I am a GM of a John Deere AG/Construction Dealership, and, with regards to Deere, this is about the Information that Farmers CAN now obtain to increase Yields, it's not about modifying a Tractor (which is funny to me)-

It's about who owns that information, as many Farmers now Field Map, which can show them where they need to increase/decrease Water/Fertilizer/Insecticide to increase Yields. This fight has been brewing for over 10 Years, and is just now coming to a head (the issue is being forced by Deere)- I believe the farmer owns the info, btw-

Now, I've dealt with hot rodders getting more performance out of Tractors, but, they are few and far between-with that crowd, more HP is what they are looking for (in my experience), and, with the new Technology you just can't "hack" the PTC-

As far as repair, yes, our stuff is now very advanced, and you have to not only possess the equipment to diagnose the problem, you have to have the Training that goes along with it (Deere now requires 80 hours a Year per Tech, can be more depending on his specialty)-

Obviously the Author of these Articles doesn't understand the issue, or is out to sensationalize the issue (or get noticed-maybe both)-