 1954 Allis-Chalmers tractor. It's no Hoyt-Clagwell, but it gets the job done. ;)
Posted on 01/09/2023 7:32:53 AM PST by Chode
Tractor maker John Deere has agreed to give its US customers the right to fix their own equipment.
Previously, farmers were only allowed to use authorised parts and service facilities rather than cheaper independent repair options.
Deere and Co. is one of the world's largest makers farming equipment.
(Excerpt) Read more at msn.com ...
Solution — don’t buy John Deere.
Nothing runs like a Deere.....................
All the other tractor manufacturers now do what John Deere does. Unless you want to buy a Chinese or Belorussian tractor
I would not buy something I can’t do at least some of my own fixes to.
So you are saying this case will force ‘em all to allow self service ?
So, previously, you only rented a John Deere, correct? Pretty un-American what Deere had done to US Farmers. Sure, the big corporate farmers could survive, but the small independents got hosed, unless they avoided ever buying a Deere in the first place.
“Nothing runs like a Deere”
Nothing like running away from a Deere
We still use our 1954 Allis-Chalmers tractor. It's no Hoyt-Clagwell, but it gets the job done. ;)
I was saying you can't avoid John Deere's policy by buying another brand.
“Nothing runs like a Deere.....................”
And nothing smells like a john.
I know everyone is wondering if there’s a song about John Deere tractors.
Well, there is. Here’s the chorus from the country song “Way Out Here”.
We won’t take a dime if we ain’t earned it
When it comes to weight brother we pull our own
If it’s our backwoods way of livin’ you’re concerned with
You can leave us alone
We’re about John Wayne, Johnny Cash and John Deere
Way out here
What stops Deere from pricing their service manuals more than the tractor itself. Evil begets evil.
I’m not sure of this, so I’m just asking.
The tractors I understand, a number of different manufacturers make tractors of all sizes and power.
Do other manufacturers make the addons that Deere offers like combines, balers, etc...
A modern combine is using the same computerized systems the tractors are using.
One reason it might be easy to switch manufacturers is the cost, these massive tractors and combines cost a small fortune.
The other reason might be location, many of these large farms that require large tractors and combines are located in very rural areas where John Deere is the only dealer around for miles.
John Deere makes some fine equipment. But forcing owners to only use Deere repairs shops and parts turned off a lot of users.
Not ALL of them, some people are happy to use manufacturers parts and service. After all, they know their equipment.
But it is pricier than going to a local mechanic who knows diesel equipment.
Fix it yourself if you can. The biggest problems come down to the maze of electronics that are on these machines.
Solid state devices fail completely and suddenly when they fail.
The official tractor of corporate country music.
Does the ruling require JD to make available software and firmware as well as diagnostic jigs? Those could be prohibitively expensive to an independent repair shop. That’s the way it was with consumer electronics repair. You had to buy pricey jigs and service tools for almost each model of widget by each manufacturer. Half the time a firmware update would correct the problem. The practice was discouraging to small shops.
I had a friend who was in the printing business and used these huge Xerox copiers. Xerox did the same thing that Deere was doing. They had a secret code to login to the copiers to “fix” it. Usually at a minimum of $250.00 a whack.
He got smart and installed a camera pointed at one of the machines he was getting ready to have maintenance done on and got the code.
No more Xerox calls.
Farmers have the right to repair and John Deere has the right to deny your warranty if you don’t use their stuff.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.