Getting value for money in mechanised farming

The last year has seen hardworking farmers who embraced mechanisation rewarded with good harvests. These results have attracted the attention of the growing ranks of younger farmers who are interested in using equipment to boost crop yields and profits.

Inevitably they are price-conscious when it comes to buying equipment. There are individuals and informal organisations offering what appear to be bargain buys. In a significant number of cases, they are selling tractors and implements that are not suited to farming conditions in Kenya and in some cases are older than their apparent age.

There are instances of tractors made for the conditions for the country in which they are manufactured and are not supposed to be for export. These machines only have a short life when used in Africa, where there are harsh and unique conditions, such as long and bumpy road trips with a heavy implement carried on the link arms.

This equipment finds its way to Kenya by being purchased in the country of origin and the handler wrongly exporting the tractors. They carry the branding of recognised makes but are not of the export quality required in Africa and, furthermore, are NOT covered by manufacturer’s warranty, which protects the buyer from manufacturer defect.

Fergus Robley, the general manager of FMD, said, “ We are seeing an increase of these tractors being sold due to their attractive initial price, and customers are promised that they are buying a genuine product. When the owners of such equipment quickly run into serious trouble, they reach out to the seller, only to be told there is no manufacturer's warranty.

“When they come to us as the sole agent for Massey Ferguson for assistance, we are not able to help them through the normal warranty process as these units are not approved for export into Kenya.

NOT VIABLE

FMD has carried out several repairs to such units to help the customers get their tractors running again, but in reality, these units are not economically viable as the repair costs are prohibitively expensive. In short, when they are built, they have material taken out to reduce costs and, therefore, cannot cope with Kenya conditions, where tractors follow a contract circuit and work hard to provide a return on investment for the owner. Also, sourcing spares for such machines is challenging as some parts are unique to the place of manufacturer.

“This illustrates the validity of the old saying, 'Cheap is expensive' and shows that it would have been better to buy a genuine new tractor from the sole franchise holder, which has proved over many years that the equipment is well suited for our local conditions,” Robley said.

The first life cycle for a Massey Ferguson tractor is considered to fall around 11,000 tractor hours (plus) of work and this can be extended to several life cycles beyond with overhauls.  “This is why an impressive number of older Massey Fergusons are still working every day in Kenya and we have the greatest number of units working in Kenya today. As a result of this, tractors should have at least three life cycles, to give the owner a handsome return on the investment.”

STRENGTH AND RELIABILITY

The strength and reliability of the Massey Ferguson tractors emanates from development with guidance from the experience of customers. High quality materials for manufacturing are used for Africa approved models, and this is reflected during the warranty period, which is one year, the tractor has unlimited coverage for hours worked.

“By having long production runs with minimum changes, Massey Ferguson enables us to maintain a comprehensive stock of spares to meet the needs of our customers. Some of them have tractors that have been working for well over 20 years and we are able to supply parts for their machines,” Robley said.