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Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Farmers fight for the right to repair their own tractors

Farmers in Nebraska, Minnesota, Massachusetts, and New York are staging something of a mechanical revolt. They're attempting to get legislation passed in their states that would enable them, for the first time since the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act, to repair their own tractors or get an independent mechanic to help.

At the root of the morass is the software that helps run modern tractors and their sensors, diagnostic tools, and other high-tech elements. If farmers so much as open the metaphorical hood to check out the computers they could be violating the federal act, reports Modern Farmer.

Mick Minchow, a Nebraska farmer for more than 40 years, is among the many who are fed up, reports Lincoln Journal Star. As it currently stands, any problem with his John Deere 8235 R requires a trip to the dealer and costs him important time.

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4 comments:

Anonymous said...

It costs important time and dealership repair prices, which are bloated.

lmclain said...

Bribes to your "leaders" paid off BIG TIME.

Check out the "campaign contributions' made by Deere and to whom those bribes were paid.

THEN, compare their votes on that bill.
In your face. Again.

You still think the middle class and Joe Citizen stands a snowball's chance in hell of getting anything other than sucked dry and driven into poverty?

Part time jobs. No benefits. No vacation. Health care that makes working people choose between insurance and the electric bill.
And the democrats say we NEED MORE of that????
Life is good as a politician.
Its a lot tougher on the ones who get to PAY them....
Keep cheering!

Anonymous said...

New cars in the future will be this way. You will only be able to get it repaired at a dealership, and parts will only be available at a dealership. A mechanic and friend who has been repairing my vehicle for the past thirty years told me this. The automakers are trying to get the government to pass legislation to force consumers to go to a dealership instead of an independent vehicle repair shop.

Anonymous said...

STOP electing your buddies to office and you'll get what you want. STOP taking government subsidiaries to not grow crops.