A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to visit with a very successful farm equipment dealer who has spent the better part of 40 years in the business. We talked about the huge changes that have taken place during his career and how his dealership adapted to them.
While farm equipment dealers rely on their OEMs for a large majority of their parts, at least one-quarter of them say they’ve changed parts suppliers in the past 3 years.
Like the precision farming segment of their business in general, farm equipment dealers are still grappling with the best way to handle the sale of parts for precision farming products.
Watching Zach Reiter work the TruAG exhibit at the 2014 Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa, you might have thought he worked for the manufacturer of seed tender products, as well as anhydrous bars. As it turns out, Reiter is an independent farmer-dealer who handles TruAG products as his main line of equipment.
Dealers may want to take a new look at grain bagging equipment. When the elevators are unable to keep up with record-high grain yields, farmers don’t want combines sitting still.
Dealers may want to take a new look at grain bagging equipment. When the elevators are unable to keep up with record-high grain yields, farmers don’t want combines sitting still.
When Jack VanBussel opened Huron Tractor in 1961 in Exeter, Ontario, he didn’t plan to fail but he understood the importance of a backup plan. So, the original building was designed as an automobile service station. If his dream didn’t turn out the way he expected, VanBussel reasoned he could always pump gas.
For the past 28 years, members of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) have recognized the most innovative advancements in engineering in the areas of agricultural, food and biological systems with the AE50 Award. The products selected save producers time, reduce costs and labor, while improving user safety.
We asked dealers: "When customers want to trade used equipment when making a new equipment purchase, will you take their used on a consignment basis? Why or why not?"
Service is without a doubt the most expensive department to operate. It occupies the most space in the dealership so it has the highest occupancy costs (heat, light, power, rent/amortization, etc.); it also employs the most people, and has the highest operating costs. This is particularly true when you include the costs associated with field service vehicles, special diagnostic tools and consumables used in repairs.
Farm tractor auto-steer technology was conceived initially to relieve operator stress and improve precision equipment tracking. Over the past 20 years, it has been quietly developing and gestating to a point that it’s nearly ready to give birth to full-scale automated field operations where the number of humans required “in the cab” will soon be dwarfed by the number of machines “in the field.”
As Sun Tzu wrote over 2,000 years ago, “Now an army may be likened to water, for just as flowing water avoids the heights and hastens to the lowlands, so an army avoids strength and strikes weakness.” Dealers interested in capturing a market would be wise to heed those words and to attack a competitor’s weaknesses by capitalizing on their own strengths while simultaneously overcoming their own weaknesses.
A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to visit with a very successful farm equipment dealer who has spent the better part of 40 years in the business. We talked about the huge changes that have taken place during his career and how his dealership adapted to them.
Built on 90 years of expertise, Yetter Farm Equipment leads the agriculture industry in designing effective and innovative equipment for residue management, seedbed preparation, precision fertilizer placement, harvest attachments, strip-tillage, and more.
Montag is the industry’s innovative leader for precise, accurate metering of fertilizer, seed and other nutrients. The Montag system has become the standard for deep banding of fertilizer. Montag is also pioneering the technology for cover crop seed application. The new Cover Crop+ is able to meter the smallest seed, and can be mounted to tillage implements, combines, plus Hagie sprayers and detasselers.
At Machinery Scope, we believe you deserve the best risk management solutions for your investments in heavy equipment. Since 2013, we have been proud to offer extended warranty, appraisals, and inspections. Machinery Scope is a family-owned business built on our experience in farming and equipment dealerships. We understand your business and provide a personalized and professional level of customer service. Machinery Scope has built a strong warranty product with our customers in mind, offering the same professional level of service from the time you get a quote, through the processing of a claim.