Manufacturer Mergers

Although my Allis looks real good parked beside my orange Kubota, LOL.

Speaking of mergers, I read in an antique tractor magazine that back in the day Kubota was trying to put a deal with Ford together to get them into the North American market.

I'm glad that didn't happen because we all saw what Ford did to everyone else they partnered with. Stole their designs and then dumped those companies.

Tenneco had owned Case for several years before the 1980's ag downturn.  I suspect it was something they could use as a tax write off as I doubt Case was making money then.  Buying IHC was a good move for Case, moved them into a more modern design and gave them a lot more manufacturing capacity.  Just like with AC fans, lots of IHC guys wouldn't own a Case until they were painted red.  The 7100 series  tractors were hard to beat at the time, and still better then the green models of that time.  Being an old guy, my opinion probably is different then the guys just starting out, but there is no way I would consider buying a tractor with so much electronics that can't be fixed except by the dealer.  Man, am I grumpy tonight! lol

JohnCO, I have to agree with you.  The only thing that kept Case alive was Tenneco.  That and some very clever and somewhat "unusual" business moves by Case's new President Mr. Rojan's (?).  He counted on dealer orders as sales not sales to customers.  Made company's books look better for Tenneco so perhaps for that reason they bought them.  Kept them alive through the 80's and enabled them to buy IH.

I used to see the  late CaseIH tractors powering the sand cleaners at the beach of Ocean City, MD.

Clever business move

Good Luck!

Bill Long

M-M, Oliver, Cockshutt never made it out of that deal. Some of the truck brands and heavy equipment got bought up and resurfaced, but not everything made it out alive.

Then it gets even cloudier when you hear people say that White Agricultural, M-M, Oliver and Cockshutt are under the AGCO umbrella.

Kubota is still trying to get into the bigger markets with their new M7 tractors.

Plus with AC they would have had large construction equipment also. They are already a leader in compact equipment.

Kinda tells you something when Caterpillar owns Perkins yet uses Kubota engines painted yellow in most of their mini-ex's, skid steers, ctl's and compact loaders.

Actually if I may offer a different view......

The electronics are necessary to meet the unnecessary requirements of the government.  That being said, having run both the old school stuff and the new modern stuff, each have their benefits and drawbacks.

Thank our governments for that. A little bit less soot in the air, but twice as much fuel being burnt, more factories to produce DEF fluid and the plastic barrels and totes it comes in, and more empty plastic pails and containers in the garbage and roadside ditches.

But we are saving the environment.

Plenty of studies done that show we could have cleaned the air just as much by reforesting land  as what these emission motors are doing. Trees and plants thrive on and convert what we are trying to eliminate.

I see you are in Michigan FREEDGUY. Every time I am in the upper UP I see a LOT of Allis Chalmer's, AGCO and Massey Tractors. Likely because of Skinner's Garage in Pickford.

On the Canadian side of the Sault it is all really old Massey's and John Deere's.

All the newer tractors are a sea of orange Kuboat's and John Deere for the bigger ag stuff.

Right now Kubota has (was either 51 or 54%) of all market share for tractors under 70 h.p. and Deere has about the same for over 70 h.p.

That is according to my dealer anyway??

The only "rare" tractors I see around my area are a few Cockshutt's and David Brown's. And one farm has a JCB Fastrac.