AGCO Questions/ AGCO Hate Topic

I have some questions about AGCO that have been bothering me for a while, maybe you guys can help me out.

1. Why when Deutz Allis was sold back to it's management did they call the company AGCO instead of calling it Allis-Chalmers again? All they needed to do was reopen West Allis.
2. How come every time you turn on the TV you will see a John Deere commercial but you never see anything from AGCO?
3. Why does a strong AEMRICAN company hire a foriegn goof ball like what they have now to be CEO?
4. Why would you keep the Gleaner combine name and not bring back Allis-Chalmers? Seeing Gleaner without AC is just not right.

A serious question would be why no more orange tractors? It's like they are trying to ignore almost 100 years of great agricultural history. If I owned an agriculture machinery company it would put a hop in my step to be able to say that our company used to be the legendary Allis-Chalmers.

 

Edited by AllisChalmers37 - 14 Dec 2010 at 12:08pm

 Part of question 1.

When AGCO was formed they wanted to name it ALLIS CHALMERS again - but ALLIS CHALMERS wanted a million dollars for rights to the name ; Agco didnt want to give that much because they were new and money was tight ; [ someone on this forum explained this a couple years ago , an AGCO dealer i believe]  ; so they took the next best thing ;AGCO - ALLIS GLEANER COMPANY -  the triangle with the crop rows was the closest they could come to the AC triangle without a law suit ;  If you seen the LANDHANDLER,S  from 90-91 , they had the name AGCO , with the  DEUTZ ALLIS  + KHD logo on for a few issues ; when AGCO got rolling WEST ALLIS was out of the picture , AC  was still working there but everything was being sold or scrapped as what happens in a failing business ; AGCO\ DEUTZ ALLIS  was building tractors in Coldwater Ohio with big plans , they also were importing SAME \ DEUTZ models but also painting them ORANGE ;I believe there were plans to build a new line of tractors at Independence at Gleaner , but I,m not positive ;  Through the 90,s AGCO with Ratliff in charge, was proud of the AC heritage , every LANDHANDLER they mentioned the ORANGE heritage and being the predecessors of the  100+ years of ALLIS CHALMERS CORPORATION ; the MF was bought , things laid low , new people came to the front , even John Shedemawa kept the AC heritage in top form ; I remember when AGCO - CAME OUT OF THE BOX -  that means the logo didnt have the box round the triangle , I thought dam the triangle looks red ?? Thats when I thought , oh no , dont mess with AGCO ORANGE !!!!  And now look what happened !!! AGCO made alot of buyouts , most were good , but I belive they should market each company seperate ,AGCO , MF, HESSTON ,NEW IDEA , ETC; at least keep the big names  ; I can understand them wanting to be there own company with their idenity , but dont lose the past completely ; the NA farmer has a great deal of pride , and with that most are very partial to the color of there machines , and not being told - you,ll love this MF tactor -  they will turn and walk right to Deere or CIH ;  AGCO has made there own problems with the MF and Challenger joke ; maybe it,ll work , but prolly not ; they want to cut ties with AC heritage completely , just like it never happened ; you gotta say WTF !!! How ignorant can being at the top make you ??? The dealers are caught in the middle , and from what I hear more are on the chopping block ; you have to have dealers to sell products ??? Dont you ?? Its very sad to see this happen to what was a part of American history , but nuthing last forever !!

I believe it's about getting rid of dealers. This was an easier way. They want to follow the model of less is more. BS to me. That and I'm sure the USSEuro doesn't like Americans. Why else would they say they want to down size to a more popular brand and then at the same time introduce Laverda and offer Valtra in many color schemes. Anyway we all know the facts and those that say quit whining I'd say you're going to be on the wrong side of history as AGCO heads for the trash heap. Just answer this AGCO defenders, why would you take your #1 brand in North America and throw it away and then offer Laverda or Valtra? Just answer that.

Edited by Lonn - 14 Dec 2010 at 4:05pm

For the record, I don't hate AGCO. I  very much want to see them succeed and prosper. I do feel the need to voice my opinion that they are headed to heck in a handbasket though with their current plan. I don't know if anyone that matters can hear me, but I'll bet Martin knows about me. I imagine he doesn't care much for me, either.  Oh well..............no biggy.

