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Would Toro ever sell Wheel Horse?

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Wheel-N-It

I can't add anything enlightening to what has already been said. I am disapointed (Toro stopped production, I can't do anything about that), but I am not discouraged. I choose to hold on to a small ray of hope that Toro will bring back the Wheel Horse line of LAGT's just as Ford brought back the Mustang, Chrysler brought back the Challenger, and GM re-introduced the Camaro.

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RMCIII

I can't add anything enlightening to what has already been said. I am disapointed (Toro stopped production, I can't do anything about that), but I am not discouraged. I choose to hold on to a small ray of hope that Toro will bring back the Wheel Horse line of LAGT's just as Ford brought back the Mustang, Chrysler brought back the Challenger, and GM re-introduced the Camaro.

 

You are forgetting the beast that is still waiting to be brought back again. I'm sure it will remain a far memory, but one can still hope. Bring back the Trans Am.

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userj8670

I agree with all the above.  I would be nice to see it back but most people these days are not willing to shell out the coin for a premium grade garden tractor.  They would rather go to Lowes, spend a few bucks and then wonder why it wont run the following season lol.  I would buy an old steel baby before a new one - just love how stuff USED to be made.

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Challenger

I agree with all the above.  I would be nice to see it back but most people these days are not willing to shell out the coin for a premium grade garden tractor.  They would rather go to Lowes, spend a few bucks and then wonder why it wont run the following season lol.  I would buy an old steel baby before a new one - just love how stuff USED to be made.

Another thought on this:  I own a small fleet of 5xi tractors.  They are all "workers" and only one was purchased brand new.

 

The used machines I've purchased have almost all been available due to the original owner buying a high end zero turn or sub compact diesel tractor.   Many people are "shelling out the coin" BUT for a different kind of premium equipment.

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IthacaJeff

Challenger hit an important point. People are indeed shelling out good money for good

equipment. But why pay $4-6K on a garden tractor when you can buy a zero turn that

mows better and faster? We may lament that only Deere and Simplicity sell "true" garden

tractors, but look how many manufacturers are making high end zero turn mowers. Ferris,

ExMark, Walker, Hustler, BadBoy, Grasshopper, Scag, DixieChopper, Swisher, and more

regional makers.

 

My next purchase if/when I get about $5-6K? Either a used Ferris or Scag with a 60" deck

or a used Deere or Kubota SCUT with a loader and/or MMM.

 

Jeff

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SNYFIX

We think it's very ""do-able"". Just needs to be cheapened up a bit. Briggs Engine, elec. PTO, Hydro-gear tranny, 42" mower,

cheaper here -- cheaper there --- $2,999.00 w/mower --- would sell like hotcakes because folks are now realizing what

they're buying for their $1,299. and up.

Notice your ""big-box"" stores aren't inventoring no where near the amout of power equipment that they once did.

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420lse

It would be kinda cool to take back our country one product at a time starting with Wheel Horse. Of Course.

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nylyon

Toro is in business to sell products and make a profit.  While this forum is filled with enthusiasts, there are VERY few of us who purchased a NEW Wheel Horse.  Couple that with the things don't die so we don't need to buy a new one every couple of years.  Like me mentioned above, Toro (or anyone) can't win with this.  If they were to reintroduce the brand it would need to be competitive, which would certainly be highly criticized here, or would be expensive, and not sell.  

 

A while back we ran a poll, who purchased a NEW Wheel Horse.  Turns out it was very few of us, and we're the enthusiasts. I know for me, IF the brand came back and I NEEDed a new machine, I would buy Wheel Horse again only if the quality was still there, but being able to get a tractor for $2000, I would be in the minority. 

 

I think that it's pretty telling that there are still NEW attachments available at dealers which were have been unsold for years.  Face it, we'd fix it before buying a new one.

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IthacaJeff

While we may lament the demise of Wheel Horse, and believe it reflects the attitudes

of a nation, I would suggest that you check out this webpage:

 

http://todaysmower.com/2011/riding-mower-brands/

 

It may be a few years old, but it clearly shows that small and large companies in the States

are producing quality machines. They ain't cheap, they ain't necessarily garden tractors,

but they are L&G equipment to fit the needs of how most of us now live.

 

Jeff

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MalMac

Like mention before, businesses survive on how profits and losses are handled. Toro did a good job with Wheel Horse, they gave us  some

new models like the 520 and others. They also stepped in and help control and clean up what a nightmare the parts supply was. As life moves on and became a more modern disposable world the demand for a garden tractor diminishes. As sales went for Toro, Wheel Horse was only a very small part. A company that size survives on large sales.  As for us on here Wheel Horse is the center of the Bullseye. thats what we focus on. As for the rest of the country Wheel Horse was not as well known as the big green company or the yellow Cub.

 

With all that said, you see that the garden tractor industry is dominated by John Deere and Simplicity. Why is that? it is because they still want to be in that business. They obviously believe that there is a market out there for a garden tractor. So much so that they advertise it. You see TV adds, radio, news print, magazine and Internet adds. In the beginning Toro did advertise Wheel Horse somewhat but as time ran on and the garden tractor industry slowed Toro all but pulled the plug on it's advertising for Wheel Horse. To me they did not want to be in the garden tractor business. We watched Toro put Wheel Horse through a slow death. First they just plain quit trying to sell the product through no advertising then through the drop in available models and attachments. They went as far as to try and introduce a low budge tractor for big box stores.

 

So to me Toro wanted out of the garden tractor business because it did not provide the super large volume sales. When they introduce the 5xi series it was to little to late. It was a nice tractor that put Wheel Horse into the modern world but lacked what other manufactures had with the same expensive price. It was a valiant try but after it failed because of lack of advertising enthusiasm Toro basically decided to pull the plug on the whole Wheel Horse line. It's very sad to see that sales though they might only be a small part yet making profit it does not demand the huge profit they need. To me at the end of the day you paid all your bills, wages and other expenses and you have money left over you made a profit. I guess the small profit VS the mega profit isn't good enough in todays greedy world.

 

I am a educated guy but I am not a business major by any means. I don't think it takes a rocket scientist to see that John Deere sees a market for garden tractors and Toro does not want anything to do with them. Go back 10,15 or so years and how many adds have you seen for Wheel Horse? You can't sell them if you don't advertise them.

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