Do John Deere Dealers CARE about COMPACT Tractor Customers? 1025R DOESN'T GIVE UP on Pond Build!

[@edl1021]

Hey Tim, Ed @21st here. Hosting this event for the second year in a row was really appreciated by our customer base. I had a lot of former and future customers stop by.

[@TractorTimewithTim]

Lots of fun, Ed!

[@randallthomas5207]

When I was in my mid teens, I took a job on the hay crew of a large ranch, $100 per week plus room and board. The owner was a retired Colonel, West Point educated Engineer, from old east coast money. One morning while I was helping feed cows, he came and asked me if I could setup and use survey instruments. When I said yes, we got in his fully restored 1950 one ton and headed to town. He had gotten quotes to build forty some catch dams for stock water, and decided he could do it cheaper, and it would be in to do. We drove the two and a half hours to bigtown. And went to an engineering supply store to buy a couple of thousand in instruments and supplies. Then we went to the Cat dealer. We had been feeding cows, and had on old clothes, and manure on our boots. We wandered around looking at equipment and brochures for about half an hour. No salespeople even approached us. Finally a guy in his early twenties, came out from the parts desk to ask if he could help us. The old rancher asked him if he got a commission. And he said a small one. The rancher asked if he knew how much commission an equipment salesman made. He did and it was about five time what he made. The old rancher told him that he was his salesman, and to go get the sales manager. The kid came back about ten minutes later, with the manager in tow. The rancher told the sales manager that the parts kid was his salesman. And that he needed a dirt string: three scrapers, a dozer, a compactor, a water pull, and a service/mechanics truck delivered to the ranch in three weeks. Both the sales manager and the parts kid’s eyes got really wide. Priceless part was when the sales manager asked him how he was going to finance it, and the old rancher told him it would be a check from a ranch account, and pulled out a check book.

[@RobertBrown-cz9qz]

Don’t let the cloths fool ya

[@FelipeColby]

Those views in the background...wow. Very cool stuff.

[@TractorTimewithTim]

Yep, beautiful. They don't seem to even notice anymore!

[@GrampysTractor]

Another great video of Johnny and his friends at play in the sand box. The finished product looks great too. But the real winner was being able to work with all that scenery to look at. I was waiting for you to come down the bank on a horse and jump in the water. Great work Christy!!!!

[@paulmartin8212]

Great project. I love listening to Hannah talk. Such enthusiasm in her voice.

[@TractorTimewithTim]

Hannah is the real deal! She ALWAYS has this type of passion for the customer!

[@MrSnivvel]

My local Kubota dealer (part of a regional chain within my state) still has that "big ag" mindset. I went to them for a quote on a flail mower for my L3902, I got the retort that "everyone uses a rotary mower" and gave what I would call a "go away" quote (would use different words but it's KZbin). I did get my flail mower but I made sure to get it from a dealership that was outside of their network; and it was cheaper.

[@SteveThomson-g2m]

Good to see 21st century recognizes the market that TTWT show cases. Great video!!!!!!!!!

[@Frank98127]

Beautiful scenery in the back ground with the snow capped mountains

[@TractorTimewithTim]

Yes!

[@frankwrogg2515]

WOW, this was a brave question to ask about dealerships. And it looks like the viewers did not hold back. I have been to the JD dealer three times and have never talked to a single person at the dealership. I really wanted a green tractor as a known quantity and tons of help from shows like this one. Not sure how they know a big spender from a 2025r buyer but they seem to know.

[@TractorTimewithTim]

No, I don’t think they ‘know’ a small tractor buyer specifically. Many are simply not structured to easily handle walk in, first time customers. Listen to Hannah in this episode. I think she does a great job of describing 21st Century’s transformation.

[@EHFloridaDream]

Just recently tried to buy a Compact Tractor from Ag Pro-John Deere dealer, and because I was not buying a $1 Million in equipment, I as more of a bother to them. Had a similar experience with Bane Welker our local IH Dealership / Kubota. I then went to a Kubota dealership that specialized in Compact Tractors and had a whole different experience. As a result, I bought my Kubota from them.

