Magazine - John Deere joins the Club

By Steve Mitchell in Industry on 27th Dec 2006 10:00

John Deere has been appointed a preferred supplier for compact tractors, utility vehicles and mowers to all Caravan Club sites in Great Britain. The Club, which celebrates its centenary in 2007, has around 200 member sites including 36 affiliated sites throughout the country.

The relationship was established after The Caravan Club's Sites Purchasing Manager, Steve Kovacs, visited the John Deere headquarters at Langar to look at the company's range of commercial and consumer equipment, which led to an initial delivery of two new HPX Gator utility vehicles to neighbouring sites in Scotland, at Maragowan and Clachan.

A further demonstration of the new X Series diesel lawn tractors at the Black Horse Farm Site in Folkestone, Kent, convinced Steve Kovacs that John Deere would be the right choice as a preferred supplier to the rest of The Caravan Club's sites in Great Britain.

"John Deere is a highly professional business, with a comprehensive range of equipment, so we can tailor the choice of machines accordingly to meet the individual requirements of different types of member site," he says.

"The whole of their sales package, down to the residual value of the machines, was impressive, particularly the quick response they offer on spare parts delivery. This is a key factor, as site managers can't afford to have equipment out of action for lengthy periods, especially at the height of the summer season. It's crucial to get machines back working quickly if they stop for whatever reason, and there's no doubt John Deere's parts system provides a fast and efficient service."

In a recent deal, a John Deere 20 Series compact tractor with dedicated high-lift collection system has been supplied by local dealer Godfreys of Sevenoaks in Kent to Abbey Wood Caravan Club Site, a nine acre Golden Jubilee site in south-east London with 220 pitches and 64 hardstandings.

This is used for general grass cutting around the site, and the high-lift collection system comes in useful when disposing of the grass clippings into large piles for composting and re-use on the site's gardens and planting areas.

"I've been impressed with the build quality of John Deere products, they generally look very strong and reliable," says Site Warden Ian Holmes. "This is a very important feature, as our machines do get a lot of use and are worked very hard. Godfreys has also been very helpful with the initial supply and installation of the equipment, and we're looking forward to establishing a strong relationship with the dealer and John Deere in future."

Read more articles in Industry, by Steve Mitchell or from December 2006.