JF Centre Tullamore recently held a successful Open Day to celebrate the opening of its new display shed and parts store, and the launch of its Cross Engineering machinery, Twose Hedge-cutter and MX Tractor Loader dealership.
Offaly and Cappincur footballers Jason Gethings and Eoin Carroll were special guests at the Open Day which took place in Annaharvey, Tullamore. JF Centre Tullamore managing director Alan Gethings was delighted with how the event went and is looking forward to bringing even more great services to his customers.
“I have been working and repairing JF harvesters for the last 25 years,” says Alan, who also runs his own agri contracting business, Gethings Contractors Ltd.
“That led to me setting up the JF Centre Tullamore four years ago. We have since become the largest dealer in Ireland for JF harvesters’ parts. In addition, we’ve taken on other dealerships and the business has grown beyond all expectations. We have 700 customers on our books and the number is growing all the time.”
Open from 8am to 6pm daily, and much longer during silage season, the JF Centre Tullamore can cater for all your needs – from a cir clip to a gearbox, from a mainframe to a nut.
“Our customers’ needs come first, with no job too big or too small. We provide friendly advice and support. Your satisfaction is our guarantee.”
Along with JF harvesters, the JF Centre Tullamore is a main dealer for Twose hedge-cutters, MX tractor loaders, Sip mowers, Sulky manure shakers and corn drills and Cross Engineering farm machinery in the midlands. The Centre also stocks a wide range of genuine and spurious parts for all types of agricultural machinery, including Twose, Spearhead, McConnel, JF, Sulky, Sip, Cross, Case and Kverneland. It is also an agent for Top Tul, Led Global, Quality Tractor Parts, McHugh Components, Genfit, AMA, Sparex, Vires, Irwin, McAnax and Posi Lock.
“We only stock parts that we have used ourselves in our agri contracting business and have no hesitation in recommending them to our customers. We guarantee to have all parts for JF Harvesters on the shop shelf when you call,” Alan adds.
The JF Centre Tullamore’s friendly staff will be more than happy to discuss all your needs and ensure you make the right decision when you’re purchasing your next agricultural machine. Alan and his team have over 75 years’ experience working with all makes of agricultural machinery and can advise you on all aspects of your machine, whether you are buying new flails or just wondering how things work!
Customers can see some of the machinery in use in Alan’s contracting business, and not just on display in a dealer’s yard. These include a Cross Engineering 2,500-gallon Super Tanker with Bomech 7.5-metre trailing shoe, a Series 4 TW55-4 Twose hedgecutter on a Massey Ferguson 390 and a Twose hedgecutter Series 5 TW67T-5 on a Case CS130 using precision proportional controls. Alan has a contract to cut hedges and trim verges for Offaly County Council, meaning the above hedgecutters are in regular use.
The Gethings name has been synonymous with agri-contracting in the midlands for over a 100 years. Both of Alan’s grandfathers, Harry Gethings and Arthur Champ, ran threshing mills from Colehill, Tullamore and Cloneyquinn, Portarlington respectively. Alan’s father Ken set up Ken Gethings & Sons in 1968, which became Gethings Contractors Ltd in 2000.
“My father and mother went to England for work in the early 60`s and came home with me and my brother David,” Alan explains.
“The business is still going strong after 50 years. I run it with the help of David, his son Neville (who is foreman), Darren O’Connor and Evan Gill. Wesley Colton, Colin Gethings, John Bulger and Oisin Maher also work for us on a part-time basis. Colin, who is another son of David’s, also works for our uncle William Champ of WC Agri in Portarlington. Despite being a busy nurse, my wife Lisa helps out when she can and is a huge asset to the business.”
Gethings Contractors Ltd provides a top-class contracting service which includes silage cutting, corn sowing / harvesting, baling, ploughing, hedge-cutting and verge-cutting, slurry spreading / agitating and haulage. The contractor has an array of machinery to carry out your work quickly and efficiently, providing you with value-for-money and an alternative to investing in your own expensive equipment. The company’s success can be attributed to the knowledge, skill and expertise of its staff, as well as the quality of its machinery. Alan and his highly-skilled team deliver the value and quality farmers expect from their agricultural contracting partner.
Alan runs five Case tractors – a CVX 1155, a CVX 1195, two CS 150s and the aforementioned CS 130. Completing the fleet is the Massey Ferguson 390, which has also been mentioned already. His local Case dealer is WR Shaw – who are better known as a New Holland dealer – in Tullamore.
Along with the equipment previously listed, Alan operates two Red Rock loading shovels, a Deutz Fahr 4065 combine harvester, a pair of Twose hedge-cutters, six 18ft Dooley silage trailers, three Kverneland mowers and corn drills and a 4,000-gallon Hi-Spec slurry tanker, which is used for drawing sludge for Offaly County Council, acting on behalf of Irish Water.
All machines are serviced and upgraded regularly to avoid breakdowns and downtime. While some contractors work around the clock during the busy silage season, Alan insists on taking a break between the hours of 10pm and 5am for health and safety reasons. “Accidents are far more likely to happen when it’s dark,” he points out. “We will, however, sow / cut corn all night if rain is coming because there is only one person involved and we are not on the road, therefore there is far less chance of an accident taking place.”
Gethings Contractors Ltd retains long-time customers and attracts new ones by offering a professional, reliable, clean and value-for-money service. With a 55-acre silage-based farm also on his hands, Alan is a busy man, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.
JF Centre Tullamore / Gethings Contractors Ltd
Annaharvey,
Tullamore,
Co. Offaly.
Telephone: 087 2445725
Email: [email protected]
You can also follow JF Centre Tullamore on Facebook.
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 6 No 3, May 2018
