Pricey Maintenance

I got a John Deere dealer flyer today advertising maintenance on combines,tractors, planters, etc. The costs range anywhere from $500 for "checking" to close to $3000 for parts and labor. This is mainly for oil and filters or coolant....not for a teardown. Its for larger machines like the 7000 series tractors or large combines. I do my own but I have smaller equipment. Do you guys service your own or have a dealer do it? Just curious.

One of the big guys here had them do that on his JD self propelled chopper. This guy bled green and wanted to be buried in Moline. It was a $20,000 checkup and rebuild. He got it back in the spring and they hadn't changed the knives in it,didn't even change the oil. They started running it and a new cable that they had replaced fell off because they didn't tighten the nut that held it on. It went out of there a day or two later,traded on a new Claas and they've been running Claas every since.

I do all my own maintenance. Of course my equipment is old and I enjoy doing it.

Leonard

rrlund The Tech the Sevice Manager and the Dealer dropped the ball!!!!! I work for a JD dealer and our service manager insist on things being done RIGHT for that very reason!!!!!!!

Have been a dealer for 28 years, kinda eased out three years ago. Things had really went up in the last year or so then. Now when I go back and look at the price of oil, & some of the filters I wonder how folks can pay the priced. Just like gas, tires, groceries and ever thing else prices just keep going up.

That sounds like the guy that chops locally. Had a Deere, and bought a new one. Five year PAID maintenance program included. The first week, the radiator shroud fell off. We had to stop hourly to clean the radiator cleaner. It ran out of fuell with 1/4 showing on the guage, and took over three hours to get it started again. Trouble code came up, dealer came right out and replaced a little spring underneath the behemoth. Bracket on one of the clutches broke, and it took a week to get a new one. Machine was traded after three years on a Jaguar. Now, that's a chopping sucker.....

They didn't get another chance. At least not on a chopper. He's running Deere tractors yet,but stuck with the Claas choppers.

I do my owne, but I did had the NH dealer rebuild the wobble box in my 489 haybine.

I've had experience of work my local Deere dealers have done wrong for there customers come in my shop a couple of times. And heard a good few more from other bleed green guys.
I would not buy a Deere round us if I was desperate and it was the last make tractor on the planet, I'd quit farming first.
Guys are getting $20.000 work orders, guy took a perfect running tractor in they flushed the motor now it needs a new one, Guy bought a $200.000 combine it had $25.000 spent on it on Green light and it's worn out and they won't trade it back, No Green dealer in a 1000 miles wants to trade it either!
They fitted too bigger loaders on 7230's round here guys are putting $10'000 in front assist axles fixing them.
when they found out I was fixin the 72 for the guy they came and took it away to stop me, then B/s ed the guy why it fell apart and gave him extended warranty. Then he wanted to trade the tractor as he new it was low hours and gonna have more problems. He looked at Case IH they found out and sold him a JD $10.000 less than the new Case! so go figure what that means.
I know these things are true from the actual guys and whats happened in my yard, Not just the usual coffee shop B/S
Regards Robert

Local JD (RDO Equipment) adds 15% onto parts under $100 dollars. About 6% on $100-$500. Claims it is for their dealership warranty which is better than Mother Deere.