What's your colour

[FarmyStu]

In another thread @Cowabunga suggested that one reason Claas tractors don't sell so well is that Claas colours don't suit tractors. Can this be true? Do people really make important business decisions based on the colour of the machine?

I don't mind the colour of Claas tractors but I think he's on to something. Without any evidence whatsoever, I'm sure that Simba lost sales when they changed from that tough looking industrial yellow to that so so Great Plains green. I see Fendt have changed their shade of green from it's original which I never did like. They must have researched it. That said, I love John Deeres, but yellow and green doesn't sound great so maybe I'm just used to it?

Anyway, what do you all think?

Here's a pic of a tractor colour scheme that looks just right to me, taken at Grassland this year. I didn't like the various Valtra colours but with those grey wheels they look just right IMO.

 

[Lincsman]

Well a Claas combine in Cat yellow looks so much better that i would buy one.

 

[Cowabunga]

Just today I saw a brand new 260hp Massey Ferguson with auto-steer, nearly ready for delivery to a customer who wasn't keen on red. He had the bodywork painted in high gloss black and is having the exhaust guards chrome plated.
They're normally a JD customer, although their nearest dealer is a Case one, just down the road from them.
Must say that it looked well smart.

 

[Lincsman]

Well a Claas combine in Cat yellow looks so much better that i would buy one.

Also a Fiat G series never looked or sold secondhand as well as a NH 70 series.

 

[Lincs Lass]

I saw a 7000 series MF in blue couple of years ago and just looked wrong ,

 

[Cowabunga]

I saw a 7000 series MF in blue couple of years ago and just looked wrong ,

I believe that a small number are painted blue at the factory for export as Iseki tractors. They probably don't build many like that.

 

[Lincs Lass]

I believe that a small number are painted blue at the factory for export as Iseki tractors. They probably don't build many like that.

No ,,this one had been done for a drainage company ,spotted it at Carrington Rally

 

[Dave W]

I believe that a small number are painted blue at the factory for export as Iseki tractors. They probably don't build many like that.

Think it's other way round. Iseki build for MF.

 

[Cowabunga]

Think it's other way round. Iseki build for MF.

Iseki build the compacts for MF and AGCO build the big ones for Iseki at Beauvais mixed with MF and Valtra models. Only the very big range are assembled there for Valtra. The equivalent to the Fendt 900 and MF 8700 series

 

[Dave W]

Iseki build the compacts for MF and AGCO build the big ones for Iseki at Beauvais mixed with MF and Valtra models. Only the very big range are assembled there for Valtra. The equivalent to the Fendt 900 and MF 8700 series

Fair enough. Knew the compacts were made by iseki. Don't see many of the models over 50hp in this country

 

[Happy]

The dark green ones like in the picture actually look really good but not with those dark wheels. Standard ones go really well with it though.

TRP used to have a blue MF to match their Pearson tattie machinery when on demo etc.

 

[tweedale terrier]

I doubt the colour has anything to do with it. The lexion and jaguar seem to have managed ok in lime green

 

[Lincs Lass]

This is the one Im on about

 

[Blue.]

Although I'm not a fan of different colours from the norm I did buy a metallic red Valtra ,I mean what is the true valtra colour?

Not keen on anything black,the Maserati blue fords look the business and I prefer the true fendt green. there's a nice silver fastcrap kicking about I don't mind claas green,they are just ugly wouldn't matter what colour they were.

 

[Cowabunga]

I doubt the colour has anything to do with it. The lexion and jaguar seem to have managed ok in lime green

Their tractors are not managing OK though. They are producing nowhere near their factory capacity and never have done. They have the potential to assemble 100 tractors per shift but last I heard they were nearer 40. That was when everyone else was chockablock with orders.

Its not down to the Claas name. Its not down to the fundamentals of the product. It hasn't even been down to an uncompetitive price. Its certainly not down to poor back-up from Claas or from the dealer here in West Wales at least.

So what is it down to? I maintain it is down to the colour and the styling. It must be. Surely? They should have stuck with orange and even changed their harvesters to Renault orange. The Renault models were/are far more attractive.

 

[Cowabunga]

This is the one Im on about

It depends whether you like blue or not. The one I saw today was a bit bigger but looked similar but in black. The chrome exhaust guard they are fitting will set the black off nicely I think.
There's a fully black New Holland local to me also and that looks good too.

 

[blue power]

love these

 

[Dave W]

Their tractors are not managing OK though. They are producing nowhere near their factory capacity and never have done. They have the potential to assemble 100 tractors per shift but last I heard they were nearer 40. That was when everyone else was chockablock with orders.

Its not down to the Claas name. Its not down to the fundamentals of the product. It hasn't even been down to an uncompetitive price. Its certainly not down to poor back-up from Claas or from the dealer here in West Wales at least.

So what is it down to? I maintain it is down to the colour and the styling. It must be. Surely? They should have stuck with orange and even changed their harvesters to Renault orange. The Renault models were/are far more attractive.

There's definitely something about claas styling/colours that gives them a less than high quality feel

 

[The_Swede]

Agree with @Happy - those grey wheels do not tone with the green especially. Funnily enough myself and brother in law had exactly the same discussion there at the time. The pearlescent white Valtra was the best of the bunch in my view.

 

[Martin Holden]

Their was a school of thought that blue and light green weren't great colours for machinery predominantly living outdoors wasn't great. Red and yellow don't go well together and even green and red take some getting used to. Colour is a strange thing - "beauty is in the eye of the beholder"