CLAAS
Farm equipment · Last assessed 6/9/2026
Score breakdown
Why this grade
CLAAS was the fifth and final 2023 signer of the AFBF Right-to-Repair MOU (June 2023), pledging access to the CLAAS Diagnostic System (CDS), manuals and tools either directly or through dealers and not to block third-party tools. However it has the smallest US dealer/support footprint of the four, and its CDS diagnostic software is heavily gated in practice — per-machine activation keys are required to enable the interface, and activation is largely dealer/remote-channeled, indicating a strong software lock. Independent US-specific evidence on real-world owner access (parts turnaround, manual availability, pricing) is thin, and per the conservative-on-thin-evidence rule combined with the documented activation-key lock and the general PIRG/Warren critique that these MOUs underdeliver, CLAAS lands in the F band with low confidence.
Methodology & version
Five dimensions — parts availability, schematic access, repairability, OEM pricing, and software freedom — are scored 0–100 and weighted equally; the letter grade is the average (A 90–100, B 80–89, C 70–79, D 60–69, F below 60). This assessment is current as of 6/9/2026 and cites its sources below. It covers the Farm equipment category and is not a claim about every device the maker ships.