Category: John Deere

Why are Farmers Suing John Deere?

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For many decades, John Deere made it clear to all who purchased their tractors that all the repairs would go through the John Deere repair shops nationwide. Now the Department of Justice has stated to the courts, fighting for the farmers’ rights to choose which shop they wish to use for repairs and even lean toward fixing the repairs themselves.

It is a class action lawsuit between John Deere vs. the Farmers. This is excellent news for those selling John Deere after-market parts because sales will soar as the farmers can get their tractors up and running faster than before.

The Class Act Lawsuit

The problem farmers face is the time it takes for their equipment to get repaired. The NPR reported that a farmer said it took weeks to complete repairs. There is a backup during harvest seasons; sometimes, the farmers lose their crops while waiting for the repairs. When service is needed, only the dealership can unlock software and specific tools to get the job done. John Deere holds 53 percent of the market and can charge $150 per hour.

The class-action lawsuit came from Forest River Farms in North Dakota in early 2022. There were several complaints, but the main issue is that the farmers want a choice if the dealership is too busy to do the repairs. The farmers stated they could even work on their equipment if it came down to the last resort.

In 1992, Kodak lost its case in the Supreme Court because it wanted to stop other companies from copying their machine repairs. Since 2014, the DOJ cited that farms were forced into bankruptcy due to the loss of their harvest because of the delays in repairs. The DOJ is on the farmers’ side with the statement that there is no assertion that a competitive repair market is the same as a competitive tractor market.

Other Companies Stepping Up

Several are involved with the class action lawsuit in John Deere vs. The Farmers. Repair.org is one of those stepping up to support the farmers and speak on their behalf nationwide. These are people who are farmers, and some worked at John Deere. Their main goal is to cater to the farmers and ranchers in their time of need to keep their business going.

They use strategic statements concerning repair markets, and if they are functioning poorly, the entire agriculture division suffers. Fewer choices in repair companies simultaneously lead to the loss of business and culture. Even independent repair shops suffer when major companies hold all the cards.

John Deere’s Statements

John Deere filed their repair business to come up with the numbers for the courts. It showed they made three to six times more profit in the repair business than in machine sales. A few years ago, in 2020, they told their investors that maintenance and parts services only made up 20 percent of their profits.

They did not make public statements but did sign an agreement with the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF). The agreement stated they would allow third-party repairs and promised to hold true to the contract until legislation passes at the state or federal level. So far, similar bills have been put on the floor in Congress to fine companies up to 20K for each violation. Colorado is the most recent to consider, and others are likely to follow. However, none have gotten past the introduction stage. So far, 11 states have considered.

John Deere’s case states that they have an agreement with those who purchase their equipment, and the farmers know the deal they make in advance. Their defense is that there is no way to figure out the time frame of the repairs, the costs, and the frequency. There are different variables, and there is no way to give a date to the farmers until they know what the issues are with the repairs.

The Court’s Decision

It could take years to decades for a lawsuit to be over. In the meantime, all the courts have is the DOJ’s statement from the Biden administration. The courts will have a difficult time ignoring those statements, and those states that have this issue on the floor of their legislation are reviewing all sides to see if lawmakers can come to the rescue.

Many are crying out to speed up the process, and the legislation will likely do something before the courts. Timeframes are unknown, and John Deere did agree to ease up on the third parties to handle repairs.

How A Class Action Lawsuit Helps John Deere After Market Parts

The after-market parts for John Deere and Case will increase sales due to all this hype. Sometimes the controversy is a good thing when talking about getting the right parts for cheaper and still maintaining the best quality. All the service companies can merge together when it comes to ordering parts. Local stores will become dealers of after-market parts, and it will help the entire community. These are the primary things that will make it better for everyone.

  • Dealers will sell more parts.
  • Farmers will get their tractors fixed in a timely fashion.
  • No crops or harvests will be lost due to a lack of repairs.
  • If the farmers can have their choice of a mechanic or fix the tractors themselves, they can save money for their families or farming business.
  • Companies like Certi-Pik will prosper from wholesale to the dealers or directly to the farmers.

