AGFEST 2017 EDITORIAL – Tasmanian Country. 

The new Farmtrac DT series cabin tractors aim to represent European quality in everything but the price tag. Manufactured in Europe with world-class components, the Farmtrac DT Series offers build quality and reliability and is ideal for commercial operations such as dairy farms and contractors. Powered by a premium drivetrain, the Farmtrac DT series is equipped with a quality air-conditioned cabin and a heavy-duty four-in-one front-end loader. The new models, the Farmtrac 690 DT and the Farmtrac 9120 DTn, are rated 90hp and 110hp respectively.

SOTA Tractors’ managing director Martin Cooper said premium tractors offered high quality components, excellent design and engineering and operator comfort as well as great after-sales support. He said premium lines would have spare parts readily available and the vendor must be able to service the tractor on site or support a local agent. “Unfortunately, premium tractors are usually offered at a premium price as well.”

Mr Cooper said as a rule of thumb, the price of a premium cabin tractor is approximately $1,000 per horsepower. He said SOTA, as the sole importer and distributor of the Farmtrac series, was able to cut out the middlemen and transfer the savings achieved to customers. He said the Farmtrac DT series offered premium tractors with Perkins engines, Carraro transmission, Mita hydraulics and a Bosch fuel injection system. “They are built on a rugged cast-iron chassis with a large, high-quality wheel kit, including wheel weights and radial tyres. They are as durable as they come.”

Mr Cooper said the series had full instrumentation and lighting, making it suitable for road registration. “Appointed with features such as a full set of work lights for night work, three pairs of remote hydraulics and remote TPL controls for convenient external linkage adjustment, the Farmtrac DT Series is ideal for commercial operations,” he said.

Mr Cooper said the Farmtrac cabin provided superior soundproofing and all-weather protection with great visibility in all directions. Comfort for the operator is provided by a gas-operated seat as standard and ergonomically placed controls. Mr Cooper said SOTA took pride in its customer service and support and carried major spare parts and consumables on the shelf.

EDITORIAL – The Weekly Times. 

The importer of the Canadian-built Wallenstein agroforesty equipment to Australia is launching the Wallenstein FX skidding winch at Farm World this year. The winch is a tractor-mounted implement and will be displayed by SOTA Tractors on its stand. SOTA Tractors said that property owners could easily reach timber that needed to be cut or had fallen, even on steep hills, without the need for large, heavy equipment.

EMB Manufacturing has designed the FX skidding winch as a tractor attachment for gathering firewood, clearing dead tress and harvesting premium timber. The design was to make the workload easier on the tractor by transferring the pulling strain onto the ground with a large blade that anchors the winch.

The Wallenstein FX skidding winch comes in three sizes to suit different tractor owners and requirements. The largest of the three, the FX120 skidding winch, will be on display in Australia for the first time. It has a pulling power of 5450kg and a cable length of 500 metres.

SOTA Tractors, which imports tractors, will also have other Wallenstein equipment such as chippers and log splitters on display.

EDITORIAL – Farms & Farm Machinery. 

Traction is integral to safe and efficient tractor operation, as the name tractor suggests. As a ready rule of thumb, the bigger and heavier the machine, the more stable it will be. However in the hobby farm market, outright size and power output are often less desirable due to size of the farms, the intended application and very often the topography – the relief or slope of the land. A configuration to improve stability of these smaller machines is often a suitable trade-off.

When trying to tailor a tractor to suit a customer’s needs, the ultimate decision very often boils down to a trade-off. In other words, some functionality of the machine is reduced to the advantage of another function. A classic example that I see all the time is the need for a front end loader that can lift 500kg, but at the same time slash the front of a block without ripping up the lawn. Which trade-off or compromise the customer makes is based on the weight he/she puts on the relative importance of these requirements.

With tractors, there are several configurations with regard to tyres, track and stability but with hobby farms, where sloping, less commercially productive blocks have often been subdivided from larger farms, stability is the big one!

Industrial Tyres & Wheels

The more compact APOLLO 354 (35hp) and APOLLO 454 (45hp) are available with industrial (R4) wheels/tyres. This widens the rear track and lowers the ride height, making them more stable machines for negotiating steep country.

The trade-off? They were developed for working on hardstand and typically in an industrial context. For old style linkage traction jobs like ploughing, they have limitations. For general slashing and other property maintenance jobs, however, they are fine. The only anecdotal comments I would make is that the shallower tread will not shed wet soil as well as the Ag-rib tyres (R1) and as such can slick and reduce traction in wet conditions. They are probably a bit more prone to tyre spears than Ag-ribs, too.

In a situation such as slashing a soft, muddy hillside, care would have to be taken to monitor this. Slippage might be unavoidable but it is better than rolling over!

Turf Tyres

Often called floatation tyres, these types of tyres typically run lower pressure and spread the weight of the tractor. Although running higher pressures in the front is necessary when used in conjunction with a front end loader. You often see industrial and turf type tyres on machines working on turf farms and golf courses for their softer impact on those manicured areas. The trade-off? They wouldn’t pull the skin off a rice pudding!

Safety with Dual Wheels

For real mountain goat country, we have fitted rear, dual-wheel (duals) setups, using the standard R1 Ag tyres. This makes for a seriously stable machine.

Duals probably originate from the power farming machines of the early sixties, where the development of 100+ horsepower tractors began exceeding what could be delivered to the ground, at the drawbar. Culminating in the eighties, before zero-till caught on, some seriously big tractors with massive tyre configurations operated on these shores.

Almost without exception, at the 35hp/45hp end of the market, duals are particularly useful for taking on steep areas. So, for the soft, muddy hillside example, the duals would minimise slippage because of the more aggressive tread, while still having the benefits of a wide stance.

When we set up duals at SOTA, we like to have the inside tyre on its narrowest bias. Why? It is to do with the levering action that is exerted on the axle bearing for every inch you increase the track. The narrow inside bias counteracts this to some degree because it distributes some of the weight behind the aforementioned bearing.

We have seen some folk reverse, or bias outwards the front rims for a wider track. You’d probably get away with it if there wasn’t a loader, but the stresses of a loader on the smaller front axle bearing makes it a no-no for most applications. It is a serious trade-off to consider as loaders are such a handy feature.

The popularity of front end loaders (FEL) also adds an extra dimension to safely operating tractors on gradients. As they are raised above the front axle, the centre of gravity of the tractor also rises, exacerbating the likelihood of roll-over. FELs can also block vision, increasing the risk of encountering depressions, pot holes and stumps

Ballasting Tyres

Water ballast is very useful for increasing stability. The trade-off here is that it is less than ideal for road travel speeds and can cause more soil disturbance. Water ballasting would also need regular checking to make sure weight is roughly even between the tyres. Uneven weight distribution can exacerbate the propensity for slippage or rollover. It would also unsettle FEL operation.

Ballast will further bias weight to the rear of the machine. Hence, always go down hills forwards. The same principle applies to traversing up hills. If in doubt, reverse the tractor up the hill. If control of the tractor is lost, the danger of rolling or flipping the tractor is minimised. (Flips can occur if you roll backwards and suddenly brake or let out the clutch). The added traction and added front end weight of FWA tractors certainly improves safety.

To have full control of the machine, you need to be familiar with its operation and mechanical soundness. Always make sure the skid brakes are locked together. Uneven brake pressure at can literally force a tractor to slip or roll over. It is also important to use low gear, allowing the engine to brake the tractor when going down steep hills. It is counterintuitive, but tractors need to be driven down hills. Reducing power (or worse, freewheeling) to the transmission and relying on brakes have some very real risks.

Likewise, going uphill: plan ahead! Again, you are in low gear. Gear changes, once the climb is started should not be necessary and are dangerous. If the clutch is engaged during ascent (or descent for that matter), you only have miss a gear to freewheel a couple of feet and the tractor’s speed will be more than the gear’s theoretical limit. This will cause the wheels to lock up and the tractor to slip/slide/lose control when the clutch is released. Engage 4wd and lock the diff to maximise traction.

A Safe Gradient?

I don’t like the idea of prescribing a safe gradient for operating a tractor. Once an operator believes he or she is safe, operating a tractor on steep country, there is potential for danger. Being in control of the tractor is the number one priority. Avoid crossing steep slopes. If you are traversing across a hill and you begin to slip or even feel unsafe, always turn downhill.

