For almost four decades, Springmount Tractors has been providing farmers and contractors in the south east with unrivalled sales, service and parts solutions for tractors and agricultural machinery. We dropped into their well-appointed Gorey, County Wexford base to find out more from founder / proprietor Alfred Spencer.
As main agent for Case IH tractors and agri equipment;Pottinger tillage, drilling and harvest equipment; Rauch fertiliser spreaders; and Trioliet diet feeders / mixer wagons, Bomford hedgetrimmers, Springmount Tractors offers farmers and contractors across Wexford and the south east a superb selection of machinery.
The business was established by Alfred Spencer alongside his wife, Sarah, in 1979 and continues to go from strength to strength, due to the excellent products and outstanding aftersales service offered.
Alfred has worked with agri machinery all his life so he has an innate understanding of what his customers demand. He began his career with Collier Brothers in the agri department, which later became Mahon & McPhillips whose headquarters were at Dublin Road, Kilkenny, and were one of the biggest importers and dealers in the country at the time.
Before going into liquidation, Mahon & McPhillips supplied Leyland, Marshall and Fendt Tractors and New Holland harvesting equipment. “I took on the Steyr brand tractors from Austria and imported them for the 26 counties from 1990 until 2004,” the Wexford man reflects.
“Case then took over Steyr and decided to drop the Steyr name for Ireland and England, so that brand was dropped altogether and they gave me the Case agency, which was more or less the same tractor but with a different name.”
Alfred knows agri machines inside-out and provides exceptional sales, service, parts and finance services to farmers across Wexford, Wicklow and Carlow, benefiting from a large volume of repeat business due to the outstanding levels of customer care provided on a consistent basis. He also stocks parts for Steyr, Case and International tractors going back 40 years and still sells parts nationwide for Leyland, Marshall and Nuffield.
Although the market is “tough at the moment” with farmers being pushed to the pin of their collars by ever-diminishing margins, Springmount Tractors is weathering the storm through the provision of market-leading levels of customer care, attention to detail and essentially giving farmers what they want when they want it…
“We place a major emphasis on the backup service and we look after our customers as best we can at all times,” says Alfred. “The second-hand machines we sell all go out of here in very good condition and, as well as trade-ins, we also bring in some second-hand tractors from the UK and these are bargains that the farmer tends to appreciate.
“The reality is that most farmers are struggling at the moment and it goes down the line from there – to the contractors and dealers and everybody. Because money is tight, they have to buy as cheaply as they can and we have to try to find them bargains.”
Three manufacturer-trained and –endorsed technicians are on hand in the workshop to look after all servicing, maintenance and repairs, while the buck stops with Alfred himself, who is always available. “I live next door so I am available around the clock,” he confirms. “Customers could ring me any time of the day or night, or at the weekend, and I’ll always look after them no matter what they need. If they need a loan of a tractor to get them out of a tight spot, then I’m only too happy to be of assistance.”
Alfred took on the Pottinger tillage and grass equipment dealership in the mid-noughties and is pleased to report that this particular business has grown a lot in recent years. “Again, we offer the full service – sales, service, parts, etc. We buy directly from Pottinger in Austria and cover counties Wexford, Wicklow, Carlow and beyond. This is a very strong grassland area, with mowers and rakes and silage wagons becoming more and more popular.
“It’s a good mixed area here, with a lot of dairy and tillage. It’s mostly dairy in the immediate vicinity but there’s a good bit of tillage, too, when you go out towards Ferns direction,” Alfred notes.
“We are in a very good location here on the old Wexford Road. We’re less than three miles from the M11, which is extremely convenient, and we can be in Dublin on the M50 in less than one hour. We’re also ideally placed to cover all of Wicklow.”
Looking to the future, as Springmount Tractors moves towards its 40th anniversary, Alfred predicts a period of careful consolidation: “We’ll be focusing on what we have by looking after our customers and continuing to give them the best possible service. I definitely won’t be setting out any ambitious expansion plans,” he confirms.
“Second-hand, mid-sized tractors are selling very well at the moment – 90 to 120 horse-power with loaders – but unfortunately the bigger ones aren’t doing well because the tillage man isn’t doing well. You have to be aware of your market and adapt your business accordingly. That’s what we will continue to do. The business will be shaped by what our customers demand. We’ll source and supply whatever they are looking for.”
Springmount Tractors,
Wexford Road,
Gorey,
County Wexford.
Tel: 053 9421878
Fax: 053 9420349
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.springmounttractors.ie
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 6 No 1, February 2018
