[AT] Cub - Update

[Mark Johnson]

Where Deere & Co. lost me has nothing to do with antique tractors at 
all, but rather with their service and maintenance policy for today's 
highly software-driven ag machinery. They have effectively put a 'No 
User-Serviceable Parts Inside. Warranty void if seal is broken' sign on 
their tractors, and with the destruction of the network of small local 
(some would say mom-and-pop) dealers, a simple failure can be a 
multi-day adventure in high-tech repairs. I'm not sure if it is true for 
the whole country, but this policy has been upheld by courts in California.

One of my sources works for one of those now-former JD dealers. Deere 
offered to buy back their inventory, with a one-time deal, and told them 
that they didn't *have* to sell everything back (tractors, implements, 
and parts) but that they would get no factory support for anything they 
sold after the cutoff date. The 'word on the street' is that Deere & Co. 
wants to have regional dealers with at least 6 outlets, and that more 
than that is even better. At the same time they got bought out, the big 
regional dealer in Missouri (Sydenstricker) merged with Nobbe...the 
combined dealership has locations in 26 towns in Missouri and Illinois. 
It's virtually impossible to avoid them in central to north/eastern MO 
and southwestern IL. [That said, I've never tried to deal with them 
myself...]

Mark J
Columbia, MO


On 7/9/2020 1:44 PM, deanvp at att.net wrote:
>
> Part of the problems were related to the x60 series of tractors in the 
> late 50’ which allowed JD to capture the lead in # of tractors 
> produced but that was just one of many mistakes that I/H made and they 
> were in such a weakened position by the time the 80’s farm crisis 
> arrived they could not ride it out…., alone. It is a whole series of 
> mistakes.    There is a book written by a woman that exposes these 
> mistakes by the name of Barbara Marsh titled: A Corporate Tragedy: The 
> Agony of International Harvester Company.  Worth reading.
>
> I think it would be unwise to think that JD only overtook I/H in total 
> Farm Equipment Sales because I/H made some mistakes.  JD made a few 
> mistakes along the way as well. But they made some really good 
> decisions too. The JD New Generation tractors announced in the fall of 
> 1960 were one of many good decisions JD made to become the power house 
> they are today. I have no experience on comparing how good a JD 
> Tractor vs a Case I/H tractor is today so I make no judgments on that.
>
> Dean VP
>
> Snohomish, WA 98290
>
> *From:* AT <at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com> *On Behalf Of 
> *Howard Pletcher
> *Sent:* Wednesday, July 8, 2020 4:13 PM
> *To:* Antique Tractor Email Discussion Group 
> <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
> *Subject:* Re: [AT] Cub - Update
>
> Sounds like you think the downfall stemmed from the tractor problems. 
> Tractors were about 40% of the company and couldn’t have saved the 
> company even if there were no problems.  The real mismanagement was in 
> the financial area going back as far as the 20s & 30s.
>
> On Wed, Jul 8, 2020 at 4:37 PM Brian VanDragt <bvandragt at comcast.net 
> <mailto:bvandragt at comcast.net>> wrote:
>
>     IH has had plenty of time to catch up, but they just can't.
>
>     Brian
>
> -- 
>
> Howard
>
>
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