Renowned tractor, trailer, jeep and farm machinery dealership Regan Tractor Sales celebrated its 40th anniversary in March, 2018. We visited the heart of Ireland’s agri sector in Frenchpark, County Roscommon and met founder Tom Regan and his daughter Olivia to get an insight into the exceptional range of products and services provided by this long-serving, market-leading, family-run operation.
For four decades, Regan Tractor Sales has been leading the way, offering the local farming community superb tractors and machinery, backed up by unrivalled service levels – engineering, repairs, maintenance – and outstanding value for money.
By focusing on achieving unbeatable levels of customer care, the business has become an integral part of the agricultural landscape in Roscommon and beyond since its inception from modest beginnings in March, 1978.
As a member of the farming community himself, founder Tom Regan can see every transaction from both sides of the counter and understands implicitly what his customers’ needs are. To this end, he sources and supplies the best-quality and most cost-effective equipment that money can buy.
An established Zetor Tractors main dealer, Regan Tractor Sales is also an agent (sales and service) for numerous other renowned names such as Nugent, Pottinger, NC, Conor, Kverneland, McHale, Major, Walter Watson, Malone, Hardi, Manitech, etc., as well as an exhaustive selection of second-hand machinery and implements for tractors.
Wholly committed to their customer base, Regan Tractor Sales has grown organically and sustainably over the years and decades through quality service and repeat business, with the experienced and fully-knowledgeable team on hand to make sure that no stone is left unturned in the pursuit of absolute customer satisfaction.
“I started off doing repairs in the garage and then started selling the odd second-hand tractor. My reputation grew and I built the business up from there,” says Tom, reflecting on the genesis of the family business.
“As time went on, I began importing tractors from England, Belguim, Holland and Germany, also second-hand jeeps from Japan and then, in around 2003, I took on the Zetor dealership, which we’ve held for many years now.”
Today, Tom is assisted in the running of the family business by daughter, Olivia, who joined in 2009, and also Pat Egan in Sales and Service. He is pleased to report an upturn in business after some challenging times during the recession. “We’re selling a nice few at the moment; it has livened up again thankfully after a few quiet enough years.”
As a main dealer for Zetor Tractors, Regan Tractor Sales covers all of County Roscommon as well as East Mayo and South Leitrim. They were also main dealers for Deutz-Fahr for a few years in the mid-noughties and continue to possess a detailed understanding of all tractors, providing excellent second-hand sales and servicing of all makes from Massey Ferguson, New Holland, Case, Fiat, Same, from 20hp up to 180hp.
Zetor is, of course, a leading tractor brand and Tom is proud of his long-running association with the Czech manufacturer, which has been building comfortable, economical and award-winning tractors since 1946, including the Major, Crystal, Forterra and Proxima ranges. Introduced in 2013, the Major range has recently been upgraded with a new engine, while two new tractor models are set to be unveiled soon in the 40hp–70hp segment, namely the Utilix and Hortus.
“Zetor Tractors have been around for a long time and they are renowned for reliability,” says the founder of Regan Tractor Sales. “They’ve been making tractors for 72 years and have been in Ireland since the mid-1960s. Convenience is one of their great strengths – they are a simple tractor, affordable and easy to maintain. They hold a very good resale value and are ideal for either the farmer or contractor.
“We also trade under the Roscommon Trailer Centre, distributing New Nugent Trailers selling a wide range of new second-hand trailers, which are all fully-serviced by our technicians and compliant with all legislation.
“There is one technician employed to service trailers on a full-time basis.”
Cattle Trailers make up for a vast amount of the trailer business however with the upturn in the economy we are selling large amounts of Plant Trailers, Flat Trailers and Tippers.
As well as sales, Regan’s also offer full dealer-approved warranty work, spare parts, servicing, mechanical and spray painting services from their state-of-the-art workshop.
“We have a highly skilled technical team, which combine several years of knowledge and experience in the Agri Services Sector.
“We deliver spare parts on an overnight basis all over Ireland.”
Tom continues. “And we import a lot of second-hand tractors and telehandlers from England. We source good quality machinery that our customers can rely on and we’d have up to 300 different items in stock here at any given time.
“On top of that, we also import different makes of second-hand jeeps and commercial vehicles.”
It would be fair to say that Regan Tractor Sales is part of the way of life in rural Roscommon and has been for decades and generations.
“There’s been a large volume of repeat business and I’m actually dealing with the fourth generation of some families,” Tom confirms. “Some of the younger customers we have, I would have dealt with their great grandfathers in the past.”
There’s no magical secret formula. Rather, it’s simply a case of dedication to customer care and sheer hard work: “You try to give your customers what they want. If you look after them and provide a good service, then hopefully they will come back and do business with you again.”
Farming himself, Tom knows what farmers and contractors are looking for when it comes to purchasing gear: “It’s all grass around here – a lot of cattle and sheep.
“The home farm is a mile and a half up the road and I keep sucklers there. I’d know exactly what the small to medium size farmer wants and what he can afford to buy. That’s why we source quality second-hand equipment, and they in turn pay for themselves.
“I buy what I feel suits my area. I go myself to the sales and end users twice a month to pick up good machinery, with no middle man involved, so I can pass on the savings to the local farming community.”
Exporting Tractors to the third world has been something they are accustomed to for many years: “We offer prompt payment for anyone who wants to sell their tractor. We can collect them free of charge from anywhere in the 32 counties.”
Like her father, Olivia is doubly determined to make sure customers continue to be thoroughly looked after. “We offer the most competitive finance options on everything we sell,” she states. “We deal with all Banks and Financial Institutions to get our customers the best value possible and we can arrange 100% finance on all purchases. Customers are always looking for value for money, so that’s what we focus on.”
Looking to the future, Regan Tractor Sales will continue to do what it has done so well for 40 years: “We are always diversifying and changing in response to what people want,” Olivia concludes. “We will continue to focus on giving our customers quality products and quality service at a good price. We don’t plan on changing that much, to be honest, but we will move with the times, as all businesses have to.”
Regan Tractor Sales,
Castlerea Road,
Mullen,
Frenchpark,
County Roscommon.
Tel: 094 9870250
Fax: 094 9870259
Mobile: 087-2529056
Email: [email protected]
Web: regan.ie
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 6 No 1, February 2018
