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posted by martyb on Thursday January 09 2020, @09:51PM   Printer-friendly
from the tough-row-to-hoe dept.

Digital Rights/Restrictions Management (DRM) technologies affecting new tractors are behind the continuing rise in popularity of the models. Particularly in the midwest, farmers are finding that 40-year-old tractors do the job with less trouble and expense.

Tractors manufactured in the late 1970s and 1980s are some of the hottest items in farm auctions across the Midwest these days — and it's not because they're antiques.

Cost-conscious farmers are looking for bargains, and tractors from that era are well-built and totally functional, and aren't as complicated or expensive to repair as more recent models that run on sophisticated software.

"It's a trend that's been building. It's been interesting in the last couple years, which have been difficult for ag, to see the trend accelerate," said Greg Peterson, the founder of Machinery Pete, a farm equipment data company in Rochester with a website and TV show.

Previously;
Reeducating Legislators on the Right to Repair (2019)
John Deere Just Swindled Farmers Out of Their Right to Repair (2018)
US Copyright Office Says People Have the Right to Hack their Own Cars' Software (2015)


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  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by JoeMerchant on Friday January 10 2020, @03:00AM (8 children)

    by JoeMerchant (3937) on Friday January 10 2020, @03:00AM (#941746)

    I bought a Chinese trailer from Harbor Freight - it suited my needs at the time, but I ended up keeping it longer than I planned.

    Problem 1: the paint peeled off within 12 months and the rust started

    Problem 2: Chinese sized axles and bearings - not US standard sizes, repair / replacement costing instead of $5 for US standard parts closer to $30, plus time required to obtain.

    Other than that, it was a good trailer and remarkably cheap. If I bought a Chinese tractor I think I might invest in an immediate strip and repaint - but I'd be very much more worried about details like quality of wiring, insulation, fasteners, etc.

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  • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Friday January 10 2020, @03:32AM (1 child)

    by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Friday January 10 2020, @03:32AM (#941755) Journal

    If I bought a Chinese tractor I think I might invest in an immediate strip and repaint - but I'd be very much more worried about details like quality of wiring, insulation, fasteners, etc.

    An one off job, on a pretty basic machine.
    Also, aren't those something that a well-seasoned farmer could do as the repairs s/he has the right to do?

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    • (Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Friday January 10 2020, @02:54PM

      by JoeMerchant (3937) on Friday January 10 2020, @02:54PM (#941883)

      I might invest in an immediate strip and repaint - but I'd be very much more worried about details like quality of wiring, insulation, fasteners, etc.

      An one off job, on a pretty basic machine.
      Also, aren't those something that a well-seasoned farmer could do as the repairs s/he has the right to do?

      Sure, DIY is possible, but if you're going that far with a repaint, rewire, fastener replacement, etc. you might be more inclined to restore a home grown antique if you can get ahold of one.

      Once the rust starts, rehab isn't much fun, or very effective - that trailer only has a couple more years before the frame cracks in half. And - $30 vs $5 for a bearing doesn't sound like a big deal, but when the trailer only cost $180 to start with.... same for a strip and paint, that's a lot of labor for a $180 trailer.

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  • (Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 10 2020, @08:42AM (5 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 10 2020, @08:42AM (#941812)

    My three thoughts.

    A lot of those Chinese tractors, especially at the cheap end, don't really compare to the agricultural tractors that the mid-tiers put out, let alone the top ones. For example, a 1 year warranty? My tractor came with 5.

    You'll have a hard time convincing farmers to do China anything, especially after the tariff situation exploded.

    Time is money. If my tractor goes down, it is because I am using it. If I am using it, I probably needed it to work yesterday. If mine broke, I can call my local mechanic or dealer and get a spare part in an hour and be going again and if not, they will loan me one while the part is overnighted so I can still work. One of those Chinese ones breaks, I'm looking at two weeks or more in shipping or 10x the price for express shipping and still out a tractor while I wait. Waiting a day or two at the wrong time of the season and I could be screwed for the year.

    • (Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Friday January 10 2020, @02:57PM (4 children)

      by JoeMerchant (3937) on Friday January 10 2020, @02:57PM (#941886)

      Time is money

      Part of how we deal with this and our older vehicles is by having backups - 4 cars for 2 people. One goes down we don't even think about it, just switch to backup until we've got time to start working on repair. Two down at once is rare, but still not even a trip to the rental agency.

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      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 10 2020, @08:10PM (3 children)

        by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 10 2020, @08:10PM (#942015)

        So I buy 2 cheap Chinese tractors for more than the mid-tier or even expensive one costs here, and still have less features, less access to parts, less experience on it by myself and my mechanic, and I take a crap shot on how long the random brand will be supported. Some solution.

        • (Score: 2) by fido_dogstoyevsky on Friday January 10 2020, @09:41PM (2 children)

          by fido_dogstoyevsky (131) <axehandleNO@SPAMgmail.com> on Friday January 10 2020, @09:41PM (#942046)

          So I buy 2 cheap Chinese tractors for more than the mid-tier or even expensive one costs here, and still have less features, less access to parts, less experience on it by myself and my mechanic, and I take a crap shot on how long the random brand will be supported. Some solution.

          Or you could buy an expensive dear john with expensive service costs (that's how they make a lot of their money) with more features, access to parts and experience by you and your mechanic rendered irrelevant, and you take a crap shoot on how long the particular model will be supported. Some solution.

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          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 11 2020, @02:09AM (1 child)

            by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 11 2020, @02:09AM (#942116)

            Ignoring the fact your alternatives aren't cheap Chinese vs John Deere, the Deere will still be supported for a long time. For example, look up on their parts website [deere.com] the 2040 or the 4020, two tractors last available in '72, and '82, respectively. You can still get OEM parts on their website, not to mention the compatible non-OEM ones on the open market. Deere and other major manufacturers have a history of supporting their stuff for a long time. Can you really say that parts are going to be available for the Chinese ones almost 50 years later or that they will even last that long to put parts in?

            • (Score: 2) by fido_dogstoyevsky on Saturday January 11 2020, @04:07AM

              by fido_dogstoyevsky (131) <axehandleNO@SPAMgmail.com> on Saturday January 11 2020, @04:07AM (#942159)

              Can you really say that parts are going to be available for the Chinese ones almost 50 years later or that they will even last that long to put parts in?

              No, I'm saying that parts availability will be dependant on a company that's just (in the last decade) discovered that it can strongarm the disavantages of both buying and leasing to the customer and keep all the advantages to itself. In other words, only until them EOLling equipment is more profitable than providing backup; 'cos then you need to buy new.

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