A report recently released by the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) titled "Out to Pasture" estimates that "U.S. farmers lose $3 billion to tractor downtime and pay another $1.2 billion in excess repair costs each year." It connects this loss to farmers' being "forced" to rely on dealerships for service and repairs.
PIRG and the National Farmers Union surveyed 53 farmers across 14 states concerning repair costs, building a model based on the results that claims farmers lose an average of $3,348 per year in downtime "caused by repair restrictions."
"Surveyed farmers report that dealer mechanics charge an average of $58.90 more per hour of labor than independent mechanics. The higher dealer labor rates cost our sample an average of $1,328 per year," the report said.
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