Which brand would you sell?

[ihcubs]

We are looking for a tractor brand to sell and was wondering what brand you would take on in your dealership. The brands that are available in our area is: Kioti, Massey Ferguson, Branson, and Mihandra. Please give us your opinions. Dealers are welcome to let us know what experiences that they have had with parts and service from these companies. Thanks in advance.

 

[Oleozz]

The "easiest" one to sell in this area would be the MF because of name recognition. For the rest that you mentioned you first have to sell the name and then the product. The Kioti brand is becoming more popular in this area because of agressive promotion by the local Kioti dealer and because JD and others are pricing themselves beyond the reach of many buyers.

 

[chh]

As stated MF would have the greatest brand recognition. A dealer near me has MF and Montana's as a second line. Around here Kioti and Mahindra despite quite a bit of promotion by dealers is not really taking off(at least among the farm/ranch community). Resale on any brand other than MF,JD,Case,or NH stinks around here.

 

[montanaman]

The brands that are available in our area are: Kioti, Massey Ferguson, Branson, and Mihandra. .

And that area would be?????????

Ken

 

[john_bud]

If you are already selling tractors, which brand has a a product that best compliments your current offerings? It would stink to bring in a brand that offers a lower price (and lower profit) tractor to your best sellers -eh?

If you are selling top of the line, and losing sales to no frills tractors, then get that type.

jb

 

[kozak]

Based upon the existing Dealerships in your area I would closely look at Kubota first, New Holland second then John Deere. Just look at all the posts under Discussions in this forum for Kubota compared to the rest. It tells you 1 of two things.....maybe both. One....Kubota's are outselling all the others and/or Second, buyers of Kubota's are more satisfied with their purchase.

I don't own a Kubota but they have an incredible reputation for reliability. The only reason I bought a NH was the Kubota Dealership was trying to pull a fast one on me.

Just my 2ï½¢.

Vic

 

[shvl73]

buyers of Kubota's are more satisfied with their purchase.

I haven't come to the same conclusion as you have. I certainly don't see the need to bring up specific posts, but a search of the Kubota forum will bring similar results of issues as other brands.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

We are looking for a tractor brand to sell and was wondering what brand you would take on in your dealership. The brands that are available in our area is: Kioti, Massey Ferguson, Branson, and Mihandra. Please give us your opinions. Dealers are welcome to let us know what experiences that they have had with parts and service from these companies. Thanks in advance.

If you are trying to choose between the four brands you mentioned then go with Massey Ferguson as being tied in with Agco you will be able to sell everything from compact tractors and equipment to combines. Having a high quality company like Agco to sell for is an advantage because of all the great equipment companies they own. Hay equipment from Hesston, tillage equipment from Sun Flower, White planters and so on so forth. MF tractors are great tractors with a long history.

Now if you only want to see small tractors then Massey Ferguson has the name but Mahindra has been selling tractors here like crazy. I see more Mahindra tractors in this area then MF (the dealer for them is terrible) and Kioti. Of course the Kioti dealer sold Valtra tractors and when Valtra was bought by Agco they ended up taking on the Agco line so I don't know how many Kioti's they sell any more.

If it was me and in my area I would go with the company that offered you the most products and best support. With MF you will get sales from people looking for implements as well as tractors. And you don't have to sell everything so you choose what your area needs and sell that.

 

[Z-Michigan]

Based on what I know, either MF or Kioti. MF is part of AGCO and gives you a full range of tractors with known quality and name recognition even for people in their 90's. The MF and AGCO tractors I've seen look good, and importantly are bought by farmers as well as homeowners. MF also has a number of implements besides just tractors, like hay balers, and that lineup could be valuable too. MF would be my #1 pick if all other factors were equal.

Kioti would be my other choice. Their product looks excellent, offering full features while undercutting big 3 prices for similar size and features. I think they are a bit handicapped by their small dealer network. Also, while I don't think Kioti will disappear any time, I can see that someone who is older and more cautious would feel better buying Deere/NH/Kubota/MF.