[@cpc1009]

I have almost the exact story from Indianapolis IN

[@kramsey253]

I have had excellent experiences with Hutson John Deere dealerships here in Southern Indiana. I bought a 3025E last year, and the salesman was very helpful. He called more than once after the purchase to find out how it was working out for me. They also have a redemptionist close to the door to help you as soon as you enter the building.

[@TsunauticusIV]

Those piles of material dropped off by dump trucks really drives home how small these tractors are. I run heavy equipment and the largest rubber tire loader I currently run can push an entire load from a frameless tractor trailer in one go. It’s a Cat 988. I also run a Cat 950 and a Cat 930 loaders. I miss the old 980 we had but she got too old and had to go. But it’s impressive that you get the work done that you do with such small tractors. 🚜

[@21stEquip]

Thanks for asking us Tim!

[@Kcolby47]

What a daunting project. But once again the power of a good plan with persistence and perseverance produce a good product. Blessings.

[@Nick01254]

Hey Mr Tim I really enjoy your channel I’m so very sorry for you and Mrs Christie loss just wanted to say I will keep y’all in my prayers I pray that God will bless y’all so much this year and success

[@bradtaylor2081]

Hey Tim, thanks for the videos, I've leaned a lot from them. I believe a lot of sub-compact tractor buyers like myself who just bought a 1025R, are new to tractors and all the implements that can be attached to them. When I bought my tractor, the salesman was moderately helpful in selecting what implements to buy and accessories to have installed. When he delivered the tractor, he did a good job going over how to mount and dismount the loader, grapple, and mid deck mower, as well as the tractors controls. What would be really helpful would be if the dealership would offer some classes in tractor operation and maintenance. A tractors 101 class. It would generate customer goodwill as well as making for safer customers. Plus I'm sure they could figure out how to sell the students some merchandise.

[@Rentcollector]

Remember your good feelings bud it will be short lived unfortunately

[@Realdamage]

A few years back I was looking to get a John Deere with cab to do the job my Kioti is doing now. Mostly I do winter snow removal, but it gets a lot of lifting work with the forks at almost any time of the year. The first dealer I talked to has the Statewide network and didn't really seemed too impressed by my needs, but another dealer I went to ignored me altogether from the time I walked in the door. That's one big reason I bought the Kioti. The second being the Kioti dealers distance from my house. I drove my tractor home from the dealership. I've had a good relationship with my dealer and very little problems with my tractor so it all worked out. A twist on a old ad comes to mind though. I coulda had a John Deere. Be safe and God bless.

[@jagx234]

I live in a major farming area, lots of big ag tractors. The dealerships around me, 2 Deere and one Kubota, do a great job with parts and service. They carry a good inventory for SCUTs as well, though. They have lots of 1 series and 3 series, the 2 series is the hardest to find, but they have them in their local network.

[@tractorstrailsandlivingfree]

Youre a pretty big name now Tim, but i remember those first few tractor videos you put out and where you started. (I loved the creekbank cleanup series) I think you really nailed the consumer mindset regarding going into a big ag dealership and yet those same dealerships sell lawn and garden tractors which are even small compared to our class of machines.

[@TractorTimewithTim]

Thanks for staying with us very the years!

[@shanesherwood343]

I give you credit Tim slopes like that I would have pinched a hole in the seat a few times

[@BrickyardPowerMan]

Enjoying this series.

[@photocontrol]

That was a big project! The eventing pond looks nice!

[@bartonmd]

Yeah, it's kind of different to see the different kinds of dealers around here in Indiana, too. In central Indiana, you can walk around a Reynolds for 15 minutes before somebody comes and talks to you, and they're maybe at least half big ag. They're not unfriendly or unhelpful, but don't seem to cater to the little guys who haven't spent much time in a dealer. Conversely, go to Koenig in Bloomington, and they biggest thing they have in stock is a 5-series. The manager/sales guy basically meets you at the door to see how he can help you, unless you walk in and make a B-line for parts or otherwise look like you know what you're after. Completely different experience.

