hintonroadhero
Member
- Location
- Waikato, NZ
Don't know where you get the idea that Argo "used some cheap components to gain and edge over Case"... from the formation in 2000 they built the same CX tractors as Case.. but Case were selling them at a loss to make sure McCormick got no foothold...You need to remember that the transmissions were built in the old plant at St. Dizier in France, so they were the same components.. The only issue there was the installation of robot welding for the clutch cans.. it was a far poorer job that the old manual welding and saw lots of premature failures. As I see it, the biggest problem was trying to bring too many new products to the market without proper testing. CX Xtrashift was the wet clutch version of the old CX...good product but too temperamental on clutch take up..a problem seen by lots of other makes too! XTX was a great tractor.. but the back ends were just not up to it.. especially the spider gears in the diff.. Interestingly we fitted a modified Case Magnum diff to one.. with rollers.. that tractor is still going strong 12 years later.. The final nail in the coffin was announcing the closure of Doncaster and St Dizier and the move to Fabbrico... it took about 15 months, so you can image the quality of the product coming out of those plants!!!!Yes I think ground was lost as they transitioned from a manufacturer producing at the lower end of the market to one using top quality components and investing heavily in R & D. Also the use of some cheap components to try and gain an edge over Case in the early days has left the perception that it should be a cheap brand.
Lots more dealers have joined and continue to join the network over the last couple of years which is positive.
Speaking to Mccormick UK this week sales are definitely on the top, helped by the continued improvement in the product. And if you think the current offering is good just wait until you see the new products landing in 2022