From his tractor dealership in Mountain Lake, Minnesota, Kyle Smith, owner of Midway Farm Equipment, dispatches his mechanics miles away to fix farmers' tractors — repairs requiring much more than a wrench.
"It's not as easy as your tractor from 1978, when something doesn't work you go out and follow linkage to a cable and a cable to a valve," said Smith. "Nowadays, it's all electronic and it's on a wiring sensor somewhere."
He understands why do-it-yourself-minded operators are increasingly frustrated by their inability to fix equipment themselves. Instead of running solely on basic mechanics, tractors — like automobiles — increasingly rely on computer technology.
