They sell land prep, crop sowing, and harvesting solutions.
It's not like a car. These things are used for a few weeks a year, and if they don't do their job during that time the farm looses all their income for the year.
A better way to think of them is like construction equipment that you rent. Even big construction companies rent their equipment.
This comment still doesn't answer parent question. I design critical infrastructure control systems for a living. Every single component of my systems is user servicable and replaceable with an alternative COTS available component with a little bit of work. There is literally no reason a tractor can't also do that. Other than market moats and rent seeking.
Rent seeking is right. Farmers shouldn't be subjected to landlord economics via their equipment. That is, equipment cost shouldn't scale simply to eat farming profit (as rent costs quickly rise to eat rising incomes).
I'd want to see the numbers on exaclty how much supposed always-up farming equipment saves in crop production, compared to farmers that don't use it.
In fact, I know for certain that the most productive farmland in the US, per area unit, is least likely to use motorized equipment of any kind. And when they do it isn't equipment on par with John Deere.
> In fact, I know for certain that the most productive farmland in the US, per area unit, is least likely to use motorized equipment of any kind.
Isn’t this exactly what you’d expect? Motorized equipment is for working vast amounts of farmland as efficiently as possible, so the only farmland that would be worked by hand would have to be much more lucrative in comparison.
> if they don't do their job during that time the farm looses all their income for the year.
That's exactly why farmers push for right-to-repair. The old model of "each farmer can repair their tractor, or at least jury-rig it to work for a week" was much more scalable than John Deere somehow having enough staff and service partners to handle anything that goes wrong in those couple of weeks, and then having these people mostly idle the rest of the year.
Of course at the same time newer tractors are much more capable, and allow a farmer to be much more efficient. But for a country it's also somewhat risky to put a large part of their food supply behind a single point of failure
If I can’t drive to work, I won’t be paid, i’ll lose all my income. Thus, somehow the car company should prevent me from repairing my car, working with any independent qualified garage?
They tried. Independent auto repair shops across the country sued and lobbied to save their businesses.
"On the last day of California's legislative session in 2000, Governor Gray Davis signed into law what had come to be known as "OBD-II." The new law expanded the OBD service information requirements in California by directing car companies to make all manuals and technical service bulletins Internet-accessible, supply tools, and offer training to all non-dealer service companies in the state."
Are they exempt? At least one state, I believe it was Mass has a law on the book allowing work. Of course we need independent repairs (and training to do it properly) on EVs. There are a few repair garages for Teslas that seem to be people who used to work at Tesla, they fix wonky things on battery packs sometimes.
Exempt from requiring an ODB port that outputs the narrow scope ODB data.
They are mainly exempt because most of that data is emissions related. ODB came about due to CA requiring lower emissions and smog checks. They needed a way to quickly and cheaply verify it independently of the manufacturer. Unfortunately, in VWs case, the law assumed the data isn't modified before being sent.
And you help the farmer by preventing them from fixing their own vehicles and equipment? Somehow we seem to be talking from different worlds. If you are worried about people losing potential to use their equipment at an important time, then (this will sound crazy!) let them fix their own equipment.
They're not really cars. They sell navigational, entertainment- and seat-heating solutions. These things are used a few hours each day. A better way to think of them is like a transportation solution that you rent. Even big unrelated companies rent things.
Farmers use their tractors year round, though? I see what you're saying vis-a-vis specific sprayers, ploughs, or even a combine harvester, but tractors are in pretty continuous use.
Yes, I feel that the commenter suggesting they are "not like a car" is mistaken. I grew up in an AG community but my family was not doing crops so I don't have first hand knowledge
They are mostly a utility truck used quite often, and 2-3 times a year they hook up the expensive add-ons to do the big work
Why can't the farm have the server on premise instead of needing a subscription. So somebody can say they're meeting their KPIs and request more money?
I sell software and services to farmers. Running an on premises server that their business depends on is way beyond their capabilities. Our company tried that, it failed horribly, and the farmers blamed us. They want us to provide it as a service that always works, however it's made they don't care, just pay.
They sell land prep, crop sowing, and harvesting solutions.
It's not like a car. These things are used for a few weeks a year, and if they don't do their job during that time the farm looses all their income for the year.
A better way to think of them is like construction equipment that you rent. Even big construction companies rent their equipment.