How to Get John Deere After-Market Parts

Certi-Pik, USA, is where you will find John Deere after-market parts. The OEM has the original brand name parts, but as you can see, service and repairs will become easier if legislation passes or the court sides with the farmers. The farmers will benefit significantly because their tractors will be fixed sooner than expected. Certi-Pik, USA, strives to have what you need in stock, and shipments go out the same or the next day. Contact Certi-Pik, USA, with the information on the parts you need today.

Is the John Deere Tractor the Strongest Tractor Ever Made?

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For over 100 years, John Deere has put forth the best quality tractors that many farmers trust. A John Deere tractor or machine exists for almost every task sold on the market or directly to the farmers in the John Deere brand. John Deere aftermarket parts are there for quick and durable fixes when they break down. But it leaves the question. Is John Deere the strongest tractor created?

Perception is a decisive factor in this answer, but models 8850, 9RX 640, and 4455 are the strongest listed in sales by most farmers. It is measured by the four-wheel drive, the engine size and horsepower, the massive size of the 9RX 640 tractor, and the brand’s durability.

The successful results of the old and new models speak volumes. Looking at the top three models, we can understand what makes John Deere the most robust tractor.

Model 8850

The model 8850 was the most dominant tractor in its prime. The tractor was from the 8050 series and was new from 1982-1988. It had big tires, four-wheel drive, and 370 engine horsepower with a PTO of 303.99 horsepower. John Deere reached the top of the charts several times when they put forth a new model. They were king when this model came out.

It was the largest and most powerful tractor in the early to mid-80s, and no other company could touch them in size and strength. Listed below are a few highlights and specs:

This latest track model takes the John Deere line-up to the extreme. The 9RX 640 is the most robust track tractor that came out in 2022 and still has updates added to the 2023 version. The JD14 engine replaces the all-famous Cummins engine with more power and better fuel efficiency. It has a total base weight of 56,981 pounds with 691 horsepower, like the original diesel engine.

The new additions to the 2023 version of the 9RX 640 mean 14 percent more horsepower, with 11 percent added torque. The latest version of the tractor is lighter by ten percent and uses three percent less fuel consumption. It also has a 13 percent reduction in repair time and thousands of dollars less in service charges. This news adds lifespan to the engine.

John Deere also added the following to make the tractor even stronger and more efficient:

Model 4455

There are different perspectives on the best John Deere tractor created, but many find this at the top of the list. Two to one, this model has outsold all 55-Series and had its most famous stand from 1988 to 1992. These models had an MFWD drivetrain with 155 horsepower. Farmers from the 90s still seek out this model tractor in the used sections because it is the strongest and most reliable in its class.

This tractor is the last of the dinosaurs in the SoundGard era and is still the workhorse and now a collectible among many models. It is a smaller framed tractor and two-wheel drive but handles larger tillage better than the predecessors in most cases. It is the ultimate upgrade from the 4440 tractors. To this day, John Deere continues to model the old features of the 4455. They are among the most beautiful and powerful farm tractors. Many farmers who own this model find it hard to let go, and many refuse to sell.

John Deere’s Dominance Over the Decades

Many changes took place over the decades, with John Deere tractors working toward improvements and keeping up with the competition. When mentioning tractors, John Deere is usually the first brand that appears to mind, and the answers to that are simple, which are as follows.

Yes, there may be a few years other brands took the lead, but by the end of each decade, John Deere has reigned supreme and always made a comeback to the top when they fell short (which didn’t happen often). From cotton picking to plowing fields, John Deere found ways to innovate with the times and always had efficiency with added horsepower as their goal.

We are now in the 5M series of John Deere tractors. The 80s and early 90s were the most significant years for the company. It is hard to forget all the brand-named company did for farmers and homeowner versions. Now that we are in the second decade of the 2000s, they remain a global leader with all the power to back them up.

