LINN COUNTY, Iowa (KCRG) – Fifth generation farmer Jim Greif says waiting for tractor repairs that he could do on his own can cost him and others hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Some states have pushed for ‘right to repair’ laws to make repairs easier for the average customer, but Iowa doesn’t have a right to repair law.
Greif said the problem isn’t that technology has gotten too complex for repairs or that specific parts aren’t always available, it’s that farmers don’t have access to the software needed to fix modern equipment.
Whether it’s one of his older or newer tractors, Greif’s used to doing a lot of the repair work himself. But, he said when it comes to newer equipment, he can’t finish most repairs unless the company sends out a technician.
“Seems like it’s a $1,000 service call just to get them to pull in the yard. And usually it’s somebody with a little laptop, and they’ll sit there for an hour and do a little software adjustment,” Greif said.
Farm equipment companies do something called parts pairing, which means their equipment won’t work if a repair is done with unauthorized parts.
“You don’t own the software, so when something goes bad, you still have to go back to the dealer to get it fixed,” Greif said.
Greif said during the week days, a technician can be out on the farm in as soon as an hour, but if a part breaks late on Friday or on the weekend, waiting for repairs might take a couple days.
Those few days can be the difference between planting crops on time or risking early Spring weather which can delay farmers for days.
“Oh it can be hundreds of thousands of dollars. Seriously. If we would potentially have a breakdown and we get three weeks of rain in the first week of May and not get our corn planted, that can decrease your yield a percent a day basically,” Greif said.
He said the new technology has put most independent repair shops out of business.
TV9 reached out to John Deere, and a spokesperson said in a statement, “We are committed to offering customers the best equipment ownership experience, both in the form of world-class dealer support and extensive self-repair resources.”
