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Chebanse, IL..... | There was discussion yesterday, now on pg 2, re. the discontinuation of the SpraCoupe product by Agco. Some felt that the original poster was totally uninformed & that there was no public word on any change and that it was a misinformed post.
Well, the OP was correct. SpraCoupe will be history within a couple of months. Here's copy/paste of press release on AgProfessional website, from Agco folks:
AGCO to retire SpraCoupe sprayers in 2013AGCO | January 7, 2013 ShareThis  resize text 
Citing EPA compliance and diminishing volumes resulting in an ever-changing industry landscape, AGCO has announced it will discontinue production of its line of SpraCoupe compact, self-propelled sprayers for the North American market in 2013. Mark Sharitz, AGCO’s marketing director for application equipment, said production of all SpraCoupe 2013 models – including the 4460, 4660, 7460 and 7660 models – will continue through May, 2013. AGCO will continue to manufacture SpraCoupe parts, which will remain available to customers along with professional service support from their SpraCoupe dealers, he said. For the past 50 years, the SpraCoupe brand has served farmers who want smaller professional-grade self-propelled application equipment for applying fertilizer and crop protection products on their own. However, the North American customer base for this segment has been shrinking, reflecting fewer, smaller farms and a growing number of larger farming operations, fueling demand for larger, more productive machines. Sharitz said these market shifts combined with the cost for Tier 4 compliance have made it impractical to continue the SpraCoupe brand after the 2013 model year. “Our SpraCoupe brand has enjoyed a proud, 50-year heritage of serving farmers’ application needs, and we thank our customers for their confidence in our quality AGCO products,” Sharitz said. “This was a difficult decision, but a necessary step for AGCO to maintain its leading position in the application industry.” Sharitz noted that AGCO’s commitment to the application industry remains strong, evidenced by the company’s industry-leading RoGator and TerraGator branded machines, which are backed by the most knowledgeable sales and support team in the business.
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Central Alberta | My local Agco dealer told me about this a week ago. Sad to see it happen, but unfortunately that seems to be the major trend in agriculture today.
The dealer did say that rogator will make a smaller sprayer to still compete in that smaller sprayer market. He didn't have any more details than that though. |
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Huntley Montana | I just got a big manila envelope in the mail with a sheet of paper saying the same today.... Kinda nice way nice way to say " thanks $ucker for buying a orphan " on the 4660 I just bought. |
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| Amen thanks for posting |
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Missouri | EPA sucks. Spra-Coupe probably won't be the last. |
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Southwest Illinois | No surprise. Look at all the other brand names AGCO raped until there was no profit left, then dropped the product. |
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Western Iowa | I can't believe they didn't sell enough of them.
I tried hard to buy a new 4660 last year. It was like a 4 month backlog on orders!
I think it is too bad, the newer 4460-4660 look like a real nice setup, a far cry from the old 220's |
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| Please show me where anyone said the original poster was misinformed, uninformed, or otherwise wrong about the subject he posted. Saying "prove it" says none of those things...it says the person who said "prove it" doesn't blindly believe everything written on the internet...we all know everything on the internet is true...
Thank you for linking to an announcement. |
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KY | Thanks for the post with the official announcement. |
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NCMO | Our first sprayer was a 4440 and really liked it. I told our dealer that if they would put a 4 wheel drive under it they would have something. Told us to trade for a 7650. Well then I told him they should be hydrostat. he said I wouldn't like it. well after one yr one this 4730 I would say he is wrong. Looks like Agco is going to stay with the hydro machines. Not trying to start anything just my own opionions! |
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Texas | Who would have thought it was risky to buy a Spra Coupe???
Just another reason to not buy an AGCO product. What's next.... Gleaner?
If I could be the CEO of AGCO for just two years, it would be a much different company than the one it is today.
Shame on you AGCO. I don't believe you when you say it was necessary. The problem is very poor management of your brands.
VIVA La Deere. Have no fear. My Deere dealer told me just a year ago that the JD 4630 sprayer was in answer to the Spra Coupe sales that were so robust! Must have worked. |
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| When it was a FACT from the first place do you really need an offical announcement? I have no reason to post threads full of B$ especially something like that. Its evident on here people like to twist things to make a moot point. |
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| Yep. A lot of "facts" get thrown around. Asking for confirmation is smart, expecting someone to believe you simply because you say so (even if it is 100% true) is just plain stupid. No twisting done what-so-ever. I had zero reason to doubt, and therefore didn't. But, others did, and until they found proof, they had every reason to. |
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| What's risky? If there is the demand you seem to suggest there is in the rest of your post, resale should fly through the roof.
At least in my little world, the reason they gave fits exactly to what I see happening. Many of the guys around me won't even buy a self propelled sprayer because they can't get the gallons or boom width they can get with a pull type. There hasn't been a coupe on my farm for a number of years for the exact reason...so there's one, I bet there are a lot more like me... |
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South Eastern ,ILL | My first self-propelled sprayer was a used 230. We used it for a several years and traded it for a 3640.
This news will start to make my son feel older, he took over the spraying responsibilities toward the end
of the 230's use on our farm. Used the 3640 for seceral years then after that we bought a new Apache 850. At that time I really liked
the look of the 7650 and was wanting it, but I wasn't the spray man. Now he's in a JD 4730 and
tells me it's a pleasure to run. It seems all things change, to the
ever changing ag sector, Agco, has Gleaner and Massey Ferguson
combines, any bets they will stop production of one style?
Edited by 1000 moline 1/7/2013 22:28
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| I think you missed my point. No twisting done what-so-ever? Huh? Below is what I clearly stated yesterday...
