Coast & Valley Tractors is a dealership that not only supplies big farm machinery, it also specialises in commercial mowers and equipment. One of the newer mower brands they’re now stocking is Cub Cadet through distributor MTD Products, a deal that is already proving to be a real winner for both them and their customers alike.
Mr Joe Jardim founded a tractor and farm machinery importer and distributor business on the New South Wales Central Coast almost four decades ago called Inlon. After a successful career as an engineer, his son Jim joined the company just before the turn of the century. The business continued to grow and in 2011, when one of their key local dealers retired and closed his doors, Inlon saw an opportunity and decided to start the Coast & Valley Tractors dealership as a standalone business operating out of their Head Quarters in Fountaindale, between Sydney and Newcastle.
Jim Jardim now runs both Inlon and Coast & Valley Tractors with the help of his experienced and knowledgeable teams. He recalled the birth of the dealership, saying “the ongoing demand for sales, but more importantly servicing, drove the establishment of the business.”
As the name suggests the dealership was initially focused on tractors and big farm machinery, however as the business grew so did their range of products, and a new niche soon emerged.
“Coast & Valley Tractors quickly evolved into also selling commercial mowing equipment and mowers,” explained Jim. “The demand from mowing and landscape contractors, commercial operators and the rural and semi-rural lifestyle property owners continually grew over the subsequent years and has become an important part of the Coast & Valley Tractors dealership.”
Servicing from the Hawkesbury area through to the Hunter Valley, the dealership has about 12 dedicated sales and service staff for their wide range of farm machinery and grounds-care products, parts and a large field service and workshop operations.
Early in their inception Coast & Valley Tractors began dealing with MTD Products, selling their famed Massey Ferguson Grounds Care range. It was only last year that MTD’s Cub Cadet commercial range of mowers found their way into the dealership. And it seems like it was an instant match made in heaven.
There is a big market in zero-turn mowers at the moment and Cub Cadet truly stand out in this field – a field they can mow better than most, you might say.
“The Cub Cadet range has proven itself as a commercial mowing product,” said Jamie Martin, Sales Manager. “The steering and drive system gives a performance unique in the busy zero-turn mower segment. It’s perfect for commercial operations, mowing contractors and acreages with slopes outside of a conventional zero-turn mowers’ capability.
“The performance advantage is hard to appreciate by just looking at it, but on doing a demonstration the customer quickly comes to appreciate the stability and control. The build quality and robust frame construction is clear with the heavy-duty, seven-gauge fabricated decks, with three-year commercial warranty and five-year deck warranty.”
Jamie says their biggest seller and most popular Cub Cadet mower is the flagship Pro-Z 972 SD Zero Turn model, which features a huge 72-inch fabricated steel cutting deck, a 35-horsepower Kawasaki V-Twin engine, 56-litre fuel capacity and six-wheel steering rated to safely mow on slopes up to 25 degrees.
As with all the machines they carry, Coast & Valley Tractors don’t end the deal once a purchase is made. They provide ongoing care and support to their clients, from maintenance and repairs to parts and upgrades. “We pride ourselves on not only offering the best products and solutions for the job,” said Jim, “but also in having a large team to provide after-sales support and servicing.”
In early October 2020 Coast & Valley Tractors will have their annual Open Day with the full Cub Cadet commercial range on display, ready to trial. COVID-19 challenges may change some procedures and activities, but it will still be a fun day and a great opportunity to meet the team and supplier representatives. And don’t worry if you can’t make it to that event, because the dealership’s doors are always open.
“Being tucked away in an industrial park we don’t get many drive-by
customers,” admitted Jim. “Word of mouth has driven the growth in our field
service work and sales, and customers are always blown away when they discover
our facilities and the team behind what we do. Our large premises is on an
acreage, and we are happy for customers to have an obligation-free test drive
to help identify the best choice for their needs and circumstances.”