John Deere - Hitachi

As you all might be aware, I am in the market for a used excavator, about a 30-40K machine. As I learn more about what dealers are in my area and trying to sort out which machines I will have the best luck in being able to make repairs myself, I learned that John Deere and Hitachi did a merger for North American manufacturing in 1988.

Does this meant that Hitachi machines made after 1990 are actually John Deere machines painted orange?

Can someone fill me in on the merger and what that...

John Deere - Hitachi

John Deere - Hitachi