FarmTrac Troubles

blueliner · Jan 26, 2009

taxpayer said:
...guess we have to get ole Blue's nose on the trail again.

Tax-man et al,

My feet may seemingly be moving slowly, but believe this: my nose continues to hover across the trail of those tied to Farmtrac and Textron Financial. A forced hiatus imposed from other columnist venues allows this hound the luxury of regrouping -- and twice as many sniffs; a set of circumstances that promises to suck for them.

--b

taxpayer · Jan 26, 2009

Some strange happenings going on.Montana and the ex-farmtrac dealers met
in Raleigh NC on the 22nd and then Montana had another meeting in Tarboro on the same day, not at the plant but at a local motel, kinda of secretive. what gives with that?shucks Red, I wish I could find out secrets.now ol Blue's
purty good at that.anyway seems to me that what came out of the Raleigh meeting was about the expected routine. sign up with us and we'll throw you a bone, otherwise we don't know you.I don't know, but over all this yaking I seem to keep hearing the sound of the big T's cash registers working away.

I've heard the name "Soniliki tractors" and Montana whispered in the same breath. whats with that?

dgl24087 · Jan 26, 2009

I assume you mean Sonalika International Tractor Sonalika International Tractors Ltd Sonalika Tractors Company in India: Sonalika Tractor Manuf...

EasyEd · Jan 26, 2009

Hey All,

Probably needed them tractors to power these!

Sonalika Group | Products | Product Detail

Me thinks some slickerin goin on. Ain't globalization great!

-Ed-

kevanos · Jan 27, 2009

Montana currently sells the I4794 which is built by Sonalika International in India.

Diesel Progress North American - April 2008

taxpayer · Jan 27, 2009

dgl24087 said:
I assume you mean Sonalika International Tractor Sonalika International Tractors Ltd Sonalika Tractors Company in India: Sonalika Tractor Manuf...

yep, thats probably the one, what do you know about them, I never heard of that one, do they market in the US?
Taxpayer

case1570 · Jan 27, 2009

How quickly we forget. We are not even out of bed yet with the liars from India that got us in this mess and now we are running to jump in with another???????? Different company yes, same mentality, same thoughts on "word & honor" as the farmtrackers that got us here. More reasons not to go green. NO THANKS!
Case

blueliner · Jan 27, 2009

case1570 said:
How quickly we forget. We are not even out of bed yet with the liars from India that got us in this mess and now we are running to jump in with another???????? Different company yes, same mentality, same thoughts on "word & honor" as the farmtrackers that got us here. More reasons not to go green. NO THANKS!
Case

Speedy Case,

You beat me to the keypad! In 100 percent agreement with your statement. I clearly remember having multiple conversations just months ago with FNA retailers who said, "they (the Middle Easterners) have no concept of what customer service is"?

One Florida retailer said he "ran them off my property because of how rude they were," attributing it to having "no clue of our customs -- and I really think they could've cared less."

And the last I remembered... other companies from India are still capable to evade U.S. statutes the same way FNA and Escorts executives have. If a business doesn't have significant rooting in the U.S., there's little legal recourse.

It was serve FNA dealers well to internalize the slugline verse from The Who's signature tune "Babba O'Reilly," which, following an introductory primal scream, claims "We won't get fooled again."

***
Smart money says your loyal canine geigercounter of business intuition would christened the tires of "M" green in a heartbeat if given the chance. : )

***
Still sniffing... Nose to the trail.

--Ole Blue

EasyEd · Jan 27, 2009

Hey All,

I'm late to this discussion but find it absolutely fascinating. As I understand it...

1) A company from India wanted to sell tractors in the US (FNA and Escort?) and will provide the tractors, parts and cover warranty issues. Where were the FramTrac tractors actually built?

2) Interested parties become dealers borrowing money from Textron to buy inventory and having Textron finance tractors bought from those dealers.

3) For what ever reasons the company from India goes belly up and bails leaving dealers in the lurch without a supply of new tractors to sell, parts or warranty coverage of the tractors sold or those which could still be sold.

4) Textron meanwhile wants their money (may have troubles of their own) via payments and so hammers dealers for money and likely buyers who owe them for money.

5) Customers are unhappy - no parts no warranty work - yet with payments to make.

6) Dealers are unhappy as they have payments to make and customers mad at them and inventory sitting on their lots.

7) Company from India says oh well escapes legal liability and likely goes on to business in other parts of the world or maybe the process starts all over again with another company.

Do I have the basic storyline right?

Globalization - gotta love it.

That said in a free unregulated market that has no international accountability and honor is for sale - just what do you really expect? I think we will get more and more of the same in all kinds of products. Of course it works two ways. For example nobody in America is being or likely will ever be held responsible for the global economic condition we and the world are in and yet what country created all those bad mortages and allowed them to be packaged and sold? So a lack of global accountability is not all bad as America might be in trouble otherwise. (I am baffled at the lack of anger in America about this though - are people really so jaded and have such a lack of faith in government that none of this matters? If so what are those people saying is the alternative? But I digress) Anyway I think this kind of stuff (the FarmTrac story) is a major part of our future on earth until everyone grants a worldwide governing body (whatever that is) the power to put a stop to it or there is worldwide agreement that companies are held to legal account in their country for their actions in other countries. Small (meaning few countries) International agreements and the market system just won't "git er done" - the world is too big unless we go to even fewer corporations/companies - i.e. oligopolies/monopolies. Happy Days Ahead.

But getting back to tractors what is happening with the FramTrac inventory?

-Ed-