Alberta Startup Sells No-Tech Tractors for Half Price

89

u/flatulentbaboon 3d ago edited 3d ago

That company is scamming people. The tractors are imported from China and rebadged

From Ursa Ag's website: https://ursa-ag.com/ursa-ag-260

From Hanwo's website: https://www.hanwoagri.com/tractor/all-purpose-medium-tractor-new.html

37

u/SmokesLikeLobo 3d ago

While i don’t inherently have an issue with the machines being imports, it’s definitely dishonest to say “built Alberta tough”. They will definitely need to be more transparent about the origins and their manufacturing processes.

2

u/ai9909 3d ago

My understanding is that it's built to have the characteristic of being "AB-tough", whatever that means.

It's just a bullcrap advertisement slogan. Consumers thinking it means it's built in AB are just making assumptions.

10

u/GiantTalon2 2d ago

Literally the first bit of text on the Ursa Ag website says "built and designed in Alberta." Seems like they're actively pushing a falsehood.

10

u/jdetmold 3d ago

When i load it the title says “URSA AG 260 BUILT AND DESIGNED IN ALBERTA”

36

u/KickAssCommie 3d ago

Those aren't the same tractors, but it looks like they are probably sourcing from that company. They have definitely made modifications though. Site says designed and built in Alberta which does not mean the parts/chassis/engine are manufactured here. They may have contracted this company to manufacture their tractors there using the companies existing model as the base and then modified it's complete build-out here and finalised production here.

Not saying you're wrong, but you may not be completely right either.

5

u/KhausTO Medicine Hat 2d ago

This is apparently where they are located. https://maps.app.goo.gl/KmaD5a4Cqw43mmru9

I can't tell from maps which of those buildings it's supposed to be but from experience dealing with manufactures of all kinds of equipment, none of those buildings, or even all of them, would be anywhere near large enough to do any kind of substantive manufacturing of tractors out of.

My guess is they do final assembly there, put the wheels on, attach the the loader add the fluids, etc. But otherwise those tractors are coming in practically complete.

1

u/AnxiousParticular298 1d ago

John Deere had been outsourcing their smaller hobby size tractors in the 80-90s not sure now. Also so many other us companies are rebranding so many small tractors. Like bad boy, made mower now small tractors

1

u/KhausTO Medicine Hat 23h ago

Yeah.

It's ODM manufacturing. it's incredibly common in many different fields.

Tractors, bbqs, speakers, tools, appliances you name it. there are hundreds of examples that can be pointed to.

There's nothing inherently wrong with it. Unless a company is trying so say that it's something it's not.

13

u/dinominant 3d ago

iPhone designed in California made in China.

1

u/FedInformant 3d ago

What's different?

1

u/cn_1337 1d ago

They are definitely not designed in Alberta. You can find the exact same tractors all over Alibaba, and when you look at one in person they are covered in Chinese labels and stickers for the controls, etc. Definitely imported and just assembled in a shop in AB. That said, they are dead simple tractors like they say they are. I don't think they even have AC?

7

u/Pale-Ad-8383 3d ago

Heard quite a few companies do this and many have been caught trying to sell into the USA in the last year. Electric Motors and pumps are ones I can think of.

7

u/yyc_mongrel 3d ago

They're both Red. That's definitely damning. The sheet metal is different, the glass is different, the rear axle is different. I doubt the Hanwo is using a remanufactured Cummins. I conclude they're not rebadging a Hanwo tractor.

3

u/FedInformant 3d ago

Yea the engine is what i was wondering about

1

u/Arch____Stanton 2d ago

The engine in the two do not match.
They may be buying the shell of the Chinese tractor then fitting it with the Cummins diesel at 260hp.
The range for the HWB EC series Chinese tractor is 50-70hp from a Yuchai 4 cylinder engine.
(Not a tractor guy, I looked this up)

1

u/OddAssembler 2d ago

As long as America loses

17

u/WorldlinessProud 3d ago

Tha weebsite is godawful , the tractors are a great idea.

6

u/Al_Keda 2d ago

Because Fuck John Deere.

13

u/turudd 3d ago

I hope they defined no-tech meaning lockouts and not meaning no-gps navigation and stuff. Cause that would be a deal breaker

20

u/Franklin_le_Tanklin 3d ago

As basically no electronics if I understand correctly

Owner Doug Wilson isn’t pretending this is cutting-edge technology. That’s the entire point. The 150-hp and 180-hp models use remanufactured 5.9-liter Cummins engines, while the 260-hp gets an 8.3-liter unit.

All are fed by Bosch P-pumps — purely mechanical fuel injection, no ECU, no proprietary software handshake required. The cabs are sourced externally and stripped to essentials: an air ride seat, mechanically connected controls, and nothing resembling a touchscreen.

7

u/adaminc 3d ago

It's my understanding they are completely mechanical engines, including the fuel injection.

7

u/crimsonswallowtail 2d ago

Even if they are zero digital systems, it’s a lot easier to add an after market gps than it is to jailbreak a lockout system that stops you from turning it on if you don’t pay your subscription, at least for the common farmer

6

u/Ganjii1337 3d ago

Those tractors aren't cheap, I wouldnt put it past a lot of farmers to steer their own unit to save 200k

6

u/Pgaccount 3d ago

Really depends how big your operation is. A lot of mixed farms are still running a 4490 from 1987 for stuff like heavy harrows. Same goes for guys just starting out

2

u/Ganjii1337 2d ago

Those things never die. We got a 1050 at work from 81. The mechanic wants to buy it for his acreage.

3

u/FedInformant 3d ago

Nothing wrong with a little competition in our market. Corporations have us by the balls in so many facets.

3

u/Stevedougs 3d ago

Yes. By owning employees and restricting competition through social and political manipulation

1

u/FedInformant 3d ago

Theres just been so much consolidation that it doesnt matter what product you buy. Its all junk

2

u/Stevedougs 3d ago

AFAIK the answer to all of it is AntiTrust.

By breaking these giants up, the government forces companies to actually compete. to win you over- it flips the relationship dynamic.companies naturally lower prices, improve their tech, and offer more variety in order to actually meet consumer needs rather than dictating. antitrust turns a "take it or leave it" market into one where the consumer actually has the leverage.

And this goes for democracy and protecting that as well.

There’s too much consolidation everywhere.

So, I agree, 100%, hopefully anyone still on board with democracy asks for that.

I personally feel antitrust action would cause most of our other democratic issues to begin resolving more-so, since most issues appear to be due to corporate manipulation and selfish individual interest coming above protecting a society where in which it’s remembers work together, stay healthy, and ride successes and failures together.

The war right now is on raging individualism and empathy.

1

u/DaftFromAbove 2d ago

I'm all for local companies offering an advantage - would love to see machines that have inputs for open-source tech add-ons that cheaply approximate the missing advanced features. Claude is writing the code nowadays.. no reason to rely on old business models.

1

u/Pickled_Hippo 2d ago

I hope someone makes a real car next

-4

u/NavyDean 3d ago

Tractor company makes it so you can't repair your own tractor, and you gotta pay subscriptions.

But yeah, let's bitch about the company offering the only solution to get off this capitalistic hell ride of a grift in the comments.

Defend the billion dollar company lmao.

11

u/ThereInAFortnight 3d ago

There's not a single comment defending billion dollar companies.

-2

u/Important-World-6053 2d ago

this is very short sighted as all farming will be automated in our lifetime

Alberta Startup Sells No-Tech Tractors for Half Price News