If you are interested on exploring the benefits of a tractor and dual wheel option, please contact SOTA Tractors

Original article entitled: “Safer With Duals”

EDITORIAL – The Land.

Horses, poultry, cattle, machinery and more will be displayed across two days at the Hawkesbury Showground in November as part of the Farming Small Areas (FSA) Expo.

Open from 9am to 4pm on Friday and Saturday, November 4-5, the expo draws a range of visitors, from small area farmers to those thinking about jumping into agriculture. The latest in machinery for small acreage farming will be on display, including tractors, all-terrain vehicles, mowers and more, while the sounds of livestock will fill the venue, with alpacas, cattle, horses, goats, poultry, just some of those on show. The breeders of these animals will also be on hand to answer any questions.

TAFE NSW Western Sydney Institute, Richmond College, will conduct a range of talks and demonstrations on horses. From equine care to riding and handling skills, the teachers and students from the TAFE will be on hand to answer any queries. Also featured will be a poultry showcase conducted by the Parramatta and Districts Poultry Club, with club members available for a chat.

New this year will be a Red Poll feature with steer selection talks across both days, and the Friday playing host to a steer-based junior judging competition.

The FSA Expo has been bringing together a wide range of businesses and producers to provide information to people looking to start a farming venture, or wanting to learn more for their established enterprise, for nine years. It attracts between 10,000 and 12,500 visitors each year and is conducted by The Land, sponsored by the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI), and SOTA Tractors. NSW DPI spokesperson, Trudy Glasgow, said the department had a history with the event, having sponsored it since the start, and saw it as a great opportunity to provide advice to small area farmers with information.

Ms Glasgow said it was also a chance for prospective farmers to ask questions. “We provide advice on a range of primary issues such as weed control and biosecurity,” she said. “It’s a chance to educate Sydney about the value of agriculture and primary industries to the commodities and community.”

SOTA Tractors director, Bruce Cooper, said the expo was great for small acreage farmers as a place to find machinery to suit their needs. “It is intended specifically for small acreage owners to attend, knowing they will not get bogged down trying to find equipment and advice that is buried in the quagmire of broadacre offerings,” Mr Cooper said. “This expo assists potential customers significantly as they have considerably narrowed the information search.”

He said supporting events such as the FSA Expo were important because it worked with the customer service ethos which is driven within the company.

“Customer service is not talking the talk; it’s walking the walk, you’ve got to be prepared to walk a mile in your customer’s shoes and the only way you can do that is to listen to them; it’s all about empathy,” he said. SOTA Tractors will give away an $8000 backhoe at the expo.

The Land special projects manager, Guy Rowlison, said the event provided much needed information to people thinking about entering the industry. “It provides the chance to come and ask those questions you’ve always wanted answered, and all in the one place,” Mr Rowlison said. “It also gives city parents the chance to show their children where their food comes from, and give them a small taste of agriculture without leaving the Sydney Basin.”

Mr Rowlison said the event had something for everybody, with machinery, livestock and children’s activities making it a great family day out.

EDITORIAL – Blues Magazine. 

The new Del Morino RES 15 backhoe has all the typical uses of a backhoe – but with the size to work in really small areas. Found all sorts of reasons for putting off building a water feature on your block? SOTA Tractors has just taken away the biggest one: not having the right equipment.

“Water features look fantastic and are a great addition to small farming blocks,” SOTA Tractors’ Mark Crakanthorp says. “They not only beautify the homestead, but they add value too. However, most small acreage farmers don’t have the right equipment to make one easily – and that’s just way too much hand digging otherwise.”

But small acreage machinery specialists, SOTA Tractors, have come to the rescue again. In April, the company took delivery of a brand new product, the Del Morino RES 15 backhoe. “This model is the only one of its kind in Australia,” Crakanthorp says. “Nothing else is smaller.”

Creating a water feature is just one of the many uses of this fantastic piece of Italian machinery. It has all the typical uses of a backhoe – digging, maintenance, drains, trenches, construction, small demolitions, other landscaping or breaking up asphalt and paving. But the beauty is it’s small enough to work in really small areas.

“The other thing is it’s PTO driven, and can be attached to practically any small tractor – not just those that SOTA sells,” Crakanthorp adds. The RES 15 is engineered and built specifically for small tractors – from just 18hp. “That’s even smaller than the 20-50hp tractors that our RES 20 and RES 30 models are designed to work with. Not forgetting that conventional backhoes are just too heavy for compact tractors to cope with.”

“But,” says Crakanthorp, “just because it’s small, doesn’t mean it’s light on strength. As with SOTA’s larger Del Morino backhoes, standard features include a 180 degree arm rotation with side shift lock, high performance cast iron pump, case hardened rectified steel pins at all pivot points, sintered and self lubricated bushes, easy access and an ergonomic seat with adjustable working position, and stabiliser legs with locking valves. Del Morino, made in Italy, is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of small acreage implements. In fact, Del Morino implements are made in Michelangelo’s home town of Caprese, so quality goes with the territory,” Crakanthorp says.

SOTA Tractors is the exclusive importer of Del Morino implements in Australia.

More information on Del Morino backhoes.

EDITORIAL – Blues Magazine.

SOTA Tractors was the first company in Australia to specialise in products and services for small acreage owners (SAO). It was the first company to provide tailor made packages for its clients on a national basis. It was also the first company in Australia to standardise its front end loaders with a 4-in-1 bucket. The SOTA Group, which stands for State Of The Art, was established 25 years ago and has been an innovator from the start. Founded by Bruce Cooper, the company has always looked for new and innovative ways in which to market its products.

“When we first started importing tractors, we operated through a dealer network. Our dealers told us that there was no demand for a 4-in-1 bucket on compact tractors” said Mr Cooper. “Their rationale was that the payload of a 4-in-1 wasn’t as big as a standard bucket and would cost a lot more.”

“We proved that to be an error in judgement. Firstly, it was our belief that conventional dealers did not understand the needs of small acreage owners. Their needs differ considerably to those of commercial farmers. Commercial farmers, who may manage hundreds of hectares, have specific needs in terms of loader lift capacity, payload, time constraints and so on, whereas a SAO is likely to have quite different requirements. These constraints are often less of a problem for SAOs, many of whom are women, and a 4-in-1 bucket is likely to save their back! They have different tasks such as pulling out weeds, collecting firewood or debris, spreading mulch on their new garden bed and so on. All these tasks are made easier by using a 4-in-1 bucket” said Mr Cooper.

“Clearly, the market agreed with us because within the course of 18 months or so, most of the larger tractor companies and many of the smaller companies had copied SOTA and were spruiking a 4-in-1 loader as an option. History shows us that innovators are soon copied by the less innovative. However, there is one area we believe impossible for our competitors to match and that is SOTA’s commitment to our customers.”

“A customer oriented company can only be established and maintained if a customer service ethos is driven from the highest level of management down. Customer service is not talking the talk: it’s walking the walk” said Mr Cooper. “You’ve got to be prepared to walk a mile in your customer’s shoes and the only way you can do that is to listen to them; it’s all about empathy.”

“It’s my view that unreasonable customers are few and far between whereas there are countless organisations that do not deliver what they have promised and that is the genesis of a disgruntled customer. Agricultural dealers are no exception and that’s where many of them come unstuck, promising things such as spurious 5 year warranties or offering tractors that have no support in terms of a fair warranty or spare parts support.”

“At SOTA, we provide state of the art customer service – we don’t just sell tractors and implements. That is the reason we abandoned the traditional dealer network model and started selling direct to our customers. Not only could we remove the middle man, making products cheaper, we were also able to raise our customer service levels significantly because we could ensure that we had the right people, procedures and processes in place to delight our customers. We’re the best because we are always trying to get better – that’s the state of the art.”

EDITORIAL – The Land.

In the professional farming game, it’s generally hard to resist the lure of big, brand spanking new machinery, but a Melbourne based company is making its mark nationally, with a thriving market for small, budget priced tractors. The Australia wide boom in small area, or lifestyle, farms in the past decade has opened up a niche market for small, easy-to-use tractors, plus other farm machinery sales and support activities, that has been successfuly tapped by SOTA Tractors.

