Same deal I have come across with round balers. Had a net wrap belt go and did not have one in stock yet used across decades of balers. Just the way it is and I attempt to do a better job of preseason maintenance and inspection and for some of the consumables I keep them on hand myself. While not having parts in stock is bad you need to think ahead to the Sunday breakdown where there are no options.
Remember when parts didn't have to be ordered?
So this is a bit of a rant...
I'm finding it incredibly annoying these days when it comes to getting parts in a timely fashion, and I'm not talking about supply chain shortages.
It used to be that, with a fair amount of certainty, you could go in to a John Deere dealership and get the part you needed because it was on hand. Now for those who only use their tractors for mowing the yard and clearing their driveway of snow if you have to wait a day, or two, or three it isn't going to greatly affect you like it does for those of us who are using our equipment professionally or agriculturally.
Last week... The saying is "make hay while the sun shines". Well, half way through cutting a customer's field at 6pm Friday the guard bar in my Frontier SB3108 snaps off at the drive end. I called my local Deere location as soon as they opened Saturday morning and inquired on a replacement. This dealership has a LOT of locations and does a LOT of volume. Of course they did not have one locally but also did not have one at any of their locations. I will give them credit for telling me who did have one but if I ordered it from my local location their best bet on getting the part was TEN DAYS!!! The part had to be procured through the vendor. Ten days does NOT work during hay production. It wouldn't work during planting season, or harvest season, etc. I fault Deere corporate for not having IN STOCK somewhere in the Deere parts supply system the parts for the products they sell.
So, rather than order it and wait ten days, I drove from one end of my state to the other and back again (racing the clock before the dealership closed at noon), in order to get the sickle bar assembly. Eight hours round trip. The next closest in stock location was two states away and that was the only other location in the entire Deere system that had the part, nation wide.
Fast forward to today... I have a simple bearing flange assembly that has gone out and it is common to many, many, many John Deere baler models. Three pieces totaling a whopping $25 retail. Again... not in stock at any nearby (within 2 hours one way) dealerships but can be ordered. Two day wait.
How in the heck are people, dependent upon being able to keep their equipment running in timely fashion to satisfy customers or save their crops, supposed to do so when everything is two days to a back order delay??? And again, it isn't because of supply chain issues. It's because Deere isn't stocking anything. Blame it on government and their greed when it comes to taxing inventories or who knows what... But it certainly does not have the customer in mind and it is the customer who pays their bills.
I'm finding it incredibly annoying these days when it comes to getting parts in a timely fashion, and I'm not talking about supply chain shortages.
It used to be that, with a fair amount of certainty, you could go in to a John Deere dealership and get the part you needed because it was on hand. Now for those who only use their tractors for mowing the yard and clearing their driveway of snow if you have to wait a day, or two, or three it isn't going to greatly affect you like it does for those of us who are using our equipment professionally or agriculturally.
Last week... The saying is "make hay while the sun shines". Well, half way through cutting a customer's field at 6pm Friday the guard bar in my Frontier SB3108 snaps off at the drive end. I called my local Deere location as soon as they opened Saturday morning and inquired on a replacement. This dealership has a LOT of locations and does a LOT of volume. Of course they did not have one locally but also did not have one at any of their locations. I will give them credit for telling me who did have one but if I ordered it from my local location their best bet on getting the part was TEN DAYS!!! The part had to be procured through the vendor. Ten days does NOT work during hay production. It wouldn't work during planting season, or harvest season, etc. I fault Deere corporate for not having IN STOCK somewhere in the Deere parts supply system the parts for the products they sell.
So, rather than order it and wait ten days, I drove from one end of my state to the other and back again (racing the clock before the dealership closed at noon), in order to get the sickle bar assembly. Eight hours round trip. The next closest in stock location was two states away and that was the only other location in the entire Deere system that had the part, nation wide.
Fast forward to today... I have a simple bearing flange assembly that has gone out and it is common to many, many, many John Deere baler models. Three pieces totaling a whopping $25 retail. Again... not in stock at any nearby (within 2 hours one way) dealerships but can be ordered. Two day wait.
