How Farmers Solve Machinery Problems and What’s Slowing Them Down

What we learned from a survey of professional machinery users

spogen.ai conducted a focused field survey to understand better how heavy machinery users solve problems, and where today’s user experience still falls short. At OKRA 2025, one of Finland’s largest agricultural trade shows, we asked attendees how they react when something goes wrong with a machine, where they turn for help, and what could make problem-solving faster, easier, and more reliable.

We heard from around 50 machinery users, mostly farmers, but also contractors and technical staff. The survey was promoted at OKRA, and targeted hands-on professionals who rely on machines daily. Most of the feedback was received during the event.

Who We Heard From

Experience: The majority of respondents had more than 10 years of hands-on experience with heavy machinery. Many maintain and repair their machines themselves when possible.

Machine types: Tractors were the most common, followed by a range of other agricultural machinery such as seed drills and combines, as well as excavators, forestry machines and crushers.

Digital habits: Nearly all respondents already use smartphones or tablets as part of their daily workflow.

Our Three Clear Takeaways

1. Users Want to Fix Problems Themselves, But Many Lack the Support

When there is something to figure out, or something breaks, the default reaction is to try and solve it on their own. Most respondents said their first step is hands-on: checking manuals, consulting colleagues, or calling the dealer or manufacturer support.

Even the experienced operators run into barriers:

• Manuals are typically far away, when the need arises
• Manuals are often difficult to navigate
• Online results are scattered and unreliable
• Expert support isn’t always immediately available

*Course of action in a non-common situation, honorary mention: “I call my dad.“ (2 respondents).

2. The Real Frustration Is the Search for Information

The main source of frustration wasn’t the technical problem. It was finding the right information to solve it. One in five respondents said machine issues do not frustrate them, but most others expressed frustration with the process of looking for answers.

“The instructions are hard to understand” was a clear ‘winner’ among complaints. Almost at a shared second position came “I don’t know where to look for information”, “I don’t know who to ask”, and “Getting help takes too long”.

3. Even Users of Older Machines Are Ready for Smarter Tools

Interestingly, users of older machines were among the most interested in smarter support tools. Their top wishes for such a tool were ease of use, simple and clear instructions for operating features, and the ability to identify error codes. One might speculate they are preparing for their next machines they know will be more complex.

Worth a Closer Look

In the coming weeks, we’ll share follow-up articles that explore these three key themes from the survey, and how we as a company and the whole machinery ecosystem can address them.

• Efficient DIY support optimizes the whole value chain.
• Easier access to information unlocks new customer satisfaction opportunities.
• A smarter digital future needs smarter digital tools to ease adoption.

These are signals from real users, and they show exactly where smarter support is needed.

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