A successful agricultural equipment hire and manufacturing business in Suffolk is adding a third string to its bow by taking on sales, service and parts support for McCormick tractors.

Agri-Hire, currently based at Bramford near Ipswich, but soon moving to new premises close by, is already stocking parts and handling repairs and routine servicing of McCormick tractors in the county.


Preparing for their new McCormick tractor franchise are Agri-Hire managing director Tim Hubert (centre) with Jeremy Waspe, parts and sales (left), and Richard Calder, parts and workshop services

Managing director Tim Hubert admits he was reluctant to even consider adding a tractor franchise to the business having dropped another make a few years ago.

"Our previous franchise put us under a lot of pressure and gave us a lot of headaches," he says. "But having met the McCormick people and seen the products, I believe things will be different this time."

Agri-Hire is a family owned business, established in 1986 to hire out cultivation equipment to local farmers. It has gone on to build up probably the largest muck spreader hire operation in the country and now also vacuum tankers, trailers and compact groundscare equipment. McCormick compact and farm tractors will join the hire fleet.

The company's engineering arm manufactures the muck spreaders it hires out and specialises in the repair and reconditioning of farm implement power transmissions.

On the sales side, Agri-Hire is one of the country's largest Dowdeswell plough dealers and supplies implements from several other manufacturers, including Standen Pearson, McConnel, Shelbourne Reynolds and Major Equipment.

Agri-Hire's McCormick area takes in all of Suffolk - from the coast to Cambridge and from just north of Colchester to Thetford - bordering established East Anglia dealers Johnson Bros at Fakenham and Stalham Engineering near Norwich.