Edited by redline - 15 Dec 2010 at 2:44pm

The worst part of the whole deal is no common sense from any part of AGCO's head honchoes or the dealers. The head management has no common sense and and the ones that do have no say. I'm not trying to blame anything on the dealers, but I think when all this stuff started with dropping the orange they should of joined together and said we won't take on or sell Massey or Challenger. If there ain't no sales the fat cats can't get rich. The dealers are going out of business or dropping all AGCO products anyways, they should go out with athority

I digress but, I bought a self propeld windrower from Kan equipment in Marysville KS and the sales man said that they wont take on massey or challenger. it will hurt them but they sill still sell gleaner and new holland. My local dealer was selling 3 point hesston disk mowers and hay equipment like crazy but hasn't sold a single piece of massey, a couple tractors to massey guys. It is a shame to see whats happening to the dealers but Richenhagen don't give a crap.

     We better hope that AGCO makes it.  They still carry some parts for us.  If they don't care anymore about us than some on here do, they might not be too obligated to continue supplying parts.

Daehler, In my experience with AGCO I think the AGCO tractors were built with very few options.  A lot of the things that were standard on the AGCO tractors were options on the MF.   MF machines had more options and you could order them with less than what the AGCO had standard so you could get them cheaper I would think.  They did have some different cosmetic things like cab trim but I thought that was idiotic.  Just make them the same with different colors.

One dealer got their hands on some inexpensive MF/Hesston discbines that were part of a canceled order.  A guy I talked to there said he called up a farmer to sell him one but he wouldn't buy it because he lost money on a junk MF mower years ago.  He would buy it if it were and AGCO or Hesston but not with MF on it. 

I really feel for the dealers.  I bought a baler, rake and tedder last year and will buy a disc mower this year.  The baler was Vermeer and the other stuff Kuhn.  It would've been all AGCO products if they hadn't dropped the orange.  RICHenhagen needs to go IMO. 

In an interesting twist, just got Farm Industry News magazine in mail yesterday and they had a feature on 2011 High Horsepower row crop tractors. Pictures and descriptions of Case, NH, JD, Versatile and even JCB. Not a mention of Challenger or the MF crap! A harbringer of the US future for AGCO?

nowversatile wrote: In an interesting twist, just got Farm Industry News magazine in mail yesterday and they had a feature on 2011 High Horsepower row crop tractors. Pictures and descriptions of Case, NH, JD, Versatile and even JCB. Not a mention of Challenger or the MF crap! A harbringer of the US future for AGCO?   BTW, dittos to all of the above comments, Right On!

TomYaz wrote: nowversatile wrote: In an interesting twist, just got Farm Industry News magazine in mail yesterday and they had a feature on 2011 High Horsepower row crop tractors. Pictures and descriptions of Case, NH, JD, Versatile and even JCB. Not a mention of Challenger or the MF crap! A harbringer of the US future for AGCO?   BTW, dittos to all of the above comments, Right On!     That feature focused on NEW 2011 models only; probably why no AGCO/MF mentioned: "...new models for 2011 promise to provide the power and capacity required to make the leap..." http://farmindustrynews.com/row-crop-tractors/2011-guide-new-150-plus-hp-row-crop-tractors

Tom, I understand from another post on another site that there were some tweaks for 2011. I still find it odd that there was no mention of the AGCO products. Actually, the Versatile is essentially a 2010 model as it was introduced in Louisville at the NFMS and does not offer any  significant changes or upgrades that have not been available for the past couple of years except a higher horsepower model.

I'm thinking the Germans look at AGCO as just a rebirth of a Deutz subsidiary.  The "heritage" that we are thinking about is not the same "heritage" that they think about.  If you look in their Heritage catalog most of the emphasis is on Deutz-Allis.  Perhaps they'll start painting their Masseys pea green.....

It would take a complete idiot, not just a partial idiot like we have now to not make it in this "HOT" ag market. Just as in getting a crop in the ground, even a poor farmer can get a good crop if the weather covers for him. No different here.

Absolutely right Tom, things should be much better than they are for AGCO in this market. I met with my CPA last week and he told me another producer/client was trading tractors and nearly had the deal made, came back 4 hours later and the new tractor (JD) was sold. Dealer then told him next allocation was March 2011. Similar scenario at other JD, Case, NH and Versatile dealers along with Gleaner at AGCO dealers. It is not that long ago that Ratliff was growing this company at a healthy pace during a lackluster ag market.