WENDELL, Idaho — A settlement with John Deere requires the company to make diagnostic and repair tools available to equipment owners and independent repair shops, ending years of restrictions that required farmers and independent mechanics to rely on authorized dealers for certain repairs.
Trever Bandy spent years as a John Deere-certified mechanic before opening an independent repair shop with a business partner in Wendell in 2021.
"We were just like go out on our own and went out on our own and where we're at, like it's turned into a decent place," Bandy said.
Bandy said his shop has been able to repair John Deere tractors and other agricultural equipment for the past five years.
But because the company limited certain software and diagnostic tools to certified dealers, he sometimes had to call in a dealer to finish certain repairs.
"We can get it to a point, and then it's like, 'Hey, dealer's gotta come out and finish it up from here,' but then the customer's like, 'That's expensive.' It is expensive for the dealers to come out. It really is, so that's been the biggest issue there," Bandy said.
Under the settlement, John Deere must make diagnostic and repair tools available to equipment owners and independent repair shops.
"It gives that customer that extra option. It's not tethered to the dealer. Like, you have that ability to come to us and let us help you, or you can even try yourself," Bandy said.
A manager at Stotz Equipment, a John Deere dealership, declined to comment on the record.
A manager at a Case dealership said they had not closely followed the lawsuits because other tractor brands do not have the same repair restrictions as John Deere.
Right-to-repair disputes have become increasingly common as more products rely on software and manufacturers limit access to certain repair tools and services.
"That's where I think this will help us independents," Bandy said. "You can bring it to us, and we can figure it out from there to where you don't have to pay that dealer charge — that fee — because we're not the dealer. We don't cost as much as a dealer."
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