I have looked at Branson and Mahindra tractors at dealers and farm shows, and I'm not likely to buy either one. They look much more basic compared to the big 3, plus AGCO/MF and Kioti. I guess some of the Mahindra-badged tractors are now made in Japan Mitsubishis, but that doesn't change my view. I know that both should have "some" price advantage, but in my area it doesn't look like enough difference to justify the older tech, less refined construction, and reduced features.

Of course I don't know relative profitability, dealership requirements or financing arrangements for those brands, all of which would be quite important to me from a business perspective.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Based on what I know, either MF or Kioti. MF is part of AGCO and gives you a full range of tractors with known quality and name recognition even for people in their 90's. The MF and AGCO tractors I've seen look good, and importantly are bought by farmers as well as homeowners. MF also has a number of implements besides just tractors, like hay balers, and that lineup could be valuable too. MF would be my #1 pick if all other factors were equal.

Kioti would be my other choice. Their product looks excellent, offering full features while undercutting big 3 prices for similar size and features. I think they are a bit handicapped by their small dealer network. Also, while I don't think Kioti will disappear any time, I can see that someone who is older and more cautious would feel better buying Deere/NH/Kubota/MF.

I have looked at Branson and Mahindra tractors at dealers and farm shows, and I'm not likely to buy either one. They look much more basic compared to the big 3, plus AGCO/MF and Kioti. I guess some of the Mahindra-badged tractors are now made in Japan Mitsubishis, but that doesn't change my view. I know that both should have "some" price advantage, but in my area it doesn't look like enough difference to justify the older tech, less refined construction, and reduced features.

Of course I don't know relative profitability, dealership requirements or financing arrangements for those brands, all of which would be quite important to me from a business perspective.

Looks like I beat you to the submit button by a couple seconds

 

[Farmwithjunk]

If I was thinking about becoming a dealer, my choices would be based on a LOT more than what my favorite tractor color is. I'd have to see what sort of return on my investment we were looking at. Which manufacturer was willing to put me in the best position to operate a successful business. Simply being "popular in the area" isn't a gauranty of a good bottom line.

Look at PAST sales in an area. Will there be a decent parts business for the oldies? While NEW tractors do break, and do need service, there'll be more cash flowing if a brand has 50 years worth of "product" in the field.

Look at FUTURE sales. Is a brand on the rise? Are they stagnant? Or are they falling off the face of the earth?

How does a certain brand help an upstart dealership get their foot in the door. Are they willing to be flexable or is it "My way or the highway"?

Without an informed look at all these details, no one should simply pull a name out of the sky and say "This is the one!"

IMHO, the question of which brand I'd want to invest in as a dealer has very little if ANY corralation with "what brand would I buy/own"? I'd sure LIKE to sell a brand I like, but business is business.

Knowing what I know about the area I live in, the little I know about how certain brands work with dealers, what I see as the future marketing strategies of certain brands, the numbers of older tractors in the field, and the dealer competition in MY immediate area, I'd tend to favor MF/AGCO at this point. That's NOT based on the fact my favorite OLD tractor is an MF. (I own several Deere's too) It's about what I'd suspect would cash flow and succeed IN THIS AREA.

 

[Wayne County Hose]

I deal with a large tractor dealer in my area that carries the Agco line. He tells me that Agco is a sinking ship and they are slowly pulling away from them. I'm not saying that they are going out of business, just that they are not what they once were. And that is coming from their dealer.
There is a dealer a little further away that carries Kioti. He is definately growing far faster than any other dealer in the area. His customer service has a lot to do with that also. I see quite a few people in my neck of the woods that drive 10 miles further and right past at least 4 other dealers to buy from the Kioti dealer. I think that more important than the color tractor is how you stand behind it.

 

[ihcubs]

BTW: We are located in NC and the JD, NH, and kubota lines are taken. We sell a lot of lawn and garden equipment, but we don't sell any tractors. Kinda hestitate to get in the tractor business, but considering it. Thanks so far for all of the responses.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

I deal with a large tractor dealer in my area that carries the Agco line. He tells me that Agco is a sinking ship and they are slowly pulling away from them. I'm not saying that they are going out of business, just that they are not what they once were. And that is coming from their dealer.
There is a dealer a little further away that carries Kioti. He is definately growing far faster than any other dealer in the area. His customer service has a lot to do with that also. I see quite a few people in my neck of the woods that drive 10 miles further and right past at least 4 other dealers to buy from the Kioti dealer. I think that more important than the color tractor is how you stand behind it.