John Deere After Market Parts

Certi-Pik, USA, is the perfect place to find John Deere aftermarket parts. The OEM has the name labels, but the parts may not always be in stock and require a backorder wait. Certi-Pik, USA, strives to have all the parts we offer in stock and can ship out the same day at a lesser cost. It gives options to have the tractor repaired sooner than expected with the same trusted quality parts as the OEM. Contact Certi-Pik, USA, with the part and part number you need to keep the farm rolling.

John Deere Parts and Merchandise

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Over the last couple of years, the ability to apply self-repair and maintenance on agricultural and capital grade equipment has become a big issue. While equipment makers, including John Deere, have been advancing the capabilities of vehicles and systems well beyond what could be expected of them five years ago, a lot of that direction has also been in the environment of dealer and specialist application to support. That left the owner and self-repair of owned equipment out of the picture, especially without the correct tooling to get the job done.

Responding to the Needs of Customers

However, listening to the market and what customers want in terms of hands-on capability, John Deere has put into motion a full revamp of self-repair support, including access to a number of tools needed to effectively maintain John Deere equipment outside of a dealer or specialist arena starting in 2023. This shift will open the range of diagnostic tools that are so critical now in identifying and isolating issues with equipment as well as their proper maintenance schedules. Additionally, the enhancement will expand mobile device support and software availability, allowing users to manipulate diagnostics with their own mobile devices as well as John Deere reader tools.

The self-repair push is consistent with the support platform John Deere has already been providing in the digital arena, particularly to smart phone users, pushing out software updates, diagnostic code interpretation and more. Now, the 2023 move will allow the same customers and more to add updates to tooling equipment and controllers as well. Additionally, customers and independent repair resources will see the John Deere ADVISOR system open up to them directly; currently, this support is only accessible through John Deere dealerships.

The changes come on the heels of the federal government putting the right-to-repair on the radar for many large equipment industries, and tractor manufacturing was high on that list. Rather than wait for a regulatory approach, John Deere has positioned to be proactive in the arena and support customers directly. This is a huge boost for many John Deere equipment owners, who already support a vibrant secondary market for additional parts, consumables, replacement components, software updates and more.

Long-term Lifecycles for John Deere Equipment Happen with Support

Spare parts and replacements are a big downstream element of the John Deere market. There is always a demand for lights, fenders as well as durable part replacements on gears, pulleys, sprockets, shafts and more. Some models are practically stripped clean as soon as they become available in somebody’s surplus as a result. Understanding this ongoing need, John Deere’s approach will continue to enhance and make it far more doable for folks to maintain their existing equipment versus struggle with forced obsolescence.

While everyone loves a good treasure hunt, sourcing a particularly hard-to-find part and finding it can be an accomplishment. It’s not so fun when the same equipment inventory is needed right away for a critical operation. In this regard, part support and essential consumables continue to play a critical element in maintaining equipment, especially during seasonal highpoints, such as field prep, transportation runs, and harvesting. Add in the network capability John Deere provides with the ADVISOR system for part-finding and consumable supply, and people really start realizing the ability to “cook with fire” when it all comes together in the ideal aftermarket support system John Deere is pushing in 2023.

Good Things Coming with the New Year

All the self-repair support changes coming will be a welcome paradigm shift for John Deere equipment owners in the next year. As many secondary market suppliers are fully aware, lots of folks have little idea where to go for different parts, components and items a given local dealership simply might not stock or have access to. No surprise, which has also led to some creativity and use of the wrong parts salvaged from other sources as well, creating even bigger problems downstream when things don’t run right, or worse, cannot be supported anymore by John Deere due to the mixing involved.

While the first reaction might seem to be more competition from independent sources, dealers will instead realize increased activity for their inventory as their information and stock is shared through a wider network. At the same time, equipment owners themselves will realize greater ease in finding the right parts and consumables for their given models and units as well. The 2023 John Deere support approach is really a win-win across the board, long-term, both for the broad interest in John Deere equipment as well as their long-term maintenance for years to come.