bjorn773
Silver Member
Agreed, I just ordered my service manual online... $150. The dealer was $160 plus tax. You pay for good information, 25 years in auto repair has taught me that.
Why are manuals not available for free download?
- Thread starter Sniggle
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aczlan
Good Morning
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Depends on the manufacturer and the country. Toro has all their service manuals online for free (see site:toro.com filetype
df "service manual" - Google Search). Kubota has many of them available on their Czechoslovakian site ( site:kubota.cz filetypedf - Google Search )
Aaron Z
df "service manual" - Google Search). Kubota has many of them available on their Czechoslovakian site ( site:kubota.cz filetypedf - Google Search )Aaron Z
rScotty
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I think whether to provide manuals - and to what extent - is the sort of thing that every dealership, customer, and manufacturer has to decide for themselves. Hopefully all of the service providers ultimately decide based on what the customer wants. But that isn't going to happen, so what I really hope for is that some of the people who make that sort of decision read these posts. I know I would.....
In the US, the norm is to provide an OPERATOR's manual with every new machine and as many used ones as possible. About the first third of the manual seems to be various legal forms of saying "Don't do this!" Probably necessary, sometimes even helpful, and might well be the reason why manufacturers tend to freely distribute an operator's manual in the first place.
In the US, the more detailed TECHNICAL, SHOP, & PARTS manuals are normally not automatically included with a tractor sale, but can often be ordered just like any spare parts. Prices are surprisingly stiff for something that a manufacturer has to have available to provide to their own dealer's service departments. It's not unusual for a set to be a few hundred bucks - a pretty stiff cost for reproducing something that already exists.
My own philosophy is to include hard copies of the technical and parts manuals when I'm negotiating the price on a new machine or implement. I tend to be rather firm about that. But it's just all part of the negotiations when buying any large ticket item. Just another thing to agree on & no different than things like price, payment, interest, add-ons, and warranty. These things are all very negotiable before a contract is signed.
Hmm.... I don't have to tell friends on a tractor forum about the art of negotiations!
But I can't help myself from saying that from my own buyers viewpoint a handy thing is to find out which of the negotiable items will cost the dealership real money, versus which items don't cost them much. Even though their potential profit on the latter group is much higher, these low cost add-ons are often the easiest things they will be willing to include to make a sale. After that it's just the fun of bargaining.
rScotty
In the US, the norm is to provide an OPERATOR's manual with every new machine and as many used ones as possible. About the first third of the manual seems to be various legal forms of saying "Don't do this!" Probably necessary, sometimes even helpful, and might well be the reason why manufacturers tend to freely distribute an operator's manual in the first place.
In the US, the more detailed TECHNICAL, SHOP, & PARTS manuals are normally not automatically included with a tractor sale, but can often be ordered just like any spare parts. Prices are surprisingly stiff for something that a manufacturer has to have available to provide to their own dealer's service departments. It's not unusual for a set to be a few hundred bucks - a pretty stiff cost for reproducing something that already exists.
My own philosophy is to include hard copies of the technical and parts manuals when I'm negotiating the price on a new machine or implement. I tend to be rather firm about that. But it's just all part of the negotiations when buying any large ticket item. Just another thing to agree on & no different than things like price, payment, interest, add-ons, and warranty. These things are all very negotiable before a contract is signed.
Hmm.... I don't have to tell friends on a tractor forum about the art of negotiations!
But I can't help myself from saying that from my own buyers viewpoint a handy thing is to find out which of the negotiable items will cost the dealership real money, versus which items don't cost them much. Even though their potential profit on the latter group is much higher, these low cost add-ons are often the easiest things they will be willing to include to make a sale. After that it's just the fun of bargaining.
rScotty
Farmer495
Veteran Member
Can/used to be able to get most Deere operator's manuals online for free. I have no Deere stuff so didn't help me any.
MHarryE
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Deere operators manuals are available on their site for free download. That makes sense for any company even though it costs a lot of money to produce the manuals. Safety items are especially important and a customer having used a machine improperly resulting in an injury can use the manual availability as a point against a company that doesn't provide them. Once done it becomes "state of the art". Workshop manuals are a different matter.
buickanddeere
Super Member
Free manuals from Deere ? Show us please where the free operator and service manuals are. Parts manuals are free for the downloading.
Farmer495
Veteran Member
Farmer495
Veteran Member
PILOON
Super Star Member
Manuals are not free because folks are in business to generate profit.
Printing does cost money in case you are not informed.
I purchased my tractor used as naturally the owner 'lost' all manuals.
My first (within days) action was to purchase parts, shop and users manuals.
They have saved me tons of misery and I am sure money in the long run.
OK, at that time I thought costly, but with inflation they are cheep in today's dollars plus they saved me many more $$'s in the meantime.
Printing does cost money in case you are not informed.
I purchased my tractor used as naturally the owner 'lost' all manuals.
My first (within days) action was to purchase parts, shop and users manuals.
They have saved me tons of misery and I am sure money in the long run.
OK, at that time I thought costly, but with inflation they are cheep in today's dollars plus they saved me many more $$'s in the meantime.
MHarryE
Elite Member
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Manuals.deere.com
OMAR188670: 7720, 7820 and 7920 Tractors, Block File: RF30435_0000027_19_22MAR05.htm
Example is one section for our 7720 tractor. I picked a poor example but my iPad dissolves its keypad display if I go back to the web while in Tractorbynet. I just google JD 7720 tractor manual, or 6230 for our other Deere tractor. My cousin's filing system is throw them in a pile so I refer to the web when I need info. Also it is always the latest, or so it's stated by Deere on the manual site.
