John Deere dealerships lobby against right to repair: Difference between revisions
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The issue at hand for farmers is the difficulty to repair their own farming equipment. | {{IncidentCargo | ||
|Company=John Deere | |||
|StartDate=2020 | |||
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|Type=Lobbying, Ownership, Repairability | |||
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The issue at hand for farmers is the difficulty to repair their own farming equipment. They can't do much to diagnose the problem with their tractor, as only a John Deere dealer has access to the diagnostic software.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |author=Uri Berliner |date=26 May 2021 |title=Standoff Between Farmers And Tractor Makers Intensifies Over Repair Issues |url=https://www.npr.org/2021/05/26/1000400896/standoff-between-farmers-and-tractor-makers-intensifies-over-repair-issues |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251109181327/https://www.npr.org/2021/05/26/1000400896/standoff-between-farmers-and-tractor-makers-intensifies-over-repair-issues |archive-date=9 Nov 2025 |publisher=NPR News |language=en |format=radio transcript}}</ref> Tractors and combines have gotten more computerized, which makes it difficult, or nearly impossible, to diagnose without access to this software.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Alina Selyukh |date=15 January 2025 |title=John Deere faces U.S. lawsuit over farmers' ability to repair tractors |url=https://www.mainepublic.org/npr-news/2025-01-15/john-deere-faces-u-s-lawsuit-over-farmers-ability-to-repair-tractors |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250708172911/https://www.mainepublic.org/npr-news/2025-01-15/john-deere-faces-u-s-lawsuit-over-farmers-ability-to-repair-tractors |archive-date=8 Jul 2025 |publisher=Maine Public and NPR |language=en |format=article}}</ref> This effectively excludes mechanics and farmers from doing an independent repair.<ref name=":0" /> | |||
The personal story of farmer Schweitzer | The personal story of farmer Schweitzer in 2021 highlights two more themes regarding repairability, besides not being able to do the repair themselves. The repair through the dealer takes a long time, a month for the repair in his case, and had high costs in his case: nearly $5,000 to replace a fuel sensor. He says a local independent mechanic would have charged only a small fraction of that.<ref name=":0" /> Furthermore, it is not an option to wait this long, because "Unfair repair restrictions can mean farmers face unnecessary delays during tight planting and harvest windows. For some, these delays can mean that months of hard work and much-needed income vanish, devastating their business" according to the the [[Federal Trade Commission|FTC]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/deere-lina-khan-statement-final.pdf|date=15 Jan 2025|title=Statement of Chair Lina M. Khan In the Matter of Deere & Company Commission File No. 2110191|publisher=Federal Trade Commission (FTC)|language=en|author=Lina M. Khan |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260111225534/https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/deere-lina-khan-statement-final.pdf |archive-date=11 Jan 2026}}</ref> | ||
==Maine== | ==Maine== | ||
States have tried legislating against these practices by strengthening the right to repair. In 2020, the following bill was considered in Maine, LD 1977 SP 679,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://legiscan.com/ME/bill/LD1977/2019|title=ME LD 1977 SP 679: An Act To Ensure a Consumer's Right To Repair Certain Electronic Products|language=en|publisher=Maine Senate}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38O1zEuLOMM|title=John Deere dealerships are lobbying against right to repair. Farmers, please help me out here.|date=27 Jan 2020|publisher=YouTube|format=video|language=en|author=Louis Rossmann}}</ref> which summarizes:<blockquote>This bill establishes a consumer's right to repair electronic devices, excluding motor | States have tried legislating against these practices by strengthening the right to repair. In 2020, the following bill was considered in Maine, LD 1977 SP 679,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://legiscan.com/ME/bill/LD1977/2019|title=ME LD 1977 SP 679: An Act To Ensure a Consumer's Right To Repair Certain Electronic Products|language=en|publisher=Maine Senate |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250825164430/https://legiscan.com/ME/bill/LD1977/2019 |archive-date=25 Aug 2025}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38O1zEuLOMM|title=John Deere dealerships are lobbying against right to repair. Farmers, please help me out here.|date=27 Jan 2020|publisher=YouTube|format=video|language=en|author=Louis Rossmann |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=38O1zEuLOMM |archive-date=23 Feb 2026}}</ref> which summarizes:<blockquote>This bill establishes a consumer's right to repair electronic devices, excluding motor | ||
vehicles. It requires manufacturers of electronic equipment to make available the | vehicles. It requires manufacturers of electronic equipment to make available the | ||
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practice.</blockquote>The dealers are lobbying against this bill,<ref name=":1" /> and state a number of reasons. They question the definition of a motor vehicle, and regarding the legislation if it should apply to motor vehicles due to what they call safety concerns. One of the dealers argues that right to repair is a touchy subject, as "a lot of us dealers sit back, and say we really almost don't want in essence people possibly working on our equipment."<ref name=":1" /> The bill died upon conclusion of the 129th Legislature, Nov 16, 2020. | practice.</blockquote>The dealers are lobbying against this bill,<ref name=":1" /> and state a number of reasons. They question the definition of a motor vehicle, and regarding the legislation if it should apply to motor vehicles due to what they call safety concerns. One of the dealers argues that right to repair is a touchy subject, as "a lot of us dealers sit back, and say we really almost don't want in essence people possibly working on our equipment."<ref name=":1" /> The bill died upon conclusion of the 129th Legislature, Nov 16, 2020. | ||