How in the heck are people, dependent upon being able to keep their equipment running in timely fashion to satisfy customers or save their crops, supposed to do so when everything is two days to a back order delay??? And again, it isn't because of supply chain issues. It's because Deere isn't stocking anything. Blame it on government and their greed when it comes to taxing inventories or who knows what... But it certainly does not have the customer in mind and it is the customer who pays their bills.
1 - 11 of 11 Posts
Wow, no belts... that's pathetic.Same deal I have come across with round balers. Had a net wrap belt go and did not have one in stock yet used across decades of balers. Just the way it is and I attempt to do a better job of preseason maintenance and inspection and for some of the consumables I keep them on hand myself. While not having parts in stock is bad you need to think ahead to the Sunday breakdown where there are no options.
Yes, you try to plan ahead as best as possible. Doesn't always work out though.
Putting $800 worth of two sickle bars for the SB3108 on the shelf is in the works but that's $800 sitting doing nothing... until the next unavailability.
In my business every item has to be ordered, back ordered, often wrong. I became the warehouse for our tools and equipment so that production continues. Need one? order a spare. I keep production going because there's no one else to blame for our breakdowns. If production is at the right level the cost of keeping parts inventory is insignificant.
It's not just tractors, JD and their dealers. Like I said in another thread, a buddy of mine has been waiting since January for collision parts from GM for a current model year SUV. It's going to be 6 months - that's insane.
Ayuh, that used to be one of the reasons to go green, an excellent network of parts just waiting to be purchased.
That ended, and I don't think there is any incentive for them to go back to that model, not if they can make an extra dollar bending over the consumer.
Not limited to Deere, as mentioned above; none of these global corporations give a flying fox about anything other than their bottom line, and ever so increasingly, their ESG score.
That ended, and I don't think there is any incentive for them to go back to that model, not if they can make an extra dollar bending over the consumer.
Not limited to Deere, as mentioned above; none of these global corporations give a flying fox about anything other than their bottom line, and ever so increasingly, their ESG score.
The increasing complexity of new machines makes things worse. Older machines frequently used off the shelf components like bearings, belts, sprockets etc. Newer stuff seems to be machine specific in many cases. That increases cost all around as fewer units are needed which means a higher per unit cost. More different SKU's are needed which means the supply chain has to stockpile many more different items but those items turnover less frequently, again adding to cost.
IMHO, good engineering means designing the simplest machine that fulfils the function. I don't think I'd be hired as an engineer these days. Course I didn't make it as an engineer anyway, lol.
IMHO, good engineering means designing the simplest machine that fulfils the function. I don't think I'd be hired as an engineer these days. Course I didn't make it as an engineer anyway, lol.
Working at a JD dealer I can see your fustration, but simply a dealer cannot stock every single part, especially if its not common. If it sells 1-2 times a year it gets cut from the shelf and is ordered on a case by case basis as it costs money sitting on the shelf. Now the Lead time on that was cause Frontier isn't made nor do the parts come from deere. JD farms out the implements to third parties. You order the part through Deere, which then orders from them. If it was in stock at a Deere warehouse anywhere in North america you can usually have it within the week or faster if you rush it in at an expense.
These days one has to be happy you can get a part in a day or 2. We had a call in for a big fan that more or less blew up. Parts ended up being a month out for a fan they needed fixed now.
What exactly does that quote button do? Obviously not what i thought.
Maybe still.
There is a special place in hell for engineers. They will work forever on the junk they design. No offense anyone!The increasing complexity of new machines makes things worse. Older machines frequently used off the shelf components like bearings, belts, sprockets etc. Newer stuff seems to be machine specific in many cases. That increases cost all around as fewer units are needed which means a higher per unit cost. More different SKU's are needed which means the supply chain has to stockpile many more different items but those items turnover less frequently, again adding to cost.
IMHO, good engineering means designing the simplest machine that fulfils the function. I don't think I'd be hired as an engineer these days. Course I didn't make it as an engineer anyway, lol.
Maybe still.
1 - 11 of 11 Posts
Green Tractor Talk
A forum community dedicated to John Deere tractor owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about towing, PTO’s, reviews, attachments, modifications, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Recommended Communities