SOTA (an acronym for ‘state of the art’) began importing tractors in 2003, originally supplying a fledging dealer network, but according to SOTA director, Bruce Cooper, many machinery dealers were slow to recognise the market potential. “Traditional dealers were accustomed to working with career farmers. They didn’t really relate to inquiries from people who may never have even started a tractor or used a power take off attachment before,” he said. “Sota was the first tractor company to realise and embrace the fact that small acreage owners required guidance and support because they usually came from non-agricultural backgrounds. We became the first small-acreage specialist in Australia.”

What began as a rubber tyre and components importer in the late 1980s has now grown to a serious farm machinery enterprise. Starting with fully supported, remanufactured, low-hour, secondhand Kubota tractors, SOTA soon expanded to new tractors, becoming the exclusive importer for the APOLLO range of tractors. APOLLO tractors are manufactured by the huge Changfa Corporation – the world’s biggest manufacturer of diesel engines (a million every year) – which boasts 10,000 employees and a plant covering 162 hectares.

“We’re very excited by the APOLLO range. We believe they are the best tractor to come out of China, offering a lot of metal for your money. The APOLLOs are heavy duty, powerful machines and are fully featured, including a self levelling, four-in-one front end loader as standard kit.” Mr. Cooper said. “Our typical customer could be a teacher, solicitor, a businessman or just about anybody with a yearning to own a bit of country. Most don’t need an expensive, new tractor. In many cases, they are not sure what they really need on their lifestyle block, but they do not want to waste money on high tech gear they’ll hardly use.”

“SOTA is able to offer a fully supported remanufactured Kubota and loader package, which is usually about 60 per cent cheaper than a comparitively new machine. Alternatively, we can offer a brand new APOLLO package.”

The tractor and implements are prepared at service centers in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney and then sold as ready-to-work packages with up to eight attachments, including a front end loader, going as far afield as Western Australia, Papua New Guinea and Norfolk Island.

Mr Cooper said the business was continually adding new product lines and had just become the exclusive importer for the Italian Del Morino range of small acreage implements.

“Del Morino is a premium Italian brand that has been in production for 130 years,” he said. Del Morino tractor implements were specifically designed for small acreage compact tractors. “They have never manufactured implements for broad acre tractors. The benefit of this is that the implements are not over-engineered. The gauge of steel is appropriate for a compact tractor and the gearboxes purr like a Porsche. Better still, the prices are far lower than other Italian implements on the market.”

Written by Andrew Marshall.

EDITORIAL – The Land.

A key factor in Bruce Cooper’s steady business success with the lifestyle farming market is relatively simple – provide a service that helps small area farmers get on their feet. “We don’t just sell tractors. We try to provide an initial package of tractor related equipment, and some helpful practical advice as part of our follow up,” said Mr Cooper, a director of SOTA Tractors (pictured below).

SOTA’s strategy involves ensuring its key staff are well grounded with a range of farm mechanisation, livestock and pasture management experiences so they can help customers anticipate their needs, and advise them how and when to use certain gear when moving to a lifestyle block or something bigger.

State managers are often called on to provide background advice on everything from erecting fences and yards, to drenching livestock or pasture improvement, plus answer specific questions about machinery.

SOTA’s initial tractor import business has now expanded to include an array of tractor implements, such as power take off driven wood chippers and post hole diggers, grader blades, stick rakes, carryalls and grass slashers.

Written by Andrew Marshall.

EDITORIAL – Farms & Farm Machinery.

The superbly built range of agricultural implements from Del Morino is manufactured in Michelangelo’s home town of Caprese, situated in the beautiful hills of Tuscany. Del Morino boasts a remarkable pedigree in the agricultural industry, commencing implement manufacture in 1875. The company produces world class implements including: rotary hoes, flail mowers, finishing mowers, backhoes, rotary hoes, ploughs and more.

Del Morino exports its range to over 40 countries and now, for the first time in Australia, the Del Morino range is available direct form the importer, SOTA Tractors. According to SOTA’s General Manager, Steven Watt, SOTA is able to offer the Del Morino implement range at hugely discounted prices by selling direct to farmers.

“We are the exclusive importer of the Del Morino range and because we operate on a direct-to-customer platform, we are able to offer these premium Italian implements at unheard of prices” said Watt. “Del Morino implements are approximately 33% cheaper than comparative, premium implements. This equates to a saving of between $1000-2000 for each implement, a huge saving for our customers, and to top it off, the Del Morino range boasts a 2 year warranty”.

Check out our Del Morino implements here.

The SOTA Tractors family is growing with the opening of a new branch at Emu Plains, Western Sydney. SOTA is now able to provide even better service to small acreage farmers across Australia. At the helm of the new Emu Plains branch is SOTA’s agricultural machinery expert and agronomist, Mark Crakanthorp.

Originally a tertiary qualified dairy farmer from NSW, Mark has been in charge of Sales and Customer Service at SOTA’s Victorian branch for several years. Given his farming experience, local knowledge and popularity with SOTA’s customers, Mark was the obvious candidate to head up the new Sydney branch. Mark is at pains to advise his existing customers that he is still only a phone call or email away, should they need farming advice.

“I made many friends when based in Victoria however the reality is, as a national fistributor of farm machinery, those customers were spread across all the dtates”, said Mark. “We’re renowned for our prompt communications and follow-up and with the advent of the digital age, it’s very rare that we can’t get back to our customers promptly.”

The new Sydney branch stocks a full range of tractors including SOTA’s famous remanufactured Kubotas and the rugged APOLLO and Yanmar ranges. It also stocks a complete range of AGMAX implements, from front end loader kits to rotary hoes, flail mowers to TPL backhoes. Each SOTA branch stocks a broad range of spare parts for tractors and implements including Hercules rollover protection structures.

According to Mark Crakanthorp, SOTA’s new branch at Emu Plains will be able to service the NSW community more effectively by providing a centrally-located showroom for inspection, reducing delivery times and providing permanent service & support staff in the NSW region. “SOTA Tractors is Australia’s original small acreage specialist”, said Mark. “Other companies have tried to jump on the ‘hobby farm’ bandwagon since we started but Aussie buyers are not gullible. It’s easy to talk about service but it takes a company wide commitment to deliver it. That’s the commitment we have made at SOTA and that’s why we’re the best!”

EDITORIAL – Queensland Smart Farmer. 

A noticeable trend in today’s compact tractors is a move to bigger horsepower (hp). You can have all the horsepower in the world, but at the end of the day, you need weight to turn that power into traction. This is where the new APOLLO 354 is the true champion in compact tractors.

Finally the market has a 35hp tractor that combines compact dimensions with prodigious traction. This weight is not flab. The APOLLO’s loader has a safe working load of 480Kg, which is unheard of for a compact tractor. Add this to the proven formula of 4WD and a 4-in-1 bucket and you have a machine that is pound-for-pound, the best value on the market.

The APOLLO 354 is produced by one of the biggest diesel manufacturers in the world. It has a solid, cast iron chassis, shuttle shift, 4 cylinder, 35hp direct injection engine, under bonnet muffler, sunroof, 2WD/4WD selection and two sets of standard remotes, as well as rear wheel counterweights which assist stability during heavy front end loader work.

Suitable for small to medium properties, the APOLLO 354’s wider wheels offer superior stability on hilly terrain and its high road speed of 28kph means basic jobs like slashing get done faster. If you need to remove the front end loader quickly, simply operate the quick release mechanism (and even remove the quick release 4-in-1 bucket separately if you like).

A vast range of implements are available to fit the standard Cat 1 three point linkage. Attach a rotary hoe to create perfect garden beds in a commercial market garden application or create a kitchen garden that will be the envy of your friends. Add a backhoe for an efficient TLB (tractor loader backhoe) combination. Clear fire breaks or level for a new shed easily – the APOLLO 354 handles a 5’ box scraper very well and can also easily handle a post hole digger for fencing projects. Optional pallet forks and bale spikes are available to fit the front end loader.

If you need a reliable, versatile workhorse for your farm, the new APOLLO 354 35hp is an excellent choice.

