For more than a decade now, Hogan Tractors have been the main tractor dealers for New Holland Agriculture in Galway and South Roscommon. Managing Director Michael Hogan told Irish Tractor & Agri all about the family-run business.
Based in Eyrecourt, Co Galway, Hogan Tractors is a family-run tractor business which was set-up 46 years ago, originally selling and servicing second-hand tractors.
Today, the company are the official dealers for New Holland Agriculture in both Galway and South Roscommon and Managing Director Michael Hogan is happy to report that business is booming at the present time.
Michael – a man who has been immersed in selling tractors for the majority of his working life – was still able to take some time from what has become an increasingly hectic schedule to tell Irish Tractor & Agri what he and his wife’s business is all about.
“We’re about 12 miles south of Ballinasloe and I’ve been a sole trader here since 1972,” Michael outlined.
“Right now there are eight staff working here. Myself and my wife Carmel are the directors and my son Brendan is also involved.
“We have two vans on the road providing a breakdown service and basically we repair everything. We refurbish tractors, we rebuild engines – you name it, we do it. We also do all of the refurbishing and spraying work as well.”
After founding the business, Michael grew it both gradually and efficiently to the point where Hogan Tractors had earned itself a first class reputation among its clients.
In 1991, the company acquired the Fiat Agri Franchise and four years later they were appointed sub-dealers for the New Holland brand.
Things had gone well throughout the 1990s for the Hogans, as their family business continued to grow year on year. Come 2007, Hogan Tractors would be appointed main tractor dealers for New Holland Agriculture, covering Co Galway and South Roscommon, and the firm simply hasn’t looked back since.
While Michael is proud of the progress that they’ve made 12 miles outside the town of Ballinasloe, he also acknowledges that it’s a far cry from when he first started out in this game nearly half a century ago.
“I started off in bringing in second-hand tractors from England and there were only three of us working here before 1980,” he stated.
“From there, we started bringing in more and more modern stuff. In 1991, we took on the Fiat agency and then, of course, the Fiat name changed to New Holland.
“We became sub-dealers for Caseys in Roscommon in 1995 and they went out of business in 2006 then, so basically we’ve been servicing a lot of the Galway and South Roscommon region ever since.”
Indeed servicing is what Hogan Tractors has earned its proud name on. Over the years the company has built up an excellent reputation amongst its clientele for a top quality service.
The Hogans offer you an on-site servicing and repairs from their fully equipped service vehicles, as well as a tractor delivery and recovery service.
The company workshop is equipped with an electronic dynamometer, allowing their staff to closely monitor engine performance and PTO hp. They also provide full diagnostic and servicing facilities for air conditioning systems.
On the business front itself, Michael is glad to report that 2018 has been following the same trend as 2017 thus far in that the machines have been flying out the gate in the first two months.
“It was good last year and it has been good so far this year,” he enthused.
“We have a lot of new ones after going out this month (February) and a couple of second hand New Hollands as well. We have a good after sales service here that our customers really appreciate.”
In servicing one region in particular, Michael has to ensure that his customers are satisfied every time they come through his gates whether they’re in need of new machinery, used machinery parts or servicing.
“Repeat business is what I’m looking for. It’s crucial for us,” he explained.
“We have customers here within a 50-mile radius but the majority of them would be in a 15-mile radius and we know them well and vice-versa. We never let them down and we’re always 100 per cent there for them when they need us.
“Michael Salmon would be a well-known farmer around here that has been with us a long time and Dolan Agri have a fleet of New Hollands out in Clonfert – they’re with us a while. Declan Gilligan does a lot with us too. He’s just out the road from us.”
Right now the most popular seller for Hogan Tractors is the T5 105 while with the T6 145 is a close second followed by the T6 180 and the T7 210.
With regards to parts, Hogan Tractors stock a full range of New Holland original parts and also parts for Fiat Ford tractors.
The company also have an extensive range of Classic Tractor & Vintage Tractor parts and can source any tractor part electronically from New Holland’s English and European parts networks for next day delivery.
New Holland Original Parts are the only parts that fully meet the quality requirements essential for the cost-effective operation of your New Holland machine. This is because the engineers who design those parts and supervise their production are the same people who are responsible for developing our products. So, they know exactly what’s right for your machine.
In increasingly demanding agricultural conditions, New Holland Original filters keep your engine running longer, stronger and cleaner.
Looking to the months ahead, Michael is very much positive.
He concluded: “No one really knows what going to happen with Brexit but a lot of farmers are after getting into the dairy around here so that’s a good sign going forward. Hopefully we can continue going like we are at the moment and gain some new customers along the way.
Hogan Tractors
Eyrecourt,
Ballinasloe,
Co Galway H53 RW50,
Phone: 090 9675184
Fax: 090 9675352
E-mail: [email protected]
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 6 No 2, March/April 2018