[@jimschmitz6192]

When I purchased my 1025R my dealer never offered or suggested any accessories. Because of yours and one other KZbin channel I have a heavy hitch weight bracket and cart. I have an HLA snow pusher, an Original Tractor Cab weather enclosure, a step mounted to the loader bracket as well as pallet forks and a work platform that attaches to the forks. Plus my latest accessory, which Deere now makes standard equipment, a single point hydraulic connector. As I said none of these recommended by my dealer. I also have a Frontier Box Blade and soon found out I needed an iMatch quick hitch. Oh and the first thing I done after taking delivery was to take my tractor to a tire dealer and have the rear tires filled with methanol (don’t have any dealer in the area that has Rim Guard). I also find it odd that almost all dealers only stock compact tractors with R4 industrial tires, I had to special order my tractor to get the R3 radials.

[@JTilesEverything]

My local JD dealer Atlantic Tractor has been fantastic to work with. Shame not all of them are. The local Kubota dealer here is superb also. I went with JD simply because I grew up playing with green tractors and my equipment is for personal use and didn’t need to make business sense. Love all the videos Tim!

[@terrygroce1594]

That is a large project Looks great!

[@sinclairpages]

You need wheel weights on the tractor to help keep it from being so tipsy. Sometimes I make sure I have a half load of gravel in the bucket for extra weight.

[@jamesharrod8733]

the dealer at elizabeth , ky now has a receptionist now , but like Jacobie sales and some of the Wright jd does not but had salesmen ask if they could help , so has changed

[@LarryWayne-x5v]

I’m sitting here thinking about your conversation with the dealership. It strikes me that the difference is that the dealership is having to adapt to retail vs wholesale. One of the challenges that some dealerships around me have is transportation. Compact and subcompact owners need reasonable help getting their tractors to the dealership.

[@brettroberts3551]

Customer service in general is hard to come by and in fact quite comical. When shopping for a sub compact tractor we had 15K to spend... 95 percent of the dealerships you walked into.... complete silence. We actually made a game if it and would stand by an employee to see how long it took to engage us. Ended up with a Massey from Plevna in Nappanee IN... basically the first salesperson to engage us and ask us what we needed. Love you show always learn from it.

[@Not_So_Weird_in_Austin]

While a lot of square feet in coverage the project looks very well done.

[@joelhenderson5404]

Good job guys!

[@Rentcollector]

I sold my Massey and down sized to a 1025r bought almost all the jd attachments for it. Owned the tractor for almost 4 years. Put a whopping 200hrs on it. In its 3rd year I noticed it wouldn’t lift the attachments high enough the mid mower wouldn’t adjust deck height. It was a slow process didn’t happen at once. Took to the jd dealer. Was told needed 1000 in work. Turned out it was $2600 I guess the dealer is losing so many customers the ones that go get fleeced Some parts were seized. Complain to jd customer care. They read me a script of why it’s not a manufacturers defect. I guess bad choice in metal is the customers fault 😂 I keep the tractor in my house garage which is heated. Purchase my filters and attachments from the dealer a loyal customer. In the end my goodwill was declined. I told the “robot” reading the script today jd saved $1000 **edited**final bill $2600 dollars but going forward has lost 10’s of thousands of dollars. Btw the tractor is still at the dealer for 2 weeks. Never again with jd. Will go back to massey for sure NEVER had an issue and the tractor was alway parked outside 😂

[@bradb_in_Iowa]

Maybe consider a Kioti. I was in between a Kubota and JD at the tail end of COVID -- and neither had supply. I researched Kioti and was surprised at all the good reviews from ACTUAL Kioti owners. I am just under 400 hours and I would absolutley recommend it. FEL can easily out perform comparable JD and Kubota models with significantly more hydraulic flow. The biggest drawback is the dealer network. I am sure it will grow but if you get a dud dealer like I did, you have to go farther for service. Thankfully, I am able to do all the maintenance myself and no major issues. And no, I am not paid nor work for Kioti. Just a happy owner. 😄