Katrina from Samford, QLD, used to spend a whole weekend mowing her 5.5 acres, so it’s little wonder she wanted to make mowing quicker. She recently purchased a Kubota L1-24DT and a slasher from SOTA Tractors. “Our old 17 horsepower tractor with a mid-mounted mower couldn’t mow as quickly and the grass grew very thick,” she says. “It was out of control and took too much time. I’d spend five hours mowing 2.5 acres! Now, I can do the whole property in an afternoon, which is much better.”

“The AGMAX slasher does a neat job – I was surprised to be honest. It cuts into the thick grass really well and leaves the lawn looking nice”. Katrina then ordered an AGMAX stick rake, to clean up the excess grass left from slashing. “I phoned Tom Thring in the morning and ordered it and it was delivered that afternoon,” she said. “I can’t wait to try it out. This tractor has just made my life so much simpler.”

Asked what she thought of SOTA’s service, Katrina replied, “Honestly, I could not fault them,” she says. “The first person I talked to about the tractor was Steve, at Christmas in 2008. Then I spoke to Tony and Tom and bought the tractor from Tony. Everyone was very patient and answered my questions thoroughly. The after-sales service was good too, as I had a few things I didn’t know how to fix and one of the guys came out and fixed it for me. I wouldn’t have any hesitation at all if I needed help, because I know that Tom or Tony would be there for me, even just for advice.”

“Lots of companies don’t want to know you after you’ve bought the product. The staff at SOTA are always so welcoming and willing to assist and this gives me peace of mind. They are only too happy to help and I think the service is exceptional. They have gained a customer for life.”

Coinciding with the new product release of the Yanmar EA2400, SOTA Tractors recently received the Victorian Retail Dealer of the Year Award, presented by Derek Lane of Power Farming Group, Australia.

In accepting the Award, SOTA’s General Manager, Steve Watt said, “We’ve been supplying the new range of Yanmar tractors for nearly 12 months, to the plaudits of delighted customers. They are beautifully engineered machines with a build quality that equals or exceeds any other Japanese tractor brand in the Australian market. I would like to take this opportunity to thank PFG for its assistance throughout the year and especially the SOTA team for delivering the high levels of service and support that we promise to our customers.”

EDITORIAL – Small Farms. 

When they bought an APOLLO tractor in April 2008, Lisa and Paul were particularly pleased with SOTA Tractor’s after-sales support. “We didn’t know much about using tractors, so when we bought a brand new one we turned to SOTA for phone support” says Lisa. “Tom and Tony are just excellent – they answered all of our questions and walked us through how to do things. It was very helpful to us.”

Lisa and Paul wanted a reliable purchase which would allow them to do regular maintenance work such as slashing at their two properties in Reid River, Townsville. “Since we have 120 acres, we wanted a tractor with a higher horsepower so it could manage all the work,” says Lisa. “We bought a slasher, a trencher, a post hole digger and a rotary hoe. Since our purchase, we’ve run 400m of irrigation using the trencher, used the post hole digger to put in fence posts and re-seeded with the rotary hoe.”

“When we researched buying a tractor, lots of people told us that Chinese tractors were a bit iffy. My father is a tobacco farmer and he was doubtful about it all. But when he saw our APOLLO he was impressed with the quality of it and thought we’d got a good deal for our money. He also mentioned that it was easier to maintain as it had better access for mechanical work.”

Three days before Christmas, heavy rains bogged the APOLLO. “We phoned SOTA Tractors and Tony walked us through getting it out of the bog,” says Lisa. “He also arranged for a mechanic to come and assist and reimbursed us the costs, as per the warranty. We’re very happy with the assistance we’ve been given.”

Lisa and Paul plan to fix their dam using the front end loader and continue clearing vegetation and slashing with their tractor. “We’re extremely satisfied with our APOLLO. There’s not many places that offer a 50 horsepower tractor for an affordable price. A couple of people have asked us where we got our tractor and we of course, are happy to tell them. The after-sales service is excellent and it’s reassuring to know that Tom and Tony are there for us when we need them.”

If you’d ever like to meet a bushie – a proper one, you can’t go past Stephen of Copmanhurst NSW. He grew up ‘old school’ – from working as a woodcutter at eight years of age to pig chasing, mechanic welding, opal mining, factory work and a host of other occupations that have made him the character he is today. Now that he has retired, Stephen works on his 140 acre farm with pride – leveling, clearing, slashing, digging and filling with his new L2202 Kubota.

He cleared 30 acres using the 4-in-1 to push over banksias and pop them out of the ground. “I’ve done 42 hours work on my tractor since I bought it at Christmas and it hasn’t missed a beat,” he says. “The 4-in-1 front end loader is my favourite – it does everything and the 4WD diesel is perfect for all the implements. I leveled a 14m x 10m site for the shed using the 4-in-1 and pushed it all up the hill out of the way. Then I did some roadworks by leveling 170m worth of topsoil, clay and aggregate on the road and used the 4-in-1 to cut the drainage to about 600mm deep. The tractor works brilliantly, it’s not hard to do a good job with it. I’ve saved about $2000 in expenses already not having to hire people to come out and do the work.”

As well as the Kubota, Stephen bought a towbar, slasher, grader blade, carryall, sun canopy, post hole digger and spare ROPS (for his older tractor). “I’m impressed with the AGMAX slasher. I slashed some thick grass that was 1.6m-1.8m high and it just mowed through it, but I had to go down a range. I’m thinking of doing some geological test holes with the post hole digger and later on I’ll plant trees and do fence posts. My wife has given me one year to complete the work and on my list is clearing debris from the river flats, slashing the rest of the block and building a firebreak so it’s all busy at the moment.”

Stephen thought that SOTA offered excellent after-sales service and was pleased that he had access to spare Kubota parts. “I’ve got an old grey market tractor here and I couldn’t get spare parts for it at all, so it’s really good that found out I could get the parts from SOTA,” he says. “Now I can fix up that tractor and if my new Kubota needs parts I can get those too.”

“I tell everyone about SOTA Tractors because the service is unbelievable. It’s worth more than gold to have someone who wants to do business correctly with you and these fellows do. I’ve never met a company like them for service and I reckon you’d be mad to go anywhere else.”

EDITORIAL – Tasmanian Farmer. 

Mick and Amanda from Koroit, Victoria, bought their property on the southwest coast of Victoria as a true seachange. Careful and conservative for more than 20 years, the couple chose to follow their dreams and spontaneously purchased 5 ½ acres which they named “Tower Hill Farm”. About half the acreage is covered by fruit trees of all varieties, shapes and sizes and Mick and Amanda decided to sell fresh fruit in season and make spreads, jams, relishes and sauces to sell at local markets.

“It was something of a challenge for two city folk who didn’t even have a lemon tree in their Melbourne backyard,” says Mick. “The purchase of the property involved the inheritance of a vintage tractor that was clearly meant for bigger things and was not only cumbersome but also cantankerous. It was a beast to be reckoned with and not a favoured means of doing things because of it’s contrary nature – sometimes it would start and sometimes it would not.”

By a process of trial and error, it became apparent that Mick and Amanda would need the right tools for the job. They spoke to Mark at SOTA Tractors and decided to buy a Kubota tractor. “The decision was made even easier when we saw the variety of accessories available as well as listening to Mark’s wisdom and friendly advice. The tractor was also a very reasonable price.”

Mick and Amanda love using their SOTA Kubota and use it for all manner of tasks from mowing grass and moving mulch to pulling out tree stumps. When Mick used the Kubota to push up and compact a huge pile of prunings from the fruit trees last year, the Kubota was more than up to the task and reduced a weekend’s work to a couple of hours. “Best of all it seems to relish the work,” says Mick. “It is like having an extra pair of hands available without the accompanying problems of employees. Every task is made easier.”

“I can’t speak highly enough of the sales and service provided by SOTA Tractors,” says Mick. “In some companies, the after-sales service is totally absent. We needed to replace one of the hydraulic hoses on our Kubota and a quick phone call to SOTA Tractors was followed two days later by the arrival of a new hose. We are very pleased with our decision to buy from SOTA.”

EDITORIAL – Small Farms.

Moving from Sydney back to the bush at Marulan in 2008 was the best thing Robert had ever done. “I just love the people around here” he says “it’s such a welcome change – to be out in the country instead of the city, and to have the chance to live the life I’ve always wanted to.”

