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richard
06-06-1999 02:41:55
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Re: Re: Re: ZETOR Tractors in reply to Bill, 04-08-1999 17:36:24
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Zetor tractors are made in the Czech republic and are also very popular in Canada and gaining ground slowly here. a farmer friend of the family has one in the sixty-seventy H.P. range and is pleased to no end, having purchased it used as a third tractor. His other two are a forty horse or so early eighties ford and a kubota of around 25 h.p. or thereabouts. The rougher castings do tend to be slightly off-putting, especially if you are used to the Chinese and Japanese machines sold here by New Holland, (made by Shibaura in Japan), John Deere(made byYanmar in Japan, Massey Ferguson(made by Hinomoto in Japan, and case/IH/cub cadet (made by Mitsubishi). Just about all of the under 100 h.p. machines sold as Ford, J.D, Massey etc. are made overseas, and we think they are made here because of the sleek american designed fiberglas hoods and fenders, and the extra casting grinding done to take away those rough edges, which the Czechs don't bother with, since it only drives their costs up. These tractors also have neat stickers that say "assembled in America" which I am told translates to Wheels being bolted on to get the machines out of their freight containers, and of course the addition of the above mentioned sticker. At this moment Zetor has struck a deal to re-badge two models of larger tractor, (from the pictures I saw I'd guess they were 50-70 horse machines) for John Deere, but these are only sold in green Deere livery overseas to "developing markets" as it were. Here they are sold as Plain old Zetors. Ford New Holland tractors in this range (100 hp and up) are all made in Europe,(England coming to mind) and of course below this displacement in various non U.S. factories,the exception being the very large special purpose machines which are still made here in the States.As for Massey ferguson, many of their utility tractors are born in India. The TAFE tractor brand is a licence built sixties vintage Massey Ferguson utility tractor and the difference in the roughness of the castings is quite evident when you compare it to the U.S. made version of yesteryear, and the contemporary Indian made Masseys shipped here to the Name brand dealers. below this size they are made in Japan. I don't know what sizes Massey still makes here. Apologies for my long windedness
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