[@Rentcollector]

@@bradb_in_Iowa I never put kioti on my radar but I had a fellow farmer own one. He loved it always bragged how good of a tractor it was for what he paid for the unit. I do have a dealer about an hour away but I own T 20’s a 135 with a Perkins gas and most recent a 4770 always outside always worked flawlessly. Lesson Learned you a brand is good why fix something that’s not broken. Anyway first time last time. And I will NEVER stop telling people about my experience with JD

[@bradb_in_Iowa]

@Rentcollector makes sense to me. If it works for you, keep it going. I think JD's time is waning. Other options available, for sure.

[@chrisbuxton2778]

​@@bradb_in_IowaJD's time is waning?

[@bradb_in_Iowa]

@chrisbuxton2778 Absolutely. I've worked in manufacturing for 15 years and have worked with several who have been at JD manufacturers in the Midwest. They are losing market share and it is impacting factories and the people that work there. Also, a 500k JD sprayer vs a 50K agricultural drone is insane, plus it doesn't compact soil or run over any crops. If you bleed JD green, nothing is say matters anyway, but times are changing.

[@stanleybaker8707]

Hey Tim how are you,the wife and daughter doing, my mom and are doing awesome, love the videos, keep them coming. 😊😊😊😊

[@TractorTimewithTim]

Katriel getting married soon!

[@2naturesownplace]

@Tim..had to share..this past week I finished the engine swap on my 1999 JD 4100. Total invested time 36hrs. Total $ cost with spare 4100. $3000. Local Deere dealer wanted $3000 just to swap an engine. Which did not include cost of another engine. To them it's all about $$$$$ once sold..forget that customer. Think about it. Nearly $800 for a 4ft 1/2 OD hydraulic line that is made soft metal. TYM for me in the future.

[@TractorTimewithTim]

I’m not sure that any other brand will be cheaper. Additionally, I doubt you would find someone to do an engine swap on a 20-25 yr old TYM.

[@mattmoser6848]

Should reach out to Mac Equipment in Longmont next year to use a ventrac on some of these jobs. I’m sure they’d be glad to work with you along with 21st Century Equipment.

[@aaronburford5701]

Wow! This was fascinating to watch! Great content.....

[@texillini1]

Interesting project. I enjoyed watching. Customer loyalty begins with a quality product and a focus on quality customer service on all levels. That was scary to watch in some places as it looked like you could’ve tipped over. Glad you didn’t. Stay safe and God Bless.

[@TractorTimewithTim]

Yep, but I needed to knock it down…as you noticed, by the end, it was smooth and gradual.

[@miker8915]

Great video! Thank you for posting 😀

[@philirwin2028]

Looks good. Job well done.

[@jamesstuder5045]

Welcome back.

[@BG-vq9fd]

I started to order a canopy from Artillion the other day and backed out because shipping for the $599 canopy was $250. I also called to confirm they are not selling the fan. Apparently lawyers are involved.

[@TractorTimewithTim]

Interesting.

[@christophergherke446]

I found ttwt the exact same way she said her customers are finding him.

[@johnnygriffith2317]

Hey, I watch you 2 all the time just wanted to encourage you and pray that the HOLY SPIRIT paves the path before you and pours out his direction and Blessings on your endeavors.

[@benagain7617]

Nice different video. We're up here in sugar beet country also, but when I asked my local John Deere dealer if they fill tires with RimGuard, they laughed at me and said all that stuff corrodes tires/rims here in Minnesota/ North Dakota.

[@TractorTimewithTim]

Nope. No corrosion with Rimguard. Their info is faulty…they are thinking of calcium.

[@Gnomoleon]

Trying to buy JD parts in Canada is brutal if you don't live near a dealer. Greentractorparts won't ship to Canada because of a agreement between JD Corp and franchise owners in Canada. I've been asked to fax info ..... FAX.... Anyway. I've learned to bring my own part numbers and have print outs of what I want/need before the one hour drive to the dealer.