As a Dorper sheep farmer on 37 acres, Robert wanted to concentrate on improving water supply, shade and carrying capacity on the property and a SOTA Kubota package looked just right. “I saw SOTA Tractors at the Murrumbateman field day and had a good chat with Mark. I had been looking around for some time. Mark offered an excellent price and the package was available immediately – we called it the ‘steal of the year’. I bought a Kubota B1600 with 4-in-1 bucket, a slasher, a ripper and a pipelayer.”

Robert put his Kubota to work slashing internal fence lines along the boundary of his block and transporting bucket loads of loam mixed with garden soil and mushroom compost to new tree holes for claret, golden ash and poplars each side of the driveway to the front of the house. “I wouldn’t know how anyone could own a tractor on a farm without a 4-in-1 bucket on the front” he says. “It just lets you do so much! Our Kubota has been going backwards and forwards, backwards and forwards with soil, sheep manure and more soil. We’re going to do the same thing with 2000 trees along the boundary fences soon, so that the livestock can have shade, shelter and wind protection.”

When a bobcat operator tried to lift a granite boulder from the big gully behind the house (otherwise known as the “canyon”) he estimated the weight of the boulder to be three tonnes. Robert retrieved the boulder from the canyon with his Kubota, moving very slowly in first gear and placed the boulder at the head of the rose garden. “Our little tractor is fantastic and sometimes I have to remember that it is only a little one but gee whiz it does a big job,” he says.

To take care of water needs for his family, his livestock and the property, Robert decided to install a 240,000 litre water tank so he could gravity feed water to every part of the property. The site for the tank stood 15m above the rest of the property and had a pile of logs and rocks on it. This needed to be leveled and a 14m diameter sand pad prepared. Robert used the 4-in-1 bucket to push the pile out of the way and level the ground in preparation. “Whether you have a 20hp tractor or a 200hp tractor, you’d still need that 4-in-1 bucket” he maintains.

“I’m also very happy with my Kubota because the fuel tank is easily accessible behind the seat and not in the engine compartment. It’s an absolute bonus when you don’t have to spill fuel and fiddle around, you just take the cap off, put the diesel in and put the cap on again and off you go*.” So would Robert recommend buying a tractor from SOTA Tractors? “Certainly I would, I spruik it all the time”, he says. “I’m rapt with it, rapt in the people I’ve met at SOTA and I’m very satisfied. I love sharing my excitement with others when something is done well. And I really love my new life”.

*This is a feature of the larger B-Series SOTA Kubotas.

EDITORIAL – Small Farms.

Gay and Pat from Cootharaba, Queensland, are delighted with their new SOTA tractor package which they purchased last year.

“On our first property in 1985 at the time we couldn’t afford expensive machinery, we just had a few cows and it was hard to get the work done. We had to hire people to help us do the bigger jobs, which could get expensive at times. When we decided it was time for a tree change we bought a new property and moved here in April 2008. We had decided we wanted to maintain it properly and buy all the equipment this time around so we could keep up with the constant work. After speaking with friends and looking in farming magazines when we visited family, we compared packages and prices and found SOTA Tractors.”

Gay and Pat bought a Kubota L2201DT package including an AGMAX slasher, chipper, grader and post hole digger. “It’s just made life so much easier for us. There’s only the two of us and as we’re getting older, we need equipment that can do the work properly.”

“The chipper attachment is an absolute godsend”, says Gay. “We have over one hundred established fruit trees, and numerous palms on our property and there were leaves and foliage everywhere. It was constant work to keep up with it all, with palm fronds falling off all the time. Since we bought the brush chipper, we have been able to recycle a lot more – not much leaves our property now. We cut the bells off the palm leaves, transport them with the loader and then chip the leftover fronds. It makes fantastic mulch which we use all over the garden.”

A veggie patch on the new property had lots of metal stakes in the ground and a couple of small trees in it and Pat used the 4-in-1 bucket on the front end loader to pull them out as he couldn’t remove them manually without a lot of back breaking work. “Using the 4-in-1 bucket on the front end loader to lift things and transport them saves both of us from getting a hernia” says Gay, “It’s been really helpful.” They also leveled the veggie patch and made raised garden beds. “Since buying our SOTA tractor package, the difference is we don’t have to hire people to come and do the work, we can do it ourselves – whenever we want it done.”

They are looking forward to their next equipment purchase, an AGMAX finishing mower, so they can establish a low-cut lawn. “The first person I will phone about it will be Tom Thring, SOTA’s Manager because he does a good deal, knows his stuff and he took the time to establish a good rapport with me”, says Gay. “Being female, I can be a bit fussy when I’m buying something big and I annoyed the hell out of him with lots of questions about the tractor and implements. He was very patient and got back to me with information and prices by phone and email – it’s really nice to have good old-fashioned customer service where the person selling you the item knows what they are talking about.”

“Everything we asked of Tom he has been able to do. He’s very approachable and explained in layman’s terms some of the things we didn’t know. We asked for a spare key for the tractor and it was in the mail the next day. Tom and Nigel have been fantastic. Nigel delivered our tractor for us and he was very helpful.”

Gay and Pat have no hesitation in recommending their SOTA tractor package to friends and relatives who are in the market. “When friends were going to the Toowoomba Ag Show, we recommended that they speak to SOTA Tractors because we were very happy with our tractor package. We didn’t just read the brochures, we talked to the people who we wanted to buy our tractor from and we found SOTA’s service and deals were worth recommending.”

EDITORIAL – The Weekly Times. 

The Collingwood Children’s Farm in Melbourne recently received a handy donation from SOTA Tractors. SOTA Tractors gave the Children’s Farm an AGMAX single tine ripper that will be put to good use on the 7 ha property located in Collingwood, where there is an emphasis on organic and permaculture production. With all the foot traffic the Children’s Farm gets from thousands of visitors, soil compaction can be an issue.

“The single tine ripper will be used to break up the compacted soil and aerate the ground at the Children’s Farm,” said SOTA Tractor’s Suzanne Day. “The Children’s Farm has its tractor serviced at SOTA Tractors and we thought a ripper would be put to good use as well,” Ms Day said.

Collingwood Children’s Farm staff member Bridget Bainbridge said the Farm was only able to operate due to the support of many companies like SOTA. “They also provide advice on pasture management and care, farm machinery and the maintenance of tractors.” The AGMAX ripper is a single tine ripper capable of digging to a depth of 300mm. It fits on a standard small tractor three point linkage. Ms Day said the ripper will do a great job of getting down into the soil to help break up any compaction. For more details, phone SOTA Tractors.

EDITORIAL – Blues Country Magazine.

Ken from Bundalaguah is delighted with the Kubota L1-20DT he purchased from SOTA Tractors. “You ought to see the work we’ve done with it! It’s an amazing machine,” Ken says. Ken’s first project was to level the ground in order to erect a 15m x 8m shed. Originally, there was only a gravel track on uneven ground. Ken used the 4-in-1 bucket to scrape and level the soil in preparation for building. By transporting sand to the site with the front end loader (FEL), he was able to avoid a lot of shovel and barrow work.

The next project involved creating metre-wide laneways to his clothesline and digging out a shallow trench for a concrete pathway to the shed. Ken used the 4-in-1 FEL for both. “The FEL is incredible and the amount of time it has saved us has been brilliant,” he says.

When rain poured onto a hillock on the lawn, the runoff puddled around the house and shed, so Ken scraped off about four inches of soil to fix the runoff problem. “It’s a great little tractor; it really is. It’s got lots of power and I like using the 4-in-1 FEL the most,” he says.

And what about SOTA Tractors’ after sales support? “The wind kept lifting up the inspection cap that covers my radiator cap. The latch on it broke, so I phoned SOTA Tractors and asked if I could get a new one,” Ken recalls. Within two days a replacement had arrived in Ken’s letterbox. “SOTA’s customer service is great; very helpful and efficient.”

The adventure is just beginning for Ken. He has more projects planned as he becomes acquainted with his AGMAX implements. “There’s a large hoeing job on the horizon, and of course, grass cutting with my slasher,” he says. “I really like my SOTA Kubota. We are so pleased with its power and maneuverability and the fuel gauge never seems to move.”

