John Deere reducing dealerships

[Tractorstant]

It’s no wonder some machines are hard to sell.no stability in the dealer network.manitou in my area was Doe’s then Ben burgess and now tns.seems merlo gets passed around regularly and same with deutz who I’m sure woukd sell plenty of tractors if dealers kept agency’s for a long while.some dealers are not the same as others and service obviously suffers if you have a machine from one and then have to go elsewhere after previous dealer lost agency
nick...

Was a question of mine.... why don't Deutz do better?

 

[Martin Holden]

Just googled cranworth farm services....
Apparently they have just been appointed faresin handlers dealers.....

Odd as I’d read they were appointed to Merlo end of last year.

 

[7610 super q]

Was a question of mine.... why don't Deutz do better?

As alluded to earlier.....Dealerships ? Most like dealing with dealers and brands that offer continuity. I don't know how to post this without sounding rude....but some dealerships are McCormick for 5 years, then Landini for 4 years, then Kubota for 4 years, then Deutz for 3 years....... Local NH dealer has been blue since 1981, the NH dealer in the next county has been blue since 1947...... I know which I have most confidence in.

 

[agri knives]

Is brexit hitting the export market yet, I know a lot of uk tractors end up in Ireland and it’s very difficult to get them in now , they have to have that sanitary cert which is a lot of hassle. Anyone know any exporters who are losing sales over it yet.

 

[Dealer]

Was a question of mine.... why don't Deutz do better?

Momentum or lack of it.

To sell large numbers of units you need a large dealership, otherwise it takes a long time for small dealers to grow, fear from potential buyers as the innovators need to buy before the followers will.

In Germany deutz is third behind fendt 1st and deere 2nd.

Given that lots of other manufacturers are and will be using deutz engines then you would ask why more aren't sold.

Weak dealer network is the main cause I feel.

The product can't be that bad compared to the main 3 sold in the UK.

 

[Slick]

Collings brothers could have it back? Bw Mack lost it didn’t they?

Collings Brothers have Bobcat now.

 

[Martin Holden]

Momentum or lack of it.

To sell large numbers of units you need a large dealership, otherwise it takes a long time for small dealers to grow, fear from potential buyers as the innovators need to buy before the followers will.

In Germany deutz is third behind fendt 1st and deere 2nd.

Given that lots of other manufacturers are and will be using deutz engines then you would ask why more aren't sold.

Weak dealer network is the main cause I feel.

The product can't be that bad compared to the main 3 sold in the UK.

About right which makes the reason sound rather anti dealer but I know it isn’t meant as a criticism of the network. Many years ago under Watveare many more were sold - why? They had some better and more dealers plus the combines at that time sold reasonably well. What stops the less sold brands is part dealer sizes as said before and part customer choice. People do seem to but what they believe is “less risk” in terms of ownership per hour and good local service. I don’t think one can say that of the current players, there is one bad tractor but brand image and perception is one hell of a hard thing to gain. It’s a bit like Audi and BMW in the exec car market, image image image.

 

[BRB John]

From what I see almost everyone and their dog can get a Deutz engine to work better than what Deutz can. Every Fendt tractor that had a Deutz engine easily outperforms any similar sized Deutz tractor.
I also feel the interior design of a Deutz cab is nothing compared to Fendt or John Deere.

Yes Image is important but then you get Tesla....

 

[Martin Holden]

From what I see almost everyone and their dog can get a Deutz engine to work better than what Deutz can. Every Fendt tractor that had a Deutz engine easily outperforms any similar sized Deutz tractor.
I also feel the interior design of a Deutz cab is nothing compared to Fendt or John Deere.

Yes Image is important but then you get Tesla....

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I don’t think the Deutz tractor is any more reliable or unreliable than any other make particularly and the cabs not that bad. Modern cabs are a long way off those offered 20/30 years ago. I’d like to see youngsters driving a Ford 7000 for a day and see how they then criticise one modern brand from the next!

 

[Farma Parma]

Momentum or lack of it.

To sell large numbers of units you need a large dealership, otherwise it takes a long time for small dealers to grow, fear from potential buyers as the innovators need to buy before the followers will.

In Germany deutz is third behind fendt 1st and deere 2nd.

Given that lots of other manufacturers are and will be using deutz engines then you would ask why more aren't sold.

Weak dealer network is the main cause I feel.

The product can't be that bad compared to the main 3 sold in the UK.

Deutz was far far better 30year ago when Watveare were the importers..
It all seemed to go backwards when SDF was formed & they have struggled eversince.
As good as any Fendt back in the mid late 80's imho & superior to Massey thats for sure.
Fab story in Classic Horse a couple of months back all about Deutz.

 

[Daniel]

I haven’t followed all this but who is merlo now in east anglia? TNS had it briefly but now have manitou? Which means BB have gone Kramer? Or have I got it completely wrong? @Daniel

No idea. TNS will still service them, but BW Macks who we bought 4 Merlos in a row from have gone over to Claas and say they won't have Merlo back, don't blame them.

