Anyone here in the heavy equipment sales industry?
I’m coming up on 7 years in my current sales role and wondering if I want to explore something else.

If you get ready to explore into AC sales, let me know 😎

I don’t know anything about heavy equipment sales, but none of it is cheap, so it ought to pay well.

I was in Ag sales (JD) almost 25 years. Spent 3 selling Kubota. Still tractors but not “Agricultural”.

Now would be a SHITTY time to get in Ag Sales. Farmers around here got HAMMERED this past year. No clue about Industrial Equipment Sales. Dozers, trackhoes etc would seem to be very Govt work dependent for sales and Forestry would seemingly be as up and down as an EKG. Good luck with whatever you do.

PM sent.

With that gas tax Ivey passed for roads and bridges I’d imagine right now is a good time to be in that sort of equipment.

Idk about buyin..or sales..i run it tho..an we quit buyin an started leasin…we leased from TEC( tractor & equipment company), cowin, and i think we leased from 🤔…warrior maybe…anyway…they all lease and sell I believe…may could callem an see..always go thompson cat..or well any other caterpiller or john deere for that matter…you could also see about the skidder and forestry implement bidness…fecon, rayco..maybe tiger cat..sell