The 18th Variety Bash 2008 started at 10.00am on August 14th from Moonee Valley Racecourse. A very chilly morning with hot sausages and coffee all round, the Variety Bashers were primed and ready to commence their journey, many of them (and their cars) in thematic and outrageous costumes.

This year’s Bash travelled for 10 days from Victoria through central New South Wales to a final destination of Yeppoon in Queensland, raising money from Bash participants, sponsors and events to donate to Variety Children’s Charity. The Charity is dedicated to transforming the lives of children with special needs by providing opportunites to increase their quality of life and fulfil their potential.

SOTA Tractors sponsored a car for Thomastown’s Trans Gears & Diffs whose drivers – Kevin “Big Rev Kev” and Kane – put in a tremendous effort to participate; building and adorning their car, raising the money for entry to the Bash and making a difference to children with special needs through their own fundraising efforts for Variety. The boot of the car was filled with lollies and giveaways for children on the Bash route – children often have the day off school to attend the parade of cars and join in the camaraderie of the Bashgoers.

Kevin was thrilled to be participating in the Bash. “It’s fantastic, we’ve waited for it all year, and we’re really looking forward to it, to catch up with old friends and raise some money along the way. And thanks to our sponsors, we’ve been able to make it, especially SOTA Tractors who came on board and helped us make it over the line.”

The diversity of costumes and vehicle decoration was amazing to see and the different types of people involved covered a good cross section of Melbourne. I enjoyed hobnobbing with Highway Patrol Sheriffs (who had US police badges, donation receipts in the form of parking fines and bullethole labels on their Highway Patrol car) through to hippie girls in their well painted combi-van-70s-style car. Mickey Mouse and his wife were excited participants, as were the ethnic taxi drivers and Muslims. A corporate high flyer whom everyone called “Emu” dressed in pink and bounced a pink footy through the crowd. I saw Batman getting his nose wiped by his old lady!

Interestingly themed cars included the Looney Tunes car, Thirst-Aid (vintage Coca Cola style), the car with the shark on the roof, the camouflage car, the ice-cream-van-themed car, sheep, teddy bear and Ronald McDonald roof combinations, the air-brushed children’s cartoon themed car, Stargazer and many more. Most cars were outfitted inside as well as out – and many were well stocked with party food for the road.

Hailed as a once-in-a-lifetime road trip, it’s obvious that the great community spirit invoked through preparation and participation in the Bash is to be admired and enjoyed. The Bashers were aglow with good cheer and the opening Bash speech was quite amusing and inspirational (quote – “We will not be rampaging and pillaging through the countryside…we will conduct the Bash with dignity and respect for the communities we visit”). A number of celebrities such as Merv Hughes, Lisa Edwards, Rod Collins and Shane Warne participated in the Bash and donated their talents to the cause.

With 115 cars and 350 people travelling in the Victorian Variety Bash convey, it is expected that $1.2 – $1.5 million will be raised in 2008 and $19 million raised annually by Bashers in Australia. SOTA Tractor’s sponsored car is also hoping to attend the 4th Variety Brat’s Bash in 2009, which gives supporters the opportunity to share the Bash experience with family and friends while travelling to remote and beautiful places.

For more information about the Variety Bash, visit www.varietyvic.org.au

Written by Suzanne Day.

EDITORIAL – Blues Country Magazine. 

Stephen bought a SOTA tractor package in April 2006, to rejuvenate his block in the Wimmera, North West Victoria. Stephen writes: “When I bought the place, it was pretty run down. There were a lot of improvements required to get the place looking neat and tidy.

The previous owners had tenants in there; they had left the place looking like a bomb site. The 4 acres was festooned with all manner of junk: car bodies, abandoned white goods and years worth of accumulated metal scrap. The place was a mess. There were several water tanks in various states of decay. The 4 sturdiest tanks were full of household rubbish. Given the former occupant’s predilection for filling the water tanks with refuse, I put an order in for a new tank on the house; just in case.

Everywhere I turned, I could see more and more jobs. With only my box trailer and basic hand tools, I knew I was looking down the barrel of an almighty task. To make things worse, summer was encroaching ever closer. This would really test my resolve. As I began considering a spot for my new tank, I pondered hiring a backhoe. One thousand dollars was the quote. This prompted me to think of other options.

When I bought the place, the old owners promised to clean it up, and they had; to an extent. Everywhere I looked there’d be a job waiting. Old engine blocks there, fencing wire here. If I got the contractors in, it could have turned into an expensive exercise. Plus, it also went against the grain a bit; I like to do my own thing. Everywhere I looked, I could see the dollar signs ticking over.

And so, that’s how I came to the decision to investigate purchasing a little tractor with a loader and implements. It would pay for itself soon enough cleaning the place up, and then, I’ve still got a little tractor to slash the place and do other maintenance. In fact the more I thought about it, the more uses I could think of for a small tractor and loader.

I thought of second hand machine, but they are a bit of a mystery bag. They are often getting a bit long in the tooth. I didn’t want to have my hand continually in my pocket. I wanted something that I could turn the key and go. It was Dad who suggested SOTA. He’d seen the ads in the paper. From here I went on their internet site, which is very good. They offer package deals, and a warranty, which is beaut.

There is a bit of disinformation circulating about the grey market tractor business, so I satisfied myself by visiting them at their showroom. I was impressed with the presentation of these little machines. The sales team was helpful, the package was quoted and what was quoted was what you paid. They took the time to understand what I wanted, and what jobs I had to do. I could see that it wasn’t just a case of importing tractors and flogging them off.

I went for the little Kubota L1501DT. I was able to get myself into a Kubota with a 4-in-1 loader, slasher and box scraper. I was concerned that she might be a bit light on for power, as the budget didn’t allow for a bigger one. But, so far, it’s been great. This is a very versatile little machine.

Cleaning Up

As mentioned, the previous owners had left behind several old water tanks; four of them filled with rubbish!

I used the Kubota to load the rubbish into my trailer. I fitted four sheets of steel mesh into my 6×4 box trailer to extend the height of the sides, using D shackles in the corners. The front end loader was the perfect size for the front end loader which was handy for compressing the rubbish into the trailer. So off to the tip I went. I lost count of the trips, but there would have been 15,000 litres of tank capacity filled with rubbish.

I found all sorts of steel and metal scattered around the place. Just to name a few of the heavier items I found: old car engines, a steel dingy, rusted water tanks, roofing iron, fencing wire, fridges, washing machines and an air conditioner. I used the Kubota to collect it all together in one big pile. I was very happy and impressed with the ease that the tractor handled this work. I contacted a scrap metal merchant. They came and three truck loads later the scrap metal was gone and they left me with some cash. Brilliant!

Now that I had the place looking better than ever, I wanted to slash the grass. But there was one more problem to deal with. A lot of branches had fallen – and we needed some fire wood. So I put on the carry all and off I went with the chain saw. I was able to carry wood in both the front end loader bucket and also on the carry all. Normally I would use my trailer and car, but this worked out better because it is easier to unload and no chance of getting bogged with 4wd available on the tractor. Now that the wood has been cleaned up I can happily go around with the slasher.

The tractor has power aplenty for my slashing needs. I have found that I don’t need to run it at full rpm. It seems to be quite happy running at around 1900rpm. If I’m slashing at this speed I use 2nd gear on the PTO which works out at about 540rpm at the PTO. Fuel usage is amazing, it only uses about one litre of diesel per hour.

Excavating & Earth Moving

I had the new 31,000 litre water tank coming, so I used the Kubota to dig out a base. The ground was quite hard so I used the box scraper to rip the earth first. That made it a lot easier for the front end loader. When the tank arrived I used it to shift the tank into the perfect position. Then I used the front end loader and box scraper to spread out the surplus soil. The old man was pretty impressed with my new purchase, too. Being a mechanic he has nothing but praise for these tractors and he was quick to point out the good mechanical condition that the tractor was received in.

I wanted to renovate an old bungalow that used to be a single car garage. The floor was made of timber, laid straight onto the ground. I removed the old floor and cladding from the front of the building. Then I was able to get the Kubota inside the old bungalow through the original garage door opening. The tractor was small enough to fit, and strong enough to excavate for a concrete slab. Again I used the front end loader and box scraper to spread out the surplus soil.

