Making repairs in the field is nothing new. Slick repair trucks are field-ready on many farms. What’s changing is how many repairs happen on the farm and in the field. Some ag dealerships are putting greater emphasis on serving farmers where they work.

Ryan Facemire, Johnson County, Ind., knew he needed a specific sickle section when he realized why the cutterbar wasn’t feeding soybeans into his 45-foot draper head correctly. It consists of two long sections joined in the middle. Where the sections join requires a special sickle section.

“We keep sections in the toolbox on the truck, but that is not one we use often,” he explains. “We used one a while back and had not replaced it.”

It was 5:30 p.m. on a Sunday. There were still at least two hours of runtime left, but only if the cutterbar could be fixed.

“We were only a mile from the shop, and we have an assortment of welding equipment there,” Facemire says. “I took a regular section, went to the shop and modified it so it would fit where needed, and got going again.”

Having the skill and the equipment nearby allowed Facemire to get back to work. It was the difference between being down until the next day and harvesting another 30 acres.

Dealership goes mobile

One equipment dealership has invested heavily in developing a service model that allows them to meet farmers on their turf — their farms and fields. AgRevolution, a large Agco dealership offering a full line of Fendt and Massey Ferguson equipment, along with Agco’s fertilizer application equipment, has a fleet of 31 mobile service trucks. Each is fully equipped and staffed by a trained technician.

“We like to think of them as mobile workshops on wheels,” says Stacy Anthony, CEO of AgRevolution, based in Evansville, Ind. The dealership currently has seven brick-and-mortar locations in southern Indiana and Kentucky, with an eighth coming soon in southern Illinois.

“Each truck is equipped with a crane, welder, air compressor, other tools and an inventory of most-commonly needed parts,” he says. “At $250,000 each, it represents a large investment on our part to serve our customers.”

GOING TO THE FARMER: This is one of a fleet of technicians who can respond for AgRevolution when a customer needs service in the field on any make of equipment. (AgRevolution)

Each truck operates within an assigned mobile service area, Anthony explains. Customers can either contact their mobile service rep directly or line up service through the company’s central office.

“Today, we’re doing about 85% of our service business on the farm through these mobile workshops,” Anthony says. “They’re set up to operate 24/7 in key times when necessary. If it means being out until 1 or 2 a.m. to get someone up and running, that’s what they do.”

AgRevolution’s policy is to work on any brand of equipment through their mobile service technicians, not exclusively on Agco brands. Technicians are trained before they go out and stay up on changes through continued education training. Specialized experts are available to help with precision ag when necessary.

Learn more about AgRevolution’s services at agrev.com.