[matthias509]

Not a farmer but worked on one growing up and my in-laws farm several thousand acres. The existence of a competitor to JD is one thing, the distance from farm to dealer is another. If the competitor dealership is 75 miles away and JD is 20 miles away that can be a major factor.

Being able to get service in the field quickly is critical during planting or harvest. During these times downtime can be exceedingly expensive if the farmer is trying to beat some change in weather.

And sure you could try and get someone other than the dealer to work on it, if you can find them. But trying to find this person when your equipment is broken and you are burning money isn’t a great option and the dealer will probably favor servicing clients who bought equipment from them.