On my block, several patches of soil are compacted and other areas are uneven. I’ve started to work on them with the box scraper. Ripping the ground and lightly scraping it at the same time. I do this over a couple of passes and the results are quite good.

Other Useful Things

I wanted to get rid of an old fence. I removed the sagging chicken wire that was attached to the posts. Then I used the Kubota to grapple and remove the wooden posts. It did it easily. Then I ran up and down the fence line with the box scrapper which ripped out the weeds and smoothed out the ground level.

When I was preparing for the new water tank and at various times I have needed to dig a trench. I used the box scraper and fitted just one of the ripping tines. I ran the Kubota up and down a few times which left a deep line that just need to have the spoil removed. This was easily done by hand.

Through all of this the Kubota has not once let me down. In fact, only three incidental repairs have been needed. All were simple jobs that only took a minute to do and could be considered a part of normal servicing. The tractor is still in great shape. I am really happy with my decision to buy a SOTA Kubota package.”

EDITORIAL – The Weekly Times.

John, after many years, is back doing what he loves – driving a tractor on the family farm. John grew up on a small farm in Scotland and has retained a strong passion for farming, even though his career as an engineer has taken him around the world to Melbourne. Looking to return to the land and retire, the family began searching for a small farm. After five years they found a 10ha property in the Pyrenees Shire, in Victoria.

“Now we have our own property, we just want to start developing it,” John said. “There is a lot of work to be done. The first step was to clear a site for the house and that meant buying a tractor.” John saw the price of SOTA Tractors’ remanufactured Kubota tractors in an advertisement in The Weekly Times’ Farm Magazine and decided to find out more about the North Fitzroy company.

John had worked on Kubota engines through his engineering career and was impressed with their fuel efficiency and reliability. “SOTA offered good value and peace of mind,” he said. “It was a recognised brand, remanufactured and came with new tyres and a three month written warranty. It meant I didn’t have to do any mechanical repairs and could start work straight away.”

John selected the B1502D, a 14.2kW compact four-wheel-drive model with a front end loader. He bought the package six months ago. “The more I use the tractor, the more I am amazed by the ability of such a small, compact tractor,” he said. “It has done quite a number of hours’ work now and we haven’t had a hint of trouble.”

“It starts every time and then works its little heart out.” John recently added a slasher, grader blade and ripper to the tractor’s implements to help maintain the farm. “We have more than 500m of gravel driveway and don’t have any livestock to keep the grass down, so the tractor and its implements have come in very handy and will be useful for future development of the property.”

John said the SOTA team was keen to make sure potential customers were well informed before buying and had offered excellent support.

EDITORIAL – The Weekly Times.

A new range of certified front end loader kits is now available from SOTA Tractors. Designed to suit Kubota imported tractors, the bolt-on loader kits are manufactured to stringent ISO certifications, according to the company’s Business Manager, Steve Watts. Steve said loaders for other brands of Japanese tractors including Yanmar, Iseki, Mitsubishi, Shibaura, Hinomoto and Satoh could be supplied to order. The new kits come in two configurations: a standard bucket or a versatile four-in-bucket.

Steve said the compact SOTA tractor was ideal for stables and stud farms, small scale agricultural operations and boutique vineyards. The front end loaders feature well-positioned controls, a broad steel bucket, fully setup hydraulics and a superior finish designed to be long-lasting. The kit comes ready-to-install with bucket hydraulic fittings and controls plus mounting hardware. The loader bolts directly into existing holes and is supplied with fittings for existing tractor hydraulics. The four-in-one bucket is a specially designed multi-purpose bucket that can be used as a normal pickup bucket, as well as a dozer blade, leveller and picker.

Two hydraulic cylinders located on the back enable the bucket to open up from the bottom and close down on any object with a vice-like grip. The lifting parameters of each loader have been ISO tested for safe operation. Although easy to install, a mechanic is required to ensure proper hydraulic attachment, safe loader fit and alignment and ballast adjustment. Kits can be shipped Australia wide.

SOTA imports and distributes a range of high-quality used Kubota tractors, each with a full warranty and fully refurbished for the Australian market.

EDITORIAL – North East Farmer. 

Agricultural importer SOTA Tractors announces that its entire range of small acreage tractors and machinery is now available at warehouse direct prices.

SOTA Tractors caused excitement in agricultural circles several years ago, when it introduced its range of remanufactured Kubota tractors. Until recently, they were only sold through a dealer network, in Australia and New Zealand. Unlike other used, imported Japanese tractors, the SOTA Kubotas are extensively refurbished and look “as new”. They are supported and warranted by SOTA Tractors, much the same as a new tractor. The pricing has been attractive to small-acreage owners, who find them an excellent value proposition.

Not resting on its laurels, SOTA Tractors has now made its full range of machinery even more attractive, by removing the “middleman” and selling direct from its warehouse. SOTA’s Business Development Manager, Steve Watt, explained, “The Australian agricultural market has seen an unprecedented growth in the numbers of tractor brands and models. There are up to 60 brands and hundreds of models to choose from. It’s a buyers market and we want to ensure that our tractors remain ultra competitive.”

“For example, a SOTA Kubota with a brand new 4-in-1 loader is $4000 cheaper than it was two years ago”, Mr. Watt said. “Our loaders with 4-in-1 buckets are the best-priced in Australia, by a country mile! We’ve slashed the prices on tractors, loaders, backhoes – everything,” he said. SOTA Tractors is pleased to tailor cost effective packages including implements, to suit individual needs.

EDITORIAL – Farms & Farm Machinery.

SOTA Tractors Pty Ltd, located in the Melbourne suburb of Thomastown, is a family owned and operated business that specialises in the import and distribution of fully refurbished second hand tractors. More recently however, the company has introduced a new line – supplying a totally new range of certified front end loaders designed to suit compact tractors.

The fully ‘bolt on’ loader kits are manufactured to stringent ISO certification, and are available in two configurations – a standard bucket or a versatile 4-in-1 bucket. They are expected to appeal to operators of small scale market gardens, hobby farms and commercial contracting businesses.

Steve Watt, on behalf of SOTA, elaborated: “The compact and efficient nature of a loader equipped Kubota or other small tractor is ideal for applications such as stables and stud farms, and small scale operations from boutique vineyards to public property managers. Featuring well positioned controls, broad steel bucket, fully set up hydraulics and superior finish, the new front end loaders are easy to use and offer longevity in design and manufacturing,” he said.

The front end loader kit comes ready to install with bucket, hydraulic fittings and controls plus mounting hardware. The loader bolts directly into existing holes and is supplied with fittings to attach to existing tractor hydraulics. Although the loaders are easy to install, a qualified mechanic must be on hand to check for proper hydraulic attachment, safe loader fit and alignment and ballast adjustment.

The 4-in-1 bucket is a specially designed multi-purpose unit. It can be used as a normal pickup bucket or as a dozer blade, a leveller or a picker. The two hydraulic cylinders located on the back enable the bucket to open at the bottom and close with a vice like grip, allowing the removal of stumps and fence posts or picking up heavy objects from the ground. The lifting parameters of each loader have been ISO tested and are specified to ensure safe and efficient operation.

The loaders are attractively priced for the compact tractor market and kits are immediately available for shipping right across Australia. If required, SOTA can also supply loaders for other brands of Japanese tractors including Yanmar, Iseki, Mitsubishi, Shibaura, Hinomoto and Satoh.

EDITORIAL – The Land. 

Front end loaders have undergone a minor revolution with the development of the “four-in-one” bucket from SOTA Tractors, designed for use on Kubota imported tractors. The “four-in-one” bucket is specially designed to be used as a normal pickup bucket, as well as a dozer blade, leveller and picker.

It has two hydraulic cylinders located on the back, enabling the bucket to open from the bottom and close down with a powerful grip, allowing the removal of stumps and fence posts and the safe collection of heavy objects from the ground.

Although the kits are easy to install, a mechanically qualified person is required to ensure proper hydraulic attachment, safe loader fit and alignment, and ballast adjustment. The new front end loader kits are available for shipping across Australia.

EDITORIAL – New Zealand Lifestyle Farmer.

Far more versatile than a ride on mower, a compact tractor can transform a lifestyle block. Up until now, the prices of quality brands have often been prohibitive – but not anymore. SOTA Tractors will release its range of remanufactured compact tractors at field days. They have been purpose built for lifestyle farmers with safety and performance as the main criteria.

