Right to Repair

[mg2361]

Look what Deere posted on YouTube this month.

 

[BigWrench55]

Did John Deere concede the law suit?
I can only imagine what that would cost to use.

 

[crane operator]

I think Deere is trying to promote the idea that the farmers can work on their own equipment, "LOOK what we are doing"- because they are afraid of the current right to repair legislation sitting in a lot of states right now. They don't want to continue to spend the lawyer fees to fight their customers.

I found it hilarious in this video from a month ago- the chief technology officer of Deere is interviewed, and declares that the software to run a tractor should be compared to the aviation industry, not consumer electronics.

I've never thought of a tractor breaking down in the field, quite the same as a 767 falling out of the sky with 200 people on board, but he evidently thinks they are comparable. The John deere guy talks about it at the 13:50 mark in the video if you don't want to sit through the whole thing.

 

[BigWrench55]

That guy is a tool!
Everyone that wants to control what you can or cannot do uses the word safety. I for one cannot stand when someone interjects themselves into my daily comings and goings. Using for my safety as a reason. It is no one's business if what I am doing is unsafe. It only becomes someone's business if my unsafe actions will hurt another person. I work at a dealership and I can tell you that it's nearly impossible to bypass any safety features even for troubleshooting purposes. Yes I can turn off parameters, but for a customer version that is easily remedied. Farmers simply want to be able to fix their equipment and have the ability to do so accurately and quickly. When you have a time sensitive crop. You can't wait 3 weeks for the only person that can connect to your machine to show up. And then another week for parts to show up. I can go on forever on this subject.
F.U. safety nazis!

 

[Birken Vogt]

Looks like about $4,500 to get into it, and $2,500 per year thereafter to maintain.

 

[BigWrench55]

One or two service calls can justify that cost.

 

[Vetech63]

Looks like about $4,500 to get into it, and $2,500 per year thereafter to maintain.

My farming grandparents only made a profit 1 year out of 30. I can see the cost of this or a major breakdown/repair putting most farmers in the red.

 

[crane operator]

My farming grandparents only made a profit 1 year out of 30. I can see the cost of this or a major breakdown/repair putting most farmers in the red.

I was thinking that most farmers today wouldn't think that's too expensive. But the big farmers today are using $500,000 combines and $250,000 tractors and a head for the combine is $150,000. A iowa farmer sitting on 1,000 acres of paid for ground at $10,000 a acre evaluation, has a couple coins to jingle together.

 

[Birken Vogt]

One or two service calls can justify that cost.

Yes, but they are definitely squeezing all they can out of it at that cost.

 

[John C.]

I was thinking that most farmers today wouldn't think that's too expensive. But the big farmers today are using $500,000 combines and $250,000 tractors and a head for the combine is $150,000. A iowa farmer sitting on 1,000 acres of paid for ground at $10,000 a acre evaluation, has a couple coins to jingle together.

The wheat farms in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana start at 1,000 acres. The big farms in the northwest trade the iron in every third year for another.

 

[Truck Shop]

The wheat farms in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana start at 1,000 acres. The big farms in the northwest trade the iron in every third year for another.

Around here a 1000 acres is small potato's. Average is 3,500 acres and up.

The use of the word safety these days is common-People throw the {Safety Card}
at the drop of a hat. I have drivers pull that {Safety Card} all the time, till I blow a
hole in their plan.

That video is the standard fair {pandering} that big industry put's out to lull people
into thinking {They are on your side and really understand your needs}
Solutions-Is another term to lull the public into thinking their problems are solved.
{We have the {Solution & Logistics} to cover your needs}.-------Crap.

Every time I see a image of a techno wizard pictured with his laptop {I would like to
smack it with a brick or cut the the cable.

 

[crane operator]

I'd like to clarify a little on what I think of right to repair and lawsuits between John Deere and its customers. I don't think John Deere is probably that afraid of fighting lawsuits brought by customers, even as a class action. The profits outweigh the lawyer fees yet.

I think they are afraid of federal or states enacting legislation, and then having to fight that. The lawyer fees eventually wear out the class action and customers, whereas Uncle Sam and the attorney generals of individual states, couldn't care less how long they end up with John Deere in court. Time and money don't mean much to gov't lawyers. That probably does worry Deere.

 

[BigWrench55]

It's easy to be frivolous on someone else's dime.

 

[Truck Shop]

It's easy to be frivolous on someone else's dime.

Correct, That is what manufactures have done, frivolous with the customers wallet.
Which they work hard to infiltrate.
Equipment being built with standard features no one really needs that generate huge
profits later in parts and labor sales. For instance a truck of any kind does not need
power windows, door locks, five power ports, moto mirrors both sides. Sam module operated
interior power or external lighting. Climate controlled cab, key fob start stop I could go on but those items just
to name a few generate huge profits and are not necessary. The buyer has been lulled
into thinking he needs these things.

My favorite item is air disc brakes-the tests were performed by the manufactures then
pandered to federal highway safety and they ok'ed it. Fixing something that's not broke.
Air disc was tried in Europe in the mid 90's. Companies over there swallowed the sales
pitch hook line and sinker. After 5 years it was back to drum brakes. Wabco, Bendix used
many ideas from those designs and touted how great air disc is, it finally is starting to sink
in here that drum brakes work just fine and less cost. But it just had to to tried over here.

 

[Tones]

According to some farmers here, when JD come out to do "repairs " and plug a laptop into a tractor or combine they can upload a heap of other information like crop data which can be sold to other parties. No wonder the tech has to make a phone call to activate the laptop. Auto steer can do the same thing. Talk about big brother.

 

[Birken Vogt]

In the US I believe some of them have real time data links that phone home the crop data as they harvest. Maybe somebody can point out a video or article about it.

 

[Tones]

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-02-19/agriculture-data-protection/100840436
This is where I saw about data harvesting.

 

[Truck Shop]

They can tell when the bunker alarm goes on and how fast and many times it goes on and how fast their
ground speed is harvesting wheat and nail how many bushel to the acre right down to a nat's a$$. I was told
that 4 years ago by a deere mechanic I know here in town. No secret from what I was told.

 

[John C.]

What can be done with that kind info? Who would pay money for it?

 

[Birken Vogt]

I imagine something like the scenes near the end of the film "Trading Places"

I understand it is quite the revenue stream for JD. They sell the info to whoever is buying I guess.