Maybe that dealer is sinking his own ship too. AGCO is doing VERY well in this area, and Massey Ferguson branded tractors are doing EXTREMELY well worldwide. Funny thing is, I heard almost the same claims, regarding John Deere, almost word for word, from a failing Deere dealer that's a few miles from here. The only Kioti dealership with-in 40 miles of here closed their doors and disappeared from the map Jan. 1st. That dealer claimed Kioti was a dying entity. Individual dealer success or failure very often has next to nothing to do with corporate success or failure.

 

[kozak]

BTW: We are located in NC and the JD, NH, and kubota lines are taken. We sell a lot of lawn and garden equipment, but we don't sell any tractors. Kinda hestitate to get in the tractor business, but considering it. Thanks so far for all of the responses.

Sorry, mis-interpreted your Post. If your going to go up against the BIG 3, Massey Ferguson would probably be your best choice. HOWEVER, this is just a personal feeling. FarmwithIncredibleJunk brings up some really good points from a business perspective which I have literally zero experience in. You would really have to do your homework & investigate all the angles as FWIJ has indicated.

Vic

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I deal with a large tractor dealer in my area that carries the Agco line. He tells me that Agco is a sinking ship and they are slowly pulling away from them. I'm not saying that they are going out of business, just that they are not what they once were. And that is coming from their dealer.
There is a dealer a little further away that carries Kioti. He is definately growing far faster than any other dealer in the area. His customer service has a lot to do with that also. I see quite a few people in my neck of the woods that drive 10 miles further and right past at least 4 other dealers to buy from the Kioti dealer. I think that more important than the color tractor is how you stand behind it.

As Bill said, usually when you hear a dealer talk poor about the brand he is selling it is usually because he is either changing lines or the brand is forcing him to sell his store to a larger chain. Agco is doing well right now so I would not worry about what your dealer told you.

 

[albmn10]

In my area, the Kioti is doing the best among your listed brands.. The local highway departments are no longer using Kubota from what ive seen, Kiotis are doing most of thier work. There is only one Massey dealer and he is way overpriced. Mahindra opened locally about 3 years ago and is no longer here. Kioti moved in locally about 3 years ago as well, they have done so well hes opend a second dealership pretty much in the same area. I asked this dealer how is sales were going said they were doing very well.

 

[ToadHill]

IH Cubs: The place I bought my Kioti from was a dealer just like you and when he decided to take on a tractor line he said Kioti offered the best bang for his buck.

 

[Wayne County Hose]

Maybe that dealer is sinking his own ship too. AGCO is doing VERY well in this area, and Massey Ferguson branded tractors are doing EXTREMELY well worldwide. Funny thing is, I heard almost the same claims, regarding John Deere, almost word for word, from a failing Deere dealer that's a few miles from here. The only Kioti dealership with-in 40 miles of here closed their doors and disappeared from the map Jan. 1st. That dealer claimed Kioti was a dying entity. Individual dealer success or failure very often has next to nothing to do with corporate success or failure.

You may be 100% correct. I only know what the dealer told me. But, they are by far the largest dealer around. I think I read that MF is the largest seller worldwide, correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[drivadesl]

Similar to what FWJ pointed out. Perform a market survey and market analysis. You can hire someone, or read up and perform your own. Determine which dealers are in your area, and where you sit geographically amongst them. Who is your target clientelle. What type of machinery are being used in the area. Are there more professional farmers, or hobbyfarmer/homeowner types. Narrow down your choices and analyze each company in terms of what they will offer you as a dealer, and how it affects your startup and operating costs. Applying basic marketing techniques will go a long way to help you make an informed decision. You probably already know this, but I thought it may add to the discussion. Best of luck to you, this country is built on small business'.