The machines are fully supported through local SOTA dealers who advise on safety, usage, implements, servicing and so on – similar to a new machine. Originally Japanese domestic tractors, they have been stripped down and rebuilt to a fixed specification. Key components of the engine, brakes and running gear are inspected and replaced as required.

Parts renewed as standard include: paint, badging and safety decals, battery, roll bar, upholstery, tyres and the three point linkage. So extensive is the refurbishment that they look like a new tractor. Better still, they’re about half price!

Other features:

• Top brands – Kubota & Iseki
• 16 – 36hp, 4WD, diesel
• OHS compliant, 14 page safety manual, operators manual
• Written warranty & parts guarantee
• Choice of agricultural or turf tyres
• Creeper gears on most models – for trenching & cultivating
• Front end loaders available

EDITORIAL – Farm Trader.

A lifestyle farmer from Gisborne is more than happy with his remanufactured Iseki, the first of its type in New Zealand. John isn’t used to letting the grass grow under his feet. After 25 years of hard work in Australia, building an industrial waste disposal business, he and his wife recently returned to their idyllic hometown of Nuhaka, near Gisborne. Having already purchased and refurbished the local general store, café and fish-and-chip shop, John has set to work on his personal labour of love – restoring a nine acre market garden to its former glory.

In order to get the job done, John needed the right machinery, and decided on a SOTA remanufactured tractor. “When I first saw it, I thought it was a new one!” said John. “Everything was new – the tyres, battery, upholstery, paint, hoses and belts – even all the bolts! The best part was when it started.”

John’s tractor is a SOTA remanufactured Iseki Landleader – a 25 horsepower, four-wheel-drive machine. “I bought a ride on mower but it couldn’t even cut the Kikuyu grass at the back of my shop! It just sits in the shed now,” he said. “My Iseki is really powerful and, because it’s four-wheel drive, it will go just about anywhere – I love it!” John bought his tractor from R & R Tractors, in Te Puke, who he found to be extremely helpful, advising him about the implements he needed and how to use the machine.

“Because the tractor was about half the price of a new one, I could afford to buy a package that included a 1.2 metre slasher and a 1.3 metre rotary hoe. I’ll probably buy a loader for it in the future. My block is divided into 3 paddocks at present. I’ll be able to do fencing and all sorts of stuff with it,” John says. “When I first got it, a few of my friends laughed at me … but I had the last laugh. After taking delivery, I tested it by slashing the Kikuyu grass out the back. It was all too easy!”

“The next day, I wanted to put it through its paces, so I took it to my block, which adjoins the local rugby ground. The grass was over 4 feet high. My friends were all hanging over the fence ogling at my tractor as it whipped through the grass effortlessly. None of them laughs anymore – I reckon they’re a bit envious.”

John was the first in the country to purchase a SOTA remanufactured Iseki, and to mark the occasion he was visited by Martin Cooper, SOTA Tractors’ Director and Lindsay, distribution manager for New Zealand.

“We are excited to add these Isekis to our range of remanufactured Kubotas as Iseki is also a popular brand in New Zealand,” says Lindsay. “We expect a huge response from lifestyle farmers, if the first year of distribution in Australia is anything to go by.”

“Pre-owned tractors have never been distributed in New Zealand through conventional dealers before because of the variability associated with used machines – you might get a good one, a bad one,” he says. “A SOTA remanufactured tractor, however, is disassembled and rebuilt to a fixed specification, so they’re all the same. A SOTA tractor has an approved roll bar, a written warranty, guaranteed parts availability, operators manual and so on – basically just like a new tractor. In addition, they’re affordable, look great and are much more versatile than a lawn mower,” Lindsay says.

EDITORIAL – The Land. 

They look new, sound new, even smell new, but the fully “remanufactured” Japanese Kubota tractors are actually secondhand. And at just half the price of a brand new machine, these rebuilt machines created quite a stir at the Henty machinery field day.

SOTA Tractors director, Martin Cooper, from Clifton Hill in Victoria, has sold about 20 of the tractors in the 13 to 34 kilowatt (17-46hp) power range since he started importing them in June.

Mr Cooper said the rebuilding included replacing many worn components, while thoroughly cleaning and upgrading other parts, including the motor, transmission, alternator, brakes, wheels, wiring, and upholstery, plus giving the machine a new paint job. The tractors are sold with a three month warranty and dealer backup, similar to that provided for new machines.

During the first day at Henty, Mr Cooper watched a steady stream of people walk onto his site and discuss the “new tractors”, so he put up signs promoting “half-price tractors” and waited for the reaction. “People came over after looking at the tractors and the signs and asked what the catch was,” he said. “When they realised that there wasn’t a catch and these were remanufactured tractors at half the price of a typical model of the same horsepower, our inquiries grew enormously.”

The remanufacturing work is undertaken in Asia to take advantage of the cheap labour costs, before the machines are shipped here to target the small-area, horticulture, lifestyle and hobby farmer market. “We are finding the hobby farmer market is large. There are probably up to 300,000 hobby farmers in Australia that are not picked up by the ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics),” he said. “Many small farms that turn over less than $5000 will consider buying a secondhand tractor.”

EDITORIAL – The Weekly Times.

Martin Cooper and his brother, Bruce, had a good idea – something they believed had never been done before. Why not set up a national used tractors dealer network? The products would be a popular brand, stripped to their individual parts, remanufactured so everything was renewed to a fixed specification, then backed by a three month warranty and sold at about half the price of a similar new tractor. And so SOTA Tractors Pty Ltd, of Clifton Hill, has hit the ground running, with a showing of three tractors at the Henty field day.

“I’m from a marketing background and Bruce is from an engineering background,” Martin said. “We’ve been selling components and an exclusive range of tyres in Melbourne for 17 years. “We did six months of research before we went into this. We’re quite excited because what we are doing – setting up a national dealer network to sell warranted, used machinery – has never been done before.”

“The problem has always been the variability of the machines, which meant that dealers could not have common stock and parts. Our operation doesn’t have that variability – and our dealers are delighted. There’s a shortage of good secondhand compact tractors – and these are as close to new as you can get. We expect hobby farmers to make up 80-85 per cent of our customers.”

There is a large market for small tractors among lifestyle, small acreage, horticultural or hobby farmers. Martin said the tractors were from Japan, typically 10 to 20 years old, had begun life as rice paddy tractors and were remanufactured in Asia before being imported to Australia. “We are appointing dealers, and Boman Ag, Wagga Wagga is our first dealer in NSW.”

Martin said the range started from 12.7kW at $8800rrp and went through to 34.3kW at $19,500rrp.

By Ed Featherston

EDITORIAL – Southern Farmer.

The shortage of dealer-supported, competitively priced, used tractors has been addressed with the introduction of SOTA Tractor’s range of remanufactured tractors. In Australia, small farms are on the increase and number well into the hundreds of thousands. Many of these farms turnover less than $5000 p.a. and many will consider a secondhand tractor purchase.

Shortages of used tractors available from traditional dealers can force small farm owners, many of whom are new to farming, into private or long distance purchases. As a consequence, they expose themselves to risk and miss out on the vast experience and support that a tractor dealer has to offer.

A dealer provides purchase advice on tractors and implements, performs pre-delivery checks and formally installs a tractor. There is a strong emphasis on safety throughout. A dealer usually develops an ongoing relationship with the owner and provides expert technical support for the life of the tractor. SOTA Tractors Pty Ltd offers a solution to the issues of cost, quality, availability and dealer support for used tractors with its range of remanufactured tractors.

Only available through authorised dealers, a SOTA remanufactured tractor is something new in the used tractor market. Each tractor is dismantled and rebuilt from the ground up to a fixed specification. Key components are replaced as a matter of policy. The extensive refurbishment of these well known OEM brands includes the motor, transmission, clutch, starter motor, alternator, brakes, wheels, wiring, tyres, paint, upholstery, ROPS and more.

According to SOTA Tractors’ Director, Martin Cooper, a SOTA remanufactured tractor represents excellent value for money, costing a fraction of the price of a new tractor. “They are warranted, spare parts availability is guaranteed and owners are supported by SOTA’s dealer network, says Mr. Cooper.”