For tech-weary Midwest farmers, 40-year-old tractors now a hot commodity

Re:For tech-weary Midwest farmers, 40-year-old tractors now ... by magduf on Tuesday January 07, 2020 @01:38PM (#21983059)

It IS a far better deal. Farmers should try only buying those, instead of throwing their money at a company that abuses them. The problem is that many farmers absolutely insist on buying only from John Deere, and then they complain about Deere's terrible policies and unrepairability. It reminds me of Apple customers who complain about their MacBooks not having normal USB ports or their iPhones being so locked-down. There are competitors out there...

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Re:For tech-weary Midwest farmers, 40-year-old tractors now ... by wraithKingPrime on Tuesday January 07, 2020 @07:29PM (#21986911)

I am not a farmer, I fix sewing machines- but I see people still buy Singers, based on brand perceptions that are 50 years out of date. Modern Singer sewing machines are cheap garbage, but people remember their grandmothers or great grandmothers using these old, reliable machines, and accordingly, they buy Singer.

Same thing is happening with John Deere. It may take a very long time for the anti-consumer actions of the company to burn through decades of goodwill.

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Re:For tech-weary Midwest farmers, 40-year-old tractors now ... by mikorym on Wednesday January 08, 2020 @12:13AM (#21988554)

Would you recommend Bernina sewing machines? I've been doing some leather work and am considering to make machine stiched items too.

PS: WRT John Deere, our family business bought quite a few of them and when they refused to train our own workshop employees we sold all of them! The whole thing kind of amused me. Unless you are from the Free State, Massey Ferguson is pretty much your best option. And if you need something with more ploughing power, Landini is doing pretty well too. Actually, I think Italy is in a unique position at the moment to (if they actually wanted to) to grow quite a bit economically with some of their brands.

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Re:For tech-weary Midwest farmers, 40-year-old tractors now ... by knockout9461 on Wednesday January 08, 2020 @01:38PM (#21994372)

Unfortunately, farmer's don't have this choice -- there are no real good actors in the industry. Competitors like Rostelmash, New Holland, and CLAAS have all used the rise of software-enabled ag equipment as a way to monopolize repair. The article describes how farmers are being driven to buy 40 year-old tractors not because they are Deeres. It's because they can't fix the machines themselves.

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