Earlier this year, the Federal Trade Commission sued John Deere for what it said was decades of unlawful practice in creating a monopoly on repairs.

Before the lawsuit, farmers and repair shops couldn’t reprogram software, making it effectively impossible to repair some modern equipment. 

Now, if a repair tech wants to do repairs on modern equipment, he needs a special laptop, a tractor plug in, and an account with John Deere’s operations center. 

Aside from all the gear needed for repair work, the license Deere’s new service will cost farmers $195 per machine each year.

https://www.kcrg.com/2025/08/27/john-deere-launching-new-repair-service-mechanic-warns-equipment-costs/