Hacker News Reader

Comment by ykevinator2 | Hacker News Reader

They do have access, just not with deere. So stop buying Deere.

Sure, you can buy Kubota or Massey Ferguson but in many areas of the US with active farmland, you'll have to drive many hundreds of miles to even find a dealer to support these brands. John Deere is ubiquitous.

But I was under the impression from other comments farmers could fix anything themself, so why can't they fix Kubota machines?

I'm not talking about fixing Kubota machines. I'm talking about availability to buy add-ons and parts. Tractors are multi-functional pieces of equipment that you buy attachments for.

Just look at the huge list of implements here: https://www.kubotausa.com/products/tractors/utility/m4-serie...

So great, you bought a Kubota. Your nearest Kubota dealer can end up being 400 miles from you. They don't ship these things, you come buy and pick them up.

Make sense thanks.

I will assume your comment was sincere.

No one said farmers are not able to repair other brands.

The point is not all dealers/part suppliers are within a geographically reasonable distance. Think in hundreds and hundreds of miles or states away. Not just the other side of town.

John Deere on the other hand has rather dense distribution by comparison.

Voting with your wallet seldom works if the only organization permitted on the buyer's side is individual. As other posters have noted, there's a great deal of lock-in and local monopolies.

On the other hand, if Deere wants a market without right-to-repair requirements, they can simply not sell in the US. Voting with their feet, as it were.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com