The UK‘s leading provider of tractor and telehandler hire to the agricultural industry has extended its fleet with the addition of 60 new Case IH tractors, which are being delivered during June and July.
Shropshire-based Hawk Group, which supplies hire tractors to farms throughout the country, has just taken delivery of a further five Case IH Maxxum 140 tractors, together with 15 Case IH Puma 145 models, 15 Puma 160, 10 Puma 185, 15 Puma 215 and three Puma 230 CVX tractors. The deal also includes a Case IH Magnum 315 which was ordered specifically by one of the company’s long-standing customers.
Hawk Group started in the 1960s by hiring agricultural and construction equipment to the local agricultural and plant markets. It has since become one of the largest businesses of its type in the UK, comprising nine companies with an annual turnover of more than £100 million and over 700 staff.
Having established a strong following within the farming sector by supplying high-quality, reliable tractors, Hawk Group has doubled its hire fleet within the last five years. Its agricultural rental fleet of almost 800 machines now includes 285 tractors during the peak season, half of which are supplied by Case IH. The latest batch of Magnum, Puma and Maxxum models is part of an ongoing renewal programme which ensures that hire equipment is modern and reliable.
Andrew Annandale, Operations Manager for the Hawk Group, says that the expansion of its tractor fleet reflects the rapidly increasing popularity of tractor hire with farmers.
“Farming businesses are under increasing financial pressure and appreciate the benefits of hiring tractors only when needed as it allows them to allocate capital in areas that provide the greatest return. The majority of our customers take a planned approach to tractor hire and this is beneficial to both parties as it allows us to supply the model that best suits their requiements, when they need it.
“The majority of our customers are located in the main arable areas of England, primarily Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex and Suffolk, but we supply farms from Cornwall to the North of Scotland. Some tractors are on year-round hire, but the majority are to cover the peak harvest and autumn workload, generally from July to September. Many of these tractors will then move on to other haulage work, such as carting sugar beet or potatoes, so over the winter we have around 80 units on hire.
“Our choice of tractor for hire is based on what customers want. Case IH have a very god reputation, are very popular, very reliable and supported by an excellent national dealer network, so customers can be confident of good service wherever they farm.
“During the last few years we have increased the number of Case IH tractors on our fleet quite substantially, with many going to farms that have never used this make before. We purchased our first Puma five years ago and the following year ordered another 12 units. Because these tractors ticked all the boxes in terms of performance, reliability and comfort we have continued to buy more.
“ All of the Case IH Puma tractors that we have on our fleet feature a high specification, with some offering a full powershift 50kmh transmission, front linkage and PTO. We also have a number of Puma CVX models which are ideal for specialist tasks such as potato or vegetable harvesting because the transmission provides exceptional performance and exact speed matching. The increasing number of requests for this feature will lead to an increasing number of CVX tractors being added to the fleet.“
Andy Whiley, Key Accounts Manager for Case IH, states:
“We are delighted to be increasing the number of Case IH tractors that we supply to Hawk Group, across a wide range of models, from 140hp to 315hp.
“Hiring provides farmers with a cost-effective method of obtaining additional power to supplement their own tractor fleet during periods of peak workload and for specialist requirements, with minimal capital outlay. It also provides those who are new to the brand with an excellent way of evaluating a particular model over an extended period before committing to purchase. The key factor is that the tractors are totally reliable and are supported by an excellent dealer network to support time-critical applications.”
Further details are available from Hawk Group on 01948 842120 or go to www.hawk-group.co.uk
Basildon, 7th July 2014