"At what rate?" "$315 an hour."
Rick did the math in his head. He had 1,800 acres left. At his usual pace, that was 140 hours of run time. $44,100. Nearly the same cost as the repair, except the repair kept his asset. The rental just bled him.
"I'll think about it," Rick said. He hung up and started looking at other options. That night, Rick sat at his kitchen table with a laptop and a beer he didn't drink.
He pulled up videos, forums, performance reports. He read about brands he'd never seriously considered. Case IH, New Holland, Fendt, Massey Ferguson. Massey Ferguson kept appearing. Not because of marketing, because of testimonials.
Farmers in Australia running MF Ideal combines through canola at speeds that shouldn't be possible. Operators in Ukraine praising the simplicity of the threshing system. North Dakota wheat guys posting fuel efficiency numbers that made Deere's look bloated. And parts availability that didn't require praying to a German supply chain.
Rick clicked on a dealer locator. The closest Massey Ferguson dealer was Johnston Ag in Kearney, 83 miles northeast. He'd driven past it a hundred times and never looked twice.
He called the next morning. A guy named Dale Richter answered. Sales manager. Voice like gravel, with a tone that suggested he did not waste time. "Johnston Ag, this is Dale."
"Yeah, hi. I'm looking for information on your Ideal combine line." "You farming or custom cutting?"
"Farming. Wheat and cattle. I've got a Deere S780 that just blew its transmission. I need a replacement." "You need a rental replacement or a buy replacement?"
Rick hesitated. "I'm not sure yet."
"Well, let me make it easier. I've got a 2022 Ideal 9 on the lot. Demo unit. 340 horsepower, 450 bushel tank, low hours. It'll out-cut your S780 and burn 18% less fuel doing it. You want to see it?"
"What's it cost?" "$385,000. But we're motivated, end of quarter. I'll work with you." Rick felt something shift in his chest.
"I'll be there in 2 hours." The Ideal 9 sat in the Johnston Ag lot like it had been waiting for him. Gleaming red and silver, aggressive lines, a machine that didn't apologize for existing. Dale walked him through it, showed him the single-rotor threshing system, simpler than Deere's twin rotors, fewer parts to fail. Showed him the grain tank design, the cab layout, the hydraulic response time.
Then he said the thing that stuck. "You know what the difference is between us and Deere?" Dale said.
"When you call us, we answer. When you need parts, we get them. We don't make you wait because some algorithm in Iowa says you're not priority." Rick climbed into the cab, ran his hands over the controls. It felt different, tighter, more responsive.
"Can I test it?" "You can take it home," Dale said. "Run it through your wheat. If it doesn't outperform your Deere, bring it back."
Rick blinked. "You serious?" "Dead serious. I don't sell machines, I sell proof."