[@dave.lawrence.3894]

Looking good, keep going it will get better!!! 😅

[@Skynet-1]

I spent nearly $40,000 cash (including tax) on my 2021 2025R cab tractor with several attachments at Tri Country Equipment in Michigan with 11 locations. After the sale I never heard a word from my salesman unless I called him. No follow up after the sale at all. One call I made to him was about a hydraulic leak. He basically told me he's in sales only and to talk to service. That response total pissed me off! In other words he was done with me. I was not a difficult customer. The service department & the driver who delivered & picked up my tractor for service was great. If he had said I understand and let me let you talk to our service department to make arrangements to pick up your tractor and get it fixed I would have been happy with that. How hard would it be to follow up after the sale and let the customer know they appreciate your business and if I needed anything to just give him a call and not the dead cold goodbye handshake when the sale is done... I'm still pissed off with it...😡

[@theoryman05]

I went into tri county equipment to get a quote for a 1023e and 1025r. The sales guy seemed like I was burdening him and even rolled his eyes. He printed the quotes and didn't even give me his card when I left. I bought a Kubota.

[@ebbyjones3177]

@@theoryman05 You will love your Kubota as I do mine. If you need help google; Orange Tractor Talks . A community of Kubota tractor owners who are available to provide advice to fellow forum members. Some pretty smart people there. Helped me out a lot. Bought mine 2 years ago. No regrets.

[@Trevor4ag]

I would say here in the states they usually split the sales team so yes. The I’ve seen is when you are a small ag guy, they could give 2 shi** . You get the ag sales team and unless you are spending 200k , they could care less

[@PaulLB7]

That was a lot of work for two days!

[@dieseldood]

So, I'm still just shopping, and told the salesmen at each store that. I currently have a 420 with, mower, snowblower, 3pt, a FEL that I built, cab with heat, and I'm currently building a backhoe. I started with Deere because I like the auto connect deck. Salesman greets me, I tell him I'm just shopping and it's going to be a year or so before purchase. I tell him what I want to replace, minus the backhoe. "$50k, let me know if you have any questions, there is one right there (points). Pardon me." and he walked away to chat with a gentleman that obviously looked like a farmer. I don't blame him. I am just shopping, and I think he would have stayed with me if I was ready to make a sale. But 50k is a shock to me. I poke around and I find that you have to go to a 3 series Deere to get AC in the cab. I do NOT need that big of a rig! Some could argue I don't need a 1025.... but that's another conversation. Stopped into my local Kubota store. I know NOTHING about the orange tractors, and I tell the salesman that. I'm expecting a Salesman to appear. He reaches to his right, grabs a brochure and pulls a sticky pad out of his pocket, scribbles down some prices, forgets the cab, sticks it to the brochure then hands it to me and says "When you know what you want, my number is at the bottom." and walked away. Well, ok then. I won't bother you. I don't even remember the price. I got in the car and tossed the paperwork on the floor next to the junk mail from the mailbox. Last stop Kioti. Again I know nothing, so I tell the salesman that I'm trying to learn and I'm going to be a while before I actually purchase. "Perfect, we like to get to know our customers first." he tells me. From there we cover what I have and what I'm looking for. We talk for almost an hour walking through the tractors, we cover 3 of their models and he even invites me to his house to run his CS and see what I think. He does suggest that with the cab, I may want to go CX because that cab has factory AC, has even more lifting capacity, mower lifts significantly higher and a few other benefits.. BUT, Rumor is that the CS may get AC as well, but they haven't said when. We compared prices and went through everything comparing the 2 tractors. No pressure, but he did mention the financing and possible payments of course. All said and done, I honestly feel like I also gained a friend through our conversation. We've actually talked since, and when I'm ready to buy, I will be stopping there for sure. Customer service was the best, but honestly the pricing is hard to beat. A step bigger in tractor, fully set up WITH AC in the cab, and it's $16k less than a 1025. With potentially MORE than that if the CS does come with AC. (I just can't seem to shake that thought! Mowing and summer work in AC!? Yes please!) If the first salesman at Deere wouldn't have shocked me with a $50k price tag, I probably wouldn't have even looked anywhere else. Why is the tractor under 25, yet blower, mower, FEL and cab doubles the price? Something isn't right there in my mind.