As for Deutz, they are perfectly good tractors, but again, the dealer we bought it from has lost the franchise. It's out of warranty now so we'll service it ourselves unless something complicated goes wrong.

We are mercenaries when it comes to machinery, if we need a new tractor and someone offers a high spec one at a good price we'll buy it, but obviously there are downsides to that approach!

 

[Farma Parma]

No idea. TNS will still service them, but BW Macks who we bought 4 Merlos in a row from have gone over to Claas and say they won't have Merlo back, don't blame them.

As for Deutz, they are perfectly good tractors, but again, the dealer we bought it from has lost the franchise. It's out of warranty now so we'll service it ourselves unless something complicated goes wrong.

We are mercenaries when it comes to machinery, if we need a new tractor and someone offers a high spec one at a good price we'll buy it, but obviously there are downsides to that approach!

Recon there isnt without looking more than 25dealers in the whole of the UK what does that tell you....
Nearest one north of me is 65miles & south over 100miles, west 50+ & east is the Sea !!

 

[agri knives]

Was a question of mine.... why don't Deutz do better?

The older deutz tractors like the 150 from 2006-2009 were fantastic tractors , the new ones now are not as good , giving plenty of trouble.

 

[Will 1594]

No idea. TNS will still service them, but BW Macks who we bought 4 Merlos in a row from have gone over to Claas and say they won't have Merlo back, don't blame them.

As for Deutz, they are perfectly good tractors, but again, the dealer we bought it from has lost the franchise. It's out of warranty now so we'll service it ourselves unless something complicated goes wrong.

We are mercenaries when it comes to machinery, if we need a new tractor and someone offers a high spec one at a good price we'll buy it, but obviously there are downsides to that approach!

But macks are servicing more merlo,s Due to tns getting it Wonder what will happen to manipoo now

 

[warksfarmer]

The trouble is that jd are still selling the numbers at the stupidly high price as you call them,talking to my 2 local dealers they have had the best run up to Christmas for years but then other dealers are saying it been terrible.

They might be saying that to keep face, but are they really? I’ve stayed in touch with dealers who were selling trailers/chaser bins for us and they will tell you a very different story.

 

[Dealer]

The older deutz tractors like the 150 from 2006-2009 were fantastic tractors , the new ones now are not as good , giving plenty of trouble.

I think the problem is not reliability but the efficiency of repair

Go into any mainline tractor dealer and the workshops are full of broken down machines

The lessor dealers are less efficient to deal with breakdowns.

The UK has been brainwashed into thinking if you don't drive the most expensive brands then the others aren't as good.

All brands have strong models as well as weak ones.

As for deutz the German's are no fools to make deutz number 3 seller means they class them above MF case/newholland and even the French german brand Claas.

 

[quattro]

I think the problem is not reliability but the efficiency of repair

Go into any mainline tractor dealer and the workshops are full of broken down machines

The lessor dealers are less efficient to deal with breakdowns.

The UK has been brainwashed into thinking if you don't drive the most expensive brands then the others aren't as good.

All brands have strong models as well as weak ones.

As for deutz the German's are no fools to make deutz number 3 seller means they class them above MF case/newholland and even the French german brand Claas.

Maybe more to do with uk side of Sdf

 

[Dealer]

Maybe more to do with uk side of Sdf

Yes probably

Chicken and egg syndrome

How many staff can s manufacture support for 250 tractors in the UK

All of the JD dealers will be selling that number each now and all within 100 miles of the depot

Sdf will needs sales , parts, service administration

Does the manufacture see the UK as a big enough market.

 

[Fish]

I am of a generation that has had little choice but to be businesses like to survive, my entire farming career has been though a period of low prices and tight margins relative to previous generations. If had had taken anything but a business like approach to my chosen occupation I doubt I would still be here farming at all and I certainly would not be able to provide for my family as well as I can

maybe it is sad but thats the climate I’ve had to learn to survive under

Wow, I guess the generation that came through 20s/30s might have something to say about that, quite frankly you have no idea what they went through, no government handouts in those days, if you were not a businessman then you were screwed.

 

[mf7480]

I think the problem is not reliability but the efficiency of repair

Go into any mainline tractor dealer and the workshops are full of broken down machines

The lessor dealers are less efficient to deal with breakdowns.

The UK has been brainwashed into thinking if you don't drive the most expensive brands then the others aren't as good.

All brands have strong models as well as weak ones.

As for deutz the German's are no fools to make deutz number 3 seller means they class them above MF case/newholland and even the French german brand Claas.

Have you driven a modern Deutz? I actually think it’s not the dealers or the reliability that’s the issue, but the way they drive! They are comfortable but the controls are completely alien. You cannot just jump on them and use them. It’s double press this, press and hold that to activate things and even to get it moving and they’re covered in dozens of identical round buttons with cryptic labels on them. Some regularly used main transmission settings buttons are underneath the armrest for heavens sake! Also the controls are confusingly split between that massive armrest monitor and the dashboard, and there’s no logical way of knowing what setting lives where. Anyone new to the brand that has one on demo just cannot get to grips with them.