Posted by JDseller on March 11, 2012 at 13:21:17 from (208.126.196.144):
When I posted on ericlb Kubota problem I was using sarcasm about how many on here almost worship Kubota tractors. Are they a good tractor?? Yes. Just about every major brand today has a pretty good tractors. There really is very little different in the design of them. I have driven and used Kubota tractors. They are not any better or worst than just about any of the main line tractor brands today. Same issue that many smaller brands have: few dealers and longer parts times.
Kubota just started to have their tractors tested by the Nebraska Test facility in the last 10-15 years. I often wondered why they would not have their tractors tested. The fees involves are not that high for a major corporation.
In the Mid 1980s we checked a few against JD, CIH and Ford tractors on our Dynometer. We used all new tractors that several local dealers had together to see how they stacked up. We had mechanics from all four brands there, including Kubota. We had picked 50-60 hp tractors to try and keep the test as even as possible. The Ford tested best at over its rated PTO hp. The JD and CIH where next at a tie with just at their rated pto hp. The Kubota was last at 15% under it's rated hp. We went an got an advertisement with the specifications in it. In the fine print ,that we had to get a magnifying glass to read, it stated that the advertised hp was engine gross hp on the Kubota not the pto hp. It did have the pto hp listed in another section that was real hard to find. The Kubota was 5% short of that hp and the engine RPM was way higher than the other brands to get there. So I always felt that they where misleading people the way they where advertising their tractors. Now realize that at this time they had only been in the US market a few years. They are doing better now. Just they where one of the first to use gross hp.
I really dislike how most of the tractors are advertised today. They just about all use gross engine hp. Which is a useless number because you can't use that for anything. Any tractor is going to have less hp at the wheels or pto than this gross hp number.
As for why different brand have stood the test of time better than others? Many have been managed corporately better than others. An example of that would be Oliver. They always had a well designed tractor and implement line but foundered management wise. The when White bought them that cooperate management was even worst. So they fell by the way side.
As for the brands I support. I grew up using mostly JD equipment. I started farming with Ford tractors. My first modern tractor was a Ford 6000. (First owned was a JD "G") I really did not have much trouble with the tractor. I did have major troubles with the company. When this tractor was less then ten years old many of the parts where already obsoleted. This was back in the early 1970s when not many dealerships had hose machines. I blew a power steering line and Ford could no longer get it. Then over the next few years it just kept getting worst. More and more stuff dropped. Then the biggest turn off was the time it took to get parts. Ford would take three days at the best, if you paid extra. I had IH equipment and JD equipment and if I paid extra for the parts from them I could get them the next day. So I switched away from having any Ford tractors to farm with. I do collect a few but I sure don't depend on them to make a living with. Mainly because of parts availablity.
As for the problems with JD company and it dealership network. I think they are being mis-managed right now. It is easy to ride the top when grain prises are sky high and the BTO are lording their big money around. When that stops, and we all know it will, can a dealership chain survive when they have 5, 10, or 20 stores that start to lose money??? I think that they will not make it. Ten stores that are local owned with individuals owning them will have much more of a rainy day fund to get by on than some big chain.
Plus the big chains do not do customer service very well either. When everyone is just an "employee" then not many will go beyond just enough to get by on. I just had an issue this last week with a big chain dealership. I called them to buy a corn planter they had. This was several states away. Straight out, no trade, cash deal. When you call their phone number you get some recorded voice menu. It took me four minutes to get to a person that then put me on hold for two more minutes. I hung up at that time. I had not called during lunch either. I even asked the person I did talk to to just take a message and give it to some one to call me back when they where not as busy. Not going to happen. So I bought a planter for just a little more that was closer anyway. I did fax the sales manager at the store I had been on hold with, a copy of the purchase order of the planter I did buy. He called me up in about ten minutes to ask me why I had sent him a purchase order from another store/state. I told him I wanted him to see that I was not just kicking tires on buying a planter and that his store had lost a cash sale because of them being too cheap to hire someone to answer the phone and take messages. He told me he got complaints each week on the phone system by he could not get it changed.
So I will stop here. The fact of the matter is that good dealers are the hard thing to find any more. It does not matter what brand you have. Also those that bad mouth the top brands usually don't give all of the facts. JD and CIH are the top brands on larger tractors and combines in North America. Agco is trying but is not there yet. I think Kubota is tops in the compact market. Ford and MF/Agco are in a close race in the utility market. So they all have their place.
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