As a Kubota regional sales manager over 18 dealerships across Oregon and Southwest Washington, Brad Wilcox often finds himself explaining to buyers why they should choose Kubota over other brands.

One of the first things that comes to mind is Kubota’s healthy return on investment, spanning the lifetime of their machines.

“There is the use you get out of the equipment,” Wilcox said. “This is determined in part by the capability, function and reliability of a machine, followed up by its resale value at the end. We manufacture very capable and reliable equipment that is very user friendly, and our tractors and heavy equipment boast one of the highest resale values among brands.

“A high resale value is a direct indicator of what the market values the worth of a used asset to be, and Kubota offers value from start to finish,” Wilcox said. “Sometimes the difference in resale value between a Kubota and Brand X can be more than the new purchase price difference, something people tend not to consider when making a new purchase.”

Secondly, Kubota engineers, manufactures and distributes most of its own products.

“Many manufacturers, including some major competitors, brand equipment that has been made by other suppliers,” Wilcox said. “Not all Original Equipment Manufacturer-supplier/distributor relationships last forever, and that may lead to a parts availability issue down the line,” Wilcox said.

“Another reason for investing in a Kubota is our strong network of locally owned, independent Kubota dealers throughout the Pacific Northwest.

“These dealers have factory-trained service techs that keep your equipment performing at its best for years to come,” Wilcox said. “These independent dealers also compete for your business day in and day out and are here to stay.”

Kubota continues to invest in its infrastructure, benefiting all parties involved. A year ago, Kubota’s Western Division, which includes the 11 Western states, moved into a new 700,000-square-foot facility in Elk Grove, Calif. The multipurpose facility comprises a warehouse and distribution center for parts and whole goods, assembly of tractors and loaders, dealer support staff and division management.

Kubota also uses the facility for dealer service training and contains state-of-the-art classrooms.

“This new training facility has been well received by both Kubota staff as well as the dealer staff,” Wilcox said. “This is a big step to help ensure our Kubota dealers are the local dealer of choice for the consumer, commercial and municipal customers.

“Kubota is also continuing to add to its U.S. manufacturing capabilities with production facility construction underway in Kansas and Georgia,” he said.

The time is right for purchasing a tractor, he said.

“The local market is still trying to stabilize after the COVID market growth days, when sales were very strong, but inventory was very limited,” Wilcox said. “After COVID, sales have become somewhat lethargic while the inventory levels have remained high for all manufacturers on tractors over the last two years, creating a buyer’s market with very competitive prices and zero percent interest rates.”

Throughout the difficulties brought on by the pandemic, Oregon’s construction and turf equipment markets have remained strong.

Wilcox hopes to see a lot of traffic at Kubota’s booth at this year’s Northwest Ag Show.

“We will have a booth packed full of equipment and salesmen from a variety of dealerships in the Willamette Valley,” he said. “We would love the opportunity to meet you, learn about your projects or equipment needs and, if needed, advise you on what equipment would best suit your needs.”