Benn Agri in Urlingford, Co. Tipperary are leading specialists in slurry equipment and self-drive hire for tractors and loaders. The family business services and supplies parts for a wide range of pumps and umbilical systems, making it a one-stop shop for all your slurry needs.
Established in 2011 by Elliot Benn, Benn Agri has become synonymous with quality-built slurry management equipment and outstanding back-up service. As main importers for Cri-Man and Tramspread umbilical systems, Mixit lagoon / tower stirrers, Mandals umbilical slurry hoses and Talex grass mowers, and also representing leading Irish brands such as KME Agri dribble bars, tankers and trailing shoes, Alstrong Engineering aerators and seeders, and R Wylie Engineering shear grabs and grass toppers, it’s easy to see why Benn Agri is the dealer of choice for many agri contractors and farmers nationwide.
Benn Agri’s aim is to supply premium quality equipment to its customers and to provide an unrivalled back-up service. Before supplying a machine, Elliot makes sure that clients receive a machine that suits their requirements and maximises their investment. The affable dealer prides himself in supplying quality, value-for-money machinery and with over 25 years’ experience in farm machinery sales, is confident that he knows what he’s doing.
“I’m a mechanic by trade with a wealth of experience in sales also,” he says.
“Coming from a farming background, I always had an interest in machinery. I cut my teeth working for local agri contractors during my school holidays and progressed from there to become a mechanic. I sold equipment for some of the biggest agri dealers in the country before seeing a niche in the market for a professional specialist dealer in umbilical sales and service.
“That led to me going out on my own in 2011. Fourteen years later, the business is getting bigger and bigger. We have a lot of new and repeat customers which we’re very grateful for. I’ve been involved in the trade for a long time and that has stood me in good stead.”
Elliot’s expertise in sales and service allows him to run the business as a ‘one-man operation’ with the support of his sons Aaron, David and Clive, and wife Charlotte. His workshop is well-equipped to carry out repairs on all makes of pumps and slurry spreading equipment, while he also has a fabrication workshop where he can manufacture bespoke orders for customers.
“We service what we sell and keep the customer working at all costs,” continues Elliot, whose garage is located on the Tipperary-Kilkenny border.
“We service a lot of our competitors’ machines which has helped to get us to where we are today. If the service side of things is right, the sales will look after itself. We have every product the customer wants. We can custom-build any pipework you need and also carry a large stock of spare parts for immediate delivery.
“Furthermore, our dribble bars, trailing shoes / splash plates and pumps are grant compliant.”
Benn Agri is proud to fly the flag for Cri-Man, Tramspread, Mixit and Mandals in Ireland. The dealer offers the full range of Cri-Man and Tramspread umbilical systems as well as Mixit stirrers. An Italian brand, Cri-Man offers chopper and grinder pumps, mixers, screw press separators and aerobic digesters for livestock, biogas and industry plants. Tramspread also manufactures a wide range of slurry handling equipment, including umbilical and tanker applications, hose reels and pump units.
Offering performance, simplicity and reliability, Mixit stirrers have been tried and tested by farmers and contractors since 1988. Their unique rotating tube and auger means there are no submerged bearings or framework. Mixit’s impellers are the highest thrust in the industry and are therefore significantly faster than pumps or jetters.
A Michelin Group company, Mandals is the newest addition to the Benn Agri stable. Mandals’ umbilical slurry hoses allow for the most cost-efficient way to cover your fields. The result is less damage to crops from heavy transportation and reduced water pollution from accurate manure placement.
Mandals’ lay-flat hoses have been the preferred solution in the global agriculture sector for decades. The durability and wear resistance provides the longest-lasting hoses for such demanding use. Quick deployment and retrieval, combined with excellent flow rates and long lifetime, reduce operating costs.
The manufacturer offers hoses specially designed for use with umbilical drag hose systems. This ensures environmentally friendly and safe manure distribution, and also prevents hard-packing of the soil. Lighter hoses are used as supply hoses for irrigation and as feeder hoses for slurry systems. Furthermore, Mandals hoses are resistant to most industrial and agricultural chemicals, ozone and UV-rays. They offer the very highest abrasion resistance and tensile strength.
“All of our brands are performing strongly,” Elliot happily reports.
“The Cri-Man range of umbilical pumps and separators are among the top three in the world. Cri-Man, Tramspread, Mixit and Mandals are our four main imported brands. We were recently appointed as one of only two Irish importers for Mandals. We are also agents for quality Irish brands like KME Agri, Alstrong Engineering and R Wylie Engineering. KME Agri in Kerry may have been latecomers to the slurry market, but they make excellent dribble bars, tankers and trailing shoes. We’ve become a very important supplier of their products.
“Likewise, Alstrong Engineering in Galway do top-quality aerators and seeders which we also have available for hire. We stock the full range of shear grabs and grass toppers from R Wylie Engineering in Dungannon too.”
Umbilical systems are becoming increasingly popular as they improve productivity, reduce costs, reduce soil compaction and help the environment. They also help to reduce lameness in cows due to their lighter footprint on roadways compared to slurry tankers.
Similarly, there is an increasing demand for slurry separators. At the 2024 FTMTA Farm Machinery Show, which took place in Punchestown on November 12, 13 and 14 last, Benn Agri showcased its latest range of umbilical pumps and slurry separators, including the state-of-the-art Cri-Man 100KK umbilical slurry pump.
“Separation is the new buzz word in the slurry industry. It’s going to be the next big thing,” Elliot predicts.
“Separators are designed to separate water from solids. This makes the slurry clearer while the liquid fraction still holds fertiliser values and eliminates crushing forming on the ground after spreading. Contamination in the silage pit is also reduced. We will have Cri-Man mobile separators for sale, hire and demo from January 20 onwards.”
A sharp decline in second-hand slurry equipment sales following Brexit prompted Elliot to focus more on self-drive hire for tractors, loaders and other equipment. This aspect of the business has really taken off, especially in the busy spring, summer and autumn months. The modern fleet of tractors which he hires out are Case, New Holland and CLAAS, and range from 100-250hp. Recently, Elliot added new CLAAS and New Holland tractors along with a Manitou loader to his offering. The Case and CLAAS tractors are supplied by local dealers Tobin & Cantwell and Breen’s Farm Machinery respectively, while the New Hollands come from WR Shaw.
“We insist on supporting local dealers, while I’ve been doing business with Billy Shaw of WR Shaw for the last 35 years,” the Tipp man explains.
“We always had a few tractors hired out locally, but it’s something we have developed over the last four or five years. When Brexit happened and it was no longer feasible for us to import second-hand slurry equipment from the UK, we placed more of an emphasis on self-drive hire and it has paid off.
“We currently have 10 tractors and five loaders, which are predominantly JCB TM 320s, available for self-drive hire. We plan to introduce contractor spec’ silage and grain trailers in 2025, giving our self-drive hire clients even greater choice and variety.”
As Benn Agri continues to go from strength to strength, Elliot would like to take this opportunity to thank his customers and suppliers for all their support.
Benn Agri
Urard,
Urlingford,
Co. Tipperary.
Telephone: 086 837 7768
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.benn-agri.com
First published in Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 13 No 1, Spring 2025