At the same time, the delegates of the Nebraska Farm Bureau supported right to repair near unanimously (176-1) on a voice note to formally endorse the right to repair. The delegates represent 58,000 member families that want to have the right to repair of the products they own, and set strong standards for any legislation or agreement with equipment manufacturers.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pirg.org/articles/nebraska-farmers-vote-overwhelmingly-for-right-to-repair/|title=Nebraska farmers vote overwhelmingly for Right to Repair|date=11 December 2019|publisher=PIRG|language=en|format=article}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Nebraska Farm Bureau supports right to repair 176-1|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkrHjvjhCQ8|publisher=YouTube|format=video|language=en|date=18 Dec 2019|author=Louis Rossmann}}</ref> | At the same time, the delegates of the Nebraska Farm Bureau supported right to repair near unanimously (176-1) on a voice note to formally endorse the right to repair. The delegates represent 58,000 member families that want to have the right to repair of the products they own, and set strong standards for any legislation or agreement with equipment manufacturers.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pirg.org/articles/nebraska-farmers-vote-overwhelmingly-for-right-to-repair/|title=Nebraska farmers vote overwhelmingly for Right to Repair|date=11 December 2019|publisher=PIRG|language=en|format=article |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250823001606/https://pirg.org/articles/nebraska-farmers-vote-overwhelmingly-for-right-to-repair/ |archive-date=23 Aug 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Nebraska Farm Bureau supports right to repair 176-1|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkrHjvjhCQ8|publisher=YouTube|format=video|language=en|date=18 Dec 2019|author=Louis Rossmann |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=QkrHjvjhCQ8 |archive-date=23 Feb 2026}}</ref> | ||
The dealer reacts to the point of farmers wanting the right to repair by the following points: | The dealer reacts to the point of farmers wanting the right to repair by the following points: | ||
Latest revision as of 18:00, 27 March 2026
The issue at hand for farmers is the difficulty to repair their own farming equipment. They can't do much to diagnose the problem with their tractor, as only a John Deere dealer has access to the diagnostic software.[1] Tractors and combines have gotten more computerized, which makes it difficult, or nearly impossible, to diagnose without access to this software.[2] This effectively excludes mechanics and farmers from doing an independent repair.[1]
The personal story of farmer Schweitzer in 2021 highlights two more themes regarding repairability, besides not being able to do the repair themselves. The repair through the dealer takes a long time, a month for the repair in his case, and had high costs in his case: nearly $5,000 to replace a fuel sensor. He says a local independent mechanic would have charged only a small fraction of that.[1] Furthermore, it is not an option to wait this long, because "Unfair repair restrictions can mean farmers face unnecessary delays during tight planting and harvest windows. For some, these delays can mean that months of hard work and much-needed income vanish, devastating their business" according to the the FTC.[3]
Maine
[edit | edit source]States have tried legislating against these practices by strengthening the right to repair. In 2020, the following bill was considered in Maine, LD 1977 SP 679,[4][5] which summarizes:
This bill establishes a consumer's right to repair electronic devices, excluding motor
vehicles. It requires manufacturers of electronic equipment to make available the
information and equipment necessary for diagnosis and repair of electronic equipment
problems. It prohibits original equipment manufacturers from limiting access to
diagnostic equipment and tools to authorized repair providers and requires manufacturers
to make this information and equipment available to independent repair providers under
fair and reasonable terms. The bill provides that a violation constitutes an unfair trade
practice.
The dealers are lobbying against this bill,[5] and state a number of reasons. They question the definition of a motor vehicle, and regarding the legislation if it should apply to motor vehicles due to what they call safety concerns. One of the dealers argues that right to repair is a touchy subject, as "a lot of us dealers sit back, and say we really almost don't want in essence people possibly working on our equipment."[5] The bill died upon conclusion of the 129th Legislature, Nov 16, 2020.
At the same time, the delegates of the Nebraska Farm Bureau supported right to repair near unanimously (176-1) on a voice note to formally endorse the right to repair. The delegates represent 58,000 member families that want to have the right to repair of the products they own, and set strong standards for any legislation or agreement with equipment manufacturers.[6][7]
The dealer reacts to the point of farmers wanting the right to repair by the following points:
- They provide technical manuals in order for people to be able to repair their own equipment.
- What they might not have for the customers is the computer laptop that would allow them to plug to the tractor.
- Calls it a misnomer that farmers cannot hire technicians that come by to do this for them.
- John Deere had this for 18 months, and provides customer service advisors, which customers can buy or subscribe to.
References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Uri Berliner (26 May 2021). "Standoff Between Farmers And Tractor Makers Intensifies Over Repair Issues". NPR News. Archived from the original (radio transcript) on 9 Nov 2025.
- ↑ Alina Selyukh (15 January 2025). "John Deere faces U.S. lawsuit over farmers' ability to repair tractors". Maine Public and NPR. Archived from the original (article) on 8 Jul 2025.
- ↑ Lina M. Khan (15 Jan 2025). "Statement of Chair Lina M. Khan In the Matter of Deere & Company Commission File No. 2110191" (PDF). Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 Jan 2026.
- ↑ "ME LD 1977 SP 679: An Act To Ensure a Consumer's Right To Repair Certain Electronic Products". Maine Senate. Archived from the original on 25 Aug 2025.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Louis Rossmann (27 Jan 2020). "John Deere dealerships are lobbying against right to repair. Farmers, please help me out here". YouTube. Archived from the original (video) on 23 Feb 2026.
- ↑ "Nebraska farmers vote overwhelmingly for Right to Repair". PIRG. 11 December 2019. Archived from the original (article) on 23 Aug 2025.
- ↑ Louis Rossmann (18 Dec 2019). "Nebraska Farm Bureau supports right to repair 176-1". YouTube. Archived from the original (video) on 23 Feb 2026.