this post was submitted on 04 Jun 2026
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Right to Repair
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Whether it be electronics, automobiles or medical equipment, the manufacturers should not be able to horde “oem” parts, render your stuff useless if you repair it with aftermarket parts, or hide schematics of their products.
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So the only reason they can build this and not have to conform to pollution laws is because they're using remanned Cummins 12v engines. There's a limited number of those in any case. As soon as they have to conform with new engines, they're going to get a lot more expensive.
Caterpiller stopped providing truck engines for a decade rather than R&D a compliant motor. That was the second largest truck engine manufacturer in the world, decided it was too expensive to bother, which tells you how much these engines cost new.
I love the idea of this tractor, but it's not going to survive the economy of scale intact.
What regulations must they conform to with newly-manufactured engines? Emmissions? Safety?
Are ag equipment regulations so strict that they can't manufacture new "old-school" engines?
Serious question as I am not a farmer. Not anymore at least. Not since my horse died. RIP, Mr. Sugarhooves.
NO2 emissions standards in US and Canada now pretty much require DEF systems, which is a huge added cost, as well as other design changes that are required to make DEF work. And yes, ag got an exception for a bunch of years, but the regulation is now catching up on new machines. Most equipment has doubled in price in the last 5 years or so from all manufacturers, in large part due to new engine requirements. A tractor you could have bought new for $200k is now north of $400k and don't get me started on combines.
Thanks for explaining that. Sounds like I'm going to have to buy a milling machine and carve out my own engine blocks.
Diesel is on it's way out because of the particulates they emit. There's no viable tech to reduce this, and national/state/regional/local regulations are all over the place. Too much chaos to bother investing the time and research. It's not that diesels are expensive. They've been mass produced for 100+ years. The problem today is any investment in them is risky and companies don't like/can't afford the time + money + risk involved. DEF and particulate filters on the exhaust haven't worked out well. Regulators want to keep throttling back emissions like they have done with gasoline engines already. There's no way to win producing a "street legal" diesel. On the industrial/tractor/offroad front, little has changed really. Far less regulatory uncertainty there compared to the consumer space.
Diesel was great tech, for a time, but at this point all diesels are dinosaurs whose days are numbered. They simply pollute too much and in ways that are pernicious and harmful to public health.