EXACTRIX Sidebar to Dewi

It is true….no machine that engages the soil is applicable to all conditions realized in North America….and this is why there are so many tillage equipment manufacturers.

The fact is the Deere 1890 is satisfactory about 30% to 40% of the applications. Tractorhouse.com shows a large used market for the 1890. Why are over 250 units of the 50, 60 and 90 series for sale at any one time? The new 1890 or 1990 seeders are also discounted at time of purchase at least 25%....when another 1890 is traded against it. Deere dealers are able to buy the business by offering the machine with virtually no sales margin.

Big 1890 customers get the best deals. Smaller 1890 customers get the used machines. Fully understood all customers are suffering to some degree because the 1890 does compromise yield as compared to the high water mark Yielder. This machine design of price point marketing is out of step in today’s economics since yield now means a lot more in the purchaser’s choice. The 1890 is salvageable when the producer is looking for yield components to be added to the machine design.

Large North Dakota Producers trade the 42 foot 1890 every 2^nd year…or at about 12,000 acres. A dealer finance program is used to support the gigantic machine inventory. The large operator can avoid the rebuild and the dealer can keep the used secondary market well established.

These producers that trade often run their machines for about $2.00 per acre owning costs….and the dealer dissolves the operating cost into the next deal at about 65 cents per acre. Dissolving means it is added to the used machine price. The general long term costs to keep the 1990 in good seeding condition is about $1.50 per acre for JD parts. The 1890 with the air cart has higher owning and operating costs….and higher diesel fuel costs.

This is one reason why Bourgault has a challenge with their more expensive and higher quality 3710 single disc drill when selling against the Deere dealer strength. The used secondary market elevates the confidence in the Deere unit.

A critical mass is required for any new product to prosper and fulfill the design investment and above all the inventory investment.

So it is pretty evident that the Deere 1890 and 1990 run at low cost even with some durability questions and yield compromise designs…the price point machine has value….and when fuel cost is considered the savings is even greater with a single disc seeder compared to certain shank type seeders….Each gallon of diesel fuel actually costs 6 times what producers pay for it…so diesel fuel is the real common denominator of performance and comparison.

Most owners of shank machines admit to the superior results of single disc and eventually own a shank machine and a single disc machine.

Most owners of single disc machines have a constant learning curve to make the single disc machine match their farm. The shank machines are known to shatter the seed bed in dry conditions while the single disc machine may have more problems in wet soil conditions.

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