Farmers can't fix their own tractors?
 

I never knew this. It might have been like this for years but I was not aware of the fact that a farmer cannot fix their own tractors.

https://tech.slashdot.org/story/16/0...-dang-tractors

working in a tractor shop i can tell you that most farmers shouldn't be allowed to fix there own equipment, you should see some of the repairs that come in here.:biggrin2:

Funny this thread pops up now. I just came in 5 minutes ago after taking the Carburetor off my newly acquired Farmall 460. If you leave the gas on it pours out onto the ground. I pop the top assuming rust or bad float and THE NEEDLE WAS IN UPSIDE DOWN. The internals look almost new, including float. I've been in a lot of carbs, but this is a first.
Add this to missing 2/3rds of the sheet metal bolts, loose rear wheels, and one front spindle rewelded wrong to where it only turned one way.

Car manufactures are trying to get away with the same crap claiming that they own the software that make s it run.

I've heard of this nonsense before, I have a feeling that these issues are going to get a lot worse before it gets better.

If this is where we're headed, then the manufacturers should cover ALL maintenance and repairs.

If I buy it, then it's mine to do with as I please.

This would be a good time for a third party to develop replacement software that we can buy and own.

Seriously, I don't know what the answers are but it's going to get to the point where we don't really own anything that we "buy".

Welcome to the world of "you don't need to worry about anything, it will be taken care of for you."

The way they get away with it is because they claim you're signing a "lifetime lease" and rather than make monthly payments, you make one large lump sum up front. I know when this started they even tried to make the claim for ALL of their tractors, even back to the model A and B. I can't quite figure out what "software and technology" they own when it comes to a poppin' 2-cylinder.

The "lease" is their way of getting out of having to pay for the maintenance. Leased equipment is different than rented.

John Deere has recently started claiming "intellectual property" to their machines. Why farmers are in an uproar is beyond me.... JD is the only company making such outlandish claims. Seems like a pretty simple solution to me... BUY A DIFFERENT MACHINE. Yes, the claim is crazy, but Deere has deep pockets, and that means big time lawyers, so they can get away with it..... as long as they keep selling tractors. So....... just don't buy Deere.

There has been debates going back and forth about this forever it seems like on the red power forum I occasionally visit.

I think a lot of it revolves around the "fault" codes on the EEC stuff. The (auto) manufacturers will release basic trouble fault codes but want to retain many of the other diagnostic information. The aftermarket is trying to get their hands on that information and of course the manufacturers resist.

Everybody is doing it.:angry:

I'm a commercial HVAC mechanic and Trane would not sell us the software to work on their large tonnage machines which is a must have now to replace any sensor on the machine. They flat out told us NO.

We recently purchased a $40,000.00 control upgrade to one Trane centrifugal chiller and told them we had to have the software or we wouldn't do the upgrade. They agreed to sell us (lease to us) the software for $2600 only if we made the $40k purchase and then it must be renewed every 365 days for another $2600/year.

Pretty much all the big players are doing the same thing in my trade. Trane, Carrier, McQuay & York/JCI are locking everybody out so they have no competition. Corporate America...gotta love it.:biggrin2: