TRADE ASSOCIATE UPDATE
Southwest Florida dealership offers precision equipment, pre-owned
tractors and more.
By Barbara Wunder, FFVA Communications Manager
After 15 years of operating a tomato farm, Ray and Phyllis Creel were
ready for a change. The Naples couple sold their farm in 1972 and went
into the tractor business. Originally a small Ford tractor dealership,
Creel Ford Tractor Company was off to a roaring start.
Soon the company expanded into many other equipment lines. New
construction in the area meant new customers, so Ray began carrying
machinery that would meet the needs of local contractors. But they never
forgot their agriculture roots.
After Ray passed away in 1991, his son Mark took over the
business. Later that decade, New Holland Tractor Company bought out the
Ford tractor side of the operation, so Mark changed the name to Creel
Tractor Company.
Today, after nearly doubling its sales with the addition of the
Kubota tractor line and ASV Inc., which manufactures rubber track
loaders, the company provides products used for construction, golf
courses, landscaping, and of course, agriculture.
“The biggest brands we sell now are Kubota and New Holland,
probably 50 to 100 horsepower, mainly for our fruit and vegetable
producer customers,” said Brian Creel, Mark’s son and a
member of the Creel sales team. “We also sell 90- to
100-horsepower tractors that are mainly used in citrus applications for
spraying and mowing,” Creel said, adding that farmers of crops
such as potatoes and squash are also interested in specialty tractors,
such as “hi-crop” tractors that roll along the tops of the
plants. “They allow the farmer to drive right over the top of the
plants. They can pull their spray rig behind that – right over the
top of the vegetables,” Brian said.
Like most things, tractors have changed over the years. The most
exciting development lately has been the use of the Global Positioning
System, or GPS, a satellite-based navigation system made up of a network
of 24 satellites placed into orbit by the U.S. Department of Defense.
Intended for military applications in its infancy, the government made
the system available for civilian use in the 1980s. Today’s GPS is
extremely accurate. GPS-guided tractors are very precise –
“within a quarter of an inch,” Creel said. “They can
pretty much run themselves. Someone just needs to sit in them to monitor
the equipment. They’ll steer themselves, change gears, and
everything,” said Creel, adding that although the system costs
around $10,000 to set up, “once you get the towers and all set up,
you can keep repeating the same lines and paths every year. So over time
it becomes very cost-effective,” he said.
USED EQUIPMENT HOLDING ITS
OWN
Creel Tractor sells both new and used equipment, with the used
inventory receiving its share of attention in the current troubled
economy. “If it’s under a certain price range, people will
buy it,” said Creel. “The people in that market won’t
even look at new equipment.”
The company also offers parts and service. Parts may be selected on
the company’s Web site and then ordered by fax or e-mail.
“We’ll have the part pulled when you get here. It really
makes things efficient,” said Creel. As far as service, the
company has three trucks that service equipment at the customer’s
operation. “Plus we have a semi-truck for picking up and
delivering equipment into the shop for service,” Creel said.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Creel Tractor serves Collier, Charlotte, Desoto, Glades,
Hendry and Lee counties. To learn more, call (800) 282-7949 or
e-mail sales@creeltractor.com.
3771 Palm Beach Blvd.; Fort Myers, FL 33916
Local Phone: (239) 694-2185 Fax:
(239)694-6059