Early-year dealer changes continue distribution shake-up
The latest batch of dealer brand switches has seen the pre-Christmas changes continue with some big-names, including Case-IH and Kubota, increasing their presence in previously untapped areas.
See also: Handy checklist for buying a second-hand tractor
Case-IH
Two additional dealers have been added to Case-IH’s growing roster of outlets, with the first a casualty of Agco’s reshuffle before Christmas.
Dumfries and Galloway-based Davidson Tractors lost the Massey Ferguson franchise it had held for 34 years, but its subsequent tie-up with Case gives the brand a stronger footing in south-west Scotland. Davidson Tractors has added Bobcat and McHale to its ranks, too.
John Day Engineering, located in Hungerford, Berkshire, has also taken on Case-IH machinery. It predominately covers Berkshire and south Oxfordshire, as well as some surrounding areas.
John Deere
Deere’s reshuffle has continued with the news that Hunt Forest Group will double in size following the acquisition of fellow JD dealer C Smart Agricultural Services.
The agreement sees Hunt Forest add three new depots in Dorset and Somerset – taking it up to nine – with the single business now covering most of central southern England.
All staff will transfer to Hunt and the three Smart depots will continue to operate as Smart Ag Services.
Netherton Tractors
Long-standing Opico dealer Netherton Tractors has taken on Maschio Gaspardo tillage and seeding kit, mowers, Sky drills and Strautmann forage wagons, adding them to the He-Va implements it already sells.
The dealer can now offer the full range of Opico-sourced kit to its customers in the area north of the M8 motorway, with branches in Forfar, Glenrothes and Perth, along with two new depots in Turriff and Nairn.
© Opico
Merlo
Cranworth Farm Services, based in Thetford, Norfolk, has joined Merlo’s dealer network. The outlet will have a sales and service role in the centre and south of the county, which it will run alongside its other brands, including Landini, Teagle, Strimech and Twose.
Kubota
Following the division of Agco and Kubota brands between dealers Chandlers and Lister Wilder late last year, the latter now intends to expand its offering by supplying Kubota OEM engines alongside the orange-liveried machinery from its Ashford, Guildford and Reading depots.
The addition of the engine range means family-owned Lister Wilder is the first full-line Kubota dealer in Europe. There are also major redevelopment plans for its depots, including a dedicated Kubota centre planned for this year.
David Hart (l) and Charlie King © Kubota
Maschio Gaspardo
New Holland has boosted its cultivation offering by signing an exclusive agreement with Italian machinery maker Maschio Gaspardo, which will build disc harrows and subsoilers to be sold in NH colours.
This plugs a hole in the Basildon firm’s arsenal that has remained since it took on the Kongskilde range back in 2016. The new machines won’t be available through Maschio’s UK importer, Opico.
TH White
Wiltshire dealer TH White has added the full range of Chafer sprayers to its product offering, including Guardian and Sentry trailed models, alongside the Defender and Interceptor self-propelleds. The dealership already has CNH, Pottinger and Vaderstad in its portfolio.
© TH White
Trimble
Trimble has partnered with a number of companies to expand its offerings. The first is TeamViewer, which will help provide technical support to customers in far-flung locations by accessing the in-cab screen remotely.
The GPS firm has also added to its reseller list with SymAgri, covering Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and north Essex, and Manterra in northern England.
Finally, a partnership between Trimble and German software giant Muller should allow the latter’s cab displays to work more efficiently with Trimble’s guidance equipment.
Grimme
Potato kit maker Grimme has partnered with Claas dealer Hamblys to supply its customers in south-west England.
The dealer has five depots across Somerset, Devon and Cornwall, with the appointment allowing Grimme to consolidate three separate dealerships into one covering the same area.
© Grimme
FieldBee and CNH
Guidance systems from FieldBee are now available on small models of Case-IH and New Holland tractors. The innovative technology uses smartphones and narrow-band internet to acquire a guidance signal, rather than relying on conventional terminals.
The models using the tech are New Holland’s TDD Masterdrive range and Case-IH’s JX Proguide tractors, which are built by Turk Traktor.
Goodyear
Tyre specialist Goodyear has said family-run North Devon Tyres will supply its range of farm rubbers. North Devon Tyres has 11 depots across Cornwall, Devon and Somerset.
Border chaos for machinery exports
Exporters of machinery into the EU have been battling increased red tape since the turn of the year.
A new Defra directive states that any agricultural, horticultural or forestry machinery heading to the EU, including Northern Ireland, needs to be cleaned and free of all soil contamination and vegetative material. It then requires a Defra inspection to issue a certificate.
“Exactly how clean each machine needs to be is somewhat open to interpretation and is really a grey area at the moment,” says Bill Pepper from auctioneer Cheffins.
“One clause said the machine has to be in as-new condition, which is unworkable when a tractor is 30 years old. We will have to wait and see how pragmatic or pedantic inspectors will be.”
There is also a cost attached to this, with a call-out inspection by a Defra official costing £128 and then £64/hour after that. The certificate costs £25 and is valid for 14 days.
“It’s making life very difficult and is a big cost. We can clean it here and have it inspected but, when it gets abroad, it may be different and not mean anything,” says Richard Parris, who runs Parris Tractors in Somerset and exports hundreds of machines every year.
“A lot of the transport companies we use can’t get the correct paperwork to leave the country, and if it’s not sorted soon, it will have a significant effect on the value of second-hand equipment.”
One issue for hauliers is that while getting goods into the UK seems fairly simple, going back with a full load to the Continent to make the trip viable is not guaranteed, which inevitably bumps up the cost of transport.