DIESELDAN74 - 1/6/2013 20:20
I checked that to. From what I understand even the dealership was having a hard time getting Coupe parts.
You then posted this response....
So the first thing a manufacturer does is stop making parts, even before they stop making the machines???
Now please show me in my orignal statement where it states the manufacturer stop making parts or cut off all parts sources. Saying "having a hard time getting" says none of those things......it just simple states parts orders are taking longer to get than expected. Not that the manufacturer stop making parts.
By the way I couldn't of posted the official announcement last night because it wasn't made until today.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
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| My apologies then as I misunderstood the point of you posting "even the dealership was having a hard time getting Coupe parts" as proof of them discontinuing the product. My statement was due to the fact that I assumed (you know what equals) the above. If it WAS posted in anyway to provide proof, I still object to any correlation as manufactures now days have no more than about a weeks worth of supplies (in many cases less) for production and parts stock and manufacturing stock are 2 completely different items (barely even the same company...). This is true for JD Finance, JD parts, JD manufacturing, and all the AGCO and CNH departments as well. |
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Winkler, Manitoba Canada | Thanks for posting a copy of that Agco press release. It does not seem to appear on the Agco website. Agco should be a lot more forth right with their customers. They never have posted a clear press release about discontinuing Valtra in North America. |
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Texas | You answered your own question. You wouldn't buy a Coupe and that kills resale. I wouldn't buy one after it was discontinued for fear of resale. I have owned a coupe and think they are good for the right application. I liked mine at the time.
Most producers are switching to and prefer the self-propelled sprayers. That very well may not be true for your area, I don't know since you don't have your location posted.
John Deere is adding a product to address the very market that AGCO thinks is failing. I have noticed a lot of 4630's in my area including the new one I bought this past year. The dealer lots have now been populated with several new ones for sale. They are selling because there is still a market for them. BTW, the Spray Coupe dealer at Brownfield, TX (my regional area) is reported to be the largest volume Coupe dealer in the world.
Edited by Funacres 1/7/2013 23:57
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| No, I wouldn't buy a Coupe because it doesn't fit my operation in the same way a 4630 doesn't fit my operation. If that size machine has that much market potential, resale will be good...especially if supply of new machines drops. If the market potential is as I suspect (shrinking based on my observations in my area and the press release, btw, these companies know how many of all these types of units are sold nation wide, they aren't guessing), prices for that size sprayer will increasingly spread from the price of larger sprayers as demand for new, small sprayers shrinks. It will take larger discounts to move new units. This hurts resale much more than stepping out at the right time.
Since you are in likely the highest market area for that size machine (based on what you said about the local dealer), what is your opinion of the demand for that size sprayer over the next 10 years (looking at new machines only) in that area? Do you see people that are buying new 4xxx Coupes, 4630 Deere, or 76x0 Coupes today buying bigger machines during their next couple trade cycles or sticking with the same size machine? Are their many small guys currently having their crops custom sprayed that you see growing enough to purchase a new sprayer of that size or will they jump higher?
These are serious questions, I'm not trying to be a smart ___, just curious because Texas is obviously different than the Midwest. |
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Texas | Second highest dealer for sales of Coupes is located in Marshall, MO (midwest) and I doubt that a medium sized self-propelled will fade away just because AGCO decided to drop the Coupes. I doubt that AGCO had a better handle on the market opportunities than did JD. AGCO seems to have a history of stupid decisions just like this one.
I don't agree with your assesment of the future market likelyhood for Spra Coupes. Also, I think it would be much more prudent of a company to sell the line than discontinue it if they don't know how to make it meet the goals. This line has a large market share and a long history. It's just absolutely STUPID to "discontinue" a successful product like they are doing. I feel sure that a lot of dedicated dealers would agree with me on that point.
My thought, looking back, is that someone within AGCO seems to like to use the hatchet. If you are an unsuspecting customer as many have been this past year, and you buy their current product with the belief that it is going to be viable for many more years, then you soon become gunshy of that company. For me, I doubt I will ever again own an AGCO product due to this one reason. That is the point I'm trying so hard to make in a very elequant way. Buying from AGCO is 'risky' business, a fact they have forever proved with this latest decision to kill the Spra Coupe.
Edited by Funacres 1/8/2013 01:07
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| Maybe they did try to sell it?? I just don't think AGCO (or any company like AGCO) can compete if they don't consolidate. For AGCO, I doubt the Coupes added much to their bottom line...I just don't see how. They didn't build that many of them (I think they built more of every other type of sprayer), there is no way they were as high of margin as the larger sprayers, and I could see where developing a new one based around a new tier 4 engine could be a major problem....especially if the market isn't increasing...or even staying the same.
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Darling Downs, Queensland, Australia | I'm in an area of very strong Spra Coupe representation in Queensland, Australia. Typically the farms are smaller but more productive than many farming areas in Australia. Most farms range from 1000 to 3000 acres and are soft black soils that can create very deep wheeltracks if sprayed in wet conditions. The light weight of the Spra Coupe is the biggest selling point to people around here. I know of 12 machines in a 10km (6.5 mile) radius of my home farm.
Very disappointed indeed to hear the line being discontinued. I know i only see my own back yard by Spra Coupe sales have increased dramatically here over the last 5 years. As most farmers move from a pull type sprayer to a self propelled unit, the Spra Coupe has been the first choice for many, with the light weight, its simplicity and the price being its best selling points.
Sure makes you wonder about Agco..... |
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| Will apache pick up sales, or is the jd 4630 light footed sprayer? any other options out there. |
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SpraCoupe (now Agco).....R.I.P.