[@projectswithjw]

My local Deere dealer is awful. I'd rather get a root canal than set foot in the place. One time i went inside and didn't see a single employee for an entire 40 minutes. They had to be called on the phone to come out to the sales floor. There were 3 sales people, 1 service tech, 1 manager, and no other customers in the parking lot. They weren't busy, they were hiding from work.

[@TractorTimewithTim]

Sorry to hear that!

[@Dream4Design]

again, just simple box blade will do this work way, way faster and better. Do not forget folks, Box Blade is tool No. 1.

[@TractorTimewithTim]

I dunno. Not convinced!

[@adamwagner1987]

In our over 30 years of holding rodeos and horse boarding I've never had a horse that wouldn't swim in our pond. It's 25 feet deep and they swim like the lockness monster 😂 it's always funny to watch them.

[@joelwoerner2825]

Fill bucket with dirt to help balast

[@kruzininla]

I visited a John Deere dealer in my area (Goldman in bossier Louisiana). Made an agreement to purchase, I went home to get my trailer, by the time I got back to Goldmans, they sold it from under me. I don’t blame John Deere, I blame the pathetic dealer and salesman.

[@SledgeHammer43]

I would have to widen that tire track to the maximum. Tim data on everything gets lost as new generations of mechanics, salesmen and owners goes on from year to year.

[@jacobbuckley8232]

Not sure what the trench is supposed to do

[@TractorTimewithTim]

Holds down the edge of the liner.

[@andrewkirch5920]

The only bad experience I had purchasing my Summit tractor was because of the backhoe. If you’re going to sell a TLB please please PLEASE spend 10 minutes exercising the backhoe and loader, and keep topping off the hydraulic fluid so I don’t have to. I had to put over a gallon of fluid in a brand new tractor, which is a bit silly.

[@MJF40]

It's getting harder. Dealer buy ups. Smaller guy "retiring" Shame

[@RS-sl5ko]

Until John Deere and New Holland and Case realized small tractor buyers and small land owners are important , Kubota dealer will continue to grow. Not because they necessary have a better product but because the Corporation makes it clear to dealers that they are in business for larger owners. They keep closing small time local dealers. I promise if my local dealer is easy to work with and cares about me that is the kind of tractor I will buy.

[@TractorTimewithTim]

I don’t think your analysis is accurate for all dealers.

[@AnimationCPU-y2k24]

Not accurate for my area. 4 JD dealerships..only 2 followed up with a price. 1 case dealership and they provided a price. One kioti dealer and they provided a quote. One Massey Ferguson dealership that did provide a quote. 2 Kubota dealerships but only 1 provided a quote. One Mahindra dealership and they did provide a quote. I don't believe it depends on the brand but each dealership.

[@2009rummell]

If mother Deere cared about customer service in general they wouldn't let ag pro take over everything east of the Mississippi

[@TractorTimewithTim]

Yes, I get it.

[@craigflatley7370]

🇨🇦👍

[@musicgroopie1]

John Deere compacts are overpriced and under performance. The Fel capacity on JD is no where close to the Korean brands, Mahindra or Massey. I dont see a bright future for JD's compact line. I can by a 48 hp TYM tractor with five major implements for less loney than a 4044 r TYM gives you all the nice features where as JD nickle and dimes you for the same features.

[@TractorTimewithTim]

Deere’s pricing has definitely gotten unreasonable.

[@musicgroopie1]

@@TractorTimewithTim I'm 60 years old and I grew up with John Deere on my dad's farm. I'm actually sad to see the path John Deere and General motors are on. Average folks can't afford 50 thousand+ tractors and trucks.

[@yippikiyay197]

I think its our fat fingers unsubscribing