Claas Tractors Help Young Contractor Provide Quality Product
Owning a contracting business at just 22 years of age is already an achievement in itself, but Sam Percival is keen to grow his North Otago baleage operation even further.
Sam went contracting after leaving school and two years ago he got the opportunity to buy his own operation after his former employer, Grant Purvis, decided to sell up.
With the help of family, Sam bought the business and renamed it Sam Percival Contracting.
Based from a small farm, ‘Fuchsia Creek’, at Five Forks, inland from Oamaru, the operation specialises in baling hay and baleage for clients in the region between Palmerston, Waimate and the Waitaki Valley.
Sam runs two medium square balers and a round baler and in his first season, a bumper year, the business baled over 40,000 bales.
He says his clients are mainly sheep, beef or dairy farmers and most prefer medium square bales because they are easy to handle and feed out.
The operation also owns a direct drill and a rotor spike and while Sam says he is happy to offer these services to anyone who wants them, his core business is providing a top baling service to a loyal client base.
“Our aim is to stick to what we do best and focus on quality rather than quantity.”
Sam’s dad, Guy, is a key player in the operation, providing business guidance.
“I look after the day to day management and Dad keeps an eye on the money,” says Sam.
The baling season typically kicks off in September and, depending on conditions, continues through until May. Sam employs up to seven staff during this period and in the off-season he and several of his team head over to Western Australia for the seeding season.
Sam loves tractor work and reckons he’s driven just about every make of tractor there is. When it came to choosing the tractors for his own fledgling business, he decided leasing was the way to go.
At the time he wasn’t particularly fussy about the make of tractor, so it all came down to getting the best bang for his buck.
“The Claas Harvest Centre in Otago was the only company to get their act together and they offered me a really good deal.”
In the first season Claas Harvest Centre Otago provided Sam with two Class Arion 640s, along with a 520 which was used mainly for wrapper work. The next season he again leased two Claas Arion 640s.
He says is very happy with the performance of the Claas tractors.
“They are highly functional machines. The visibility from the cab is great and they are very easy to operate.”
Both Arions have a CIS transmission and Sam says this system provides excellent performance and comfort.
“There’s just one gear control and no levers, so you don’t have to stop or clutch-in all the time to change gears. It’s very easy to use and it means you can spend long hours in the tractor seat without getting tired.”
The Arion 640 also has a Claas Power Management (CPM) power boost system that can push power up to 175hp if required. Sam says this 20hp power reserve is great for baling on hills because “it kicks in just when you need it”.
He says the Claas tractors offer reliability and good fuel economy. This is very important for a contracting business.
“Every litre of fuel we save is a bonus.”
Sam will lease his tractors again next season and is planning to step up to a 200hp Claas Axion to add even more capacity to his operation. He says his next lease deal will have a right to purchase option.
Leasing has been great for his young business and the lease to buy option will help him to achieve his goal of owing his own tractors.
“”Even if I wasn’t leasing, I’d still buy a Claas tractor. They are great workhorses and over the last two seasons we’ve got over 5000hrs of hassle-free operation out of them.”
Ends
For more information contact:
Dave Knowles, Product Manager – CLAAS Tractors
021 287 5853
11 June 2010 |
