Dependable machinery needed for growing fleet

Stock photo for illustration purposes only

Philip and his family farm at Dennington in mid-Suffolk, and their main machinery hire and contracting business is based at Ardleigh in Essex. Trading as Philip Liverton Ltd, the company specialises in long- and short-term hire of grass and hedge cutting and ground maintenance machinery. This includes a large fleet of tractors – many of which are fitted with side-arm verge cutters, and a range of implements including grounds maintenance machinery, cultivation equipment and seeders.

A large fleet of robotic all-terrain tractor units suitable for use on steep banks and other challenging terrain is also available to hire with a range of implements including heavy-duty flails. Plant machinery includes mini- and mid-size 360-degree excavators and a fleet of JCB telehandlers.

Hedge and grass maintenance

The contracting operation is mainly ground care and includes a contract with Essex Highways to maintain roadside verges and hedges in the region. Many farmers and landowners in Suffolk and Essex also rely on Philip and his team to maintain hedges and conservation areas. Other activities include forestry work and combine harvesting, and he also offers a swathing service for oilseed rape and specialist crops.  This includes approximately 800ha of borage each year.

Growing family business

“We rely on modern, reliable machinery which is easy to use,” explained Philip, who runs the family business with his wife Bridget, daughter Abby, son James and an experienced team of managers. “We have approximately 20 tractors of a mix of brands. Most are on our hire fleet, we use a number for contracting and some are on our own farm. We get on particularly well with John Deere tractors and our local dealer, Tuckwells. We have 14 John Deere tractors from 35–215hp.”

The latest arrivals include a 6R.215 and three 6155R tractors. “The three 6155R machines are being fitted with 8m McConnel side-arm hedge cutters for hire to the Environment Agency and will work all over the UK,” continued Philip. “The 6R.215 will be used on our own farm.”

The right specification

The four new tractors all have AutoPowr infinitely variable transmissions. “We always specify this type of transmission as it’s ideal for hedge and verge cutting and mowing, but it improves the ease of use and working efficiency of other tasks too,” emphasised Philip. “The 6R.215 also has the CommandPro joystick control which is popular  with operators.”

John Deere telematics are standard, and Philip said that this offers significant advantages for the hire fleet. “We can see where they are located and how many hours they have worked, allowing us to keep an eye on the service requirements. It’s easier for dealer service engineers to find them too, especially if they are operating in remote locations.

“Telematics is something that is becoming more important. We are using precision farming systems on our own farm and when we are contracting we can monitor our costs accurately including fuel use and the time taken to complete tasks and ensure we are profitable.”

Tractors on the contracting fleet work up to 2,000 hours per year. All John Deere tractors are bought with an extended warranty and servicing is carried out by Tuckwells, apart from some older machines which are maintained in-house.

Fleet addition

The four John Deere Gators are a new addition to the hire fleet. A Gator which had been used on the farm for several years recently went out on hire for the first time, and Philip said that this has resulted in demand for more similar vehicles for long- and short-term hire and for a range of applications.

Other machinery supplied by Tuckwells in recent years includes JCB Loadall telehandlers, a Väderstad drill, trailers and ground care machinery. “We are well looked after by the Tuckwells team and there are depots within just a few miles of our farm in Suffolk and our yard in Essex,” said Phil.

“The Ardleigh, Essex depot sales manager Paul Coffey looks after our account and we find him very easy to deal with. His initial suggestion was to upgrade two tractors, then we increased the quote to three, before eventually ordering the four as a result of the attractive deal he put together. He was also able to find us four John Deere Gators with an ideal specification for our hire fleet, so those were added to the order.”

John Deere core

“I’ve known Philip since soon after he started his business, and I have always admired the way he spots opportunities to grow his business in different sectors and is willing to invest in the right equipment,” confirmed Paul.

“He has run John Deere tractors since he started trading and, although he uses other brands too, the John Deeres have always made up the core of his fleet. Tractors remain in short supply, but we had these four available. I thought immediately of Philip as I knew he had tractors which were due to be updated and these had the ideal specification.

“John Deere tractors come with a high specification as standard, and I know that Philip is keen to make the most of features such as the telematics which will help his team manage the large fleet. He is always looking for new opportunities and I’m very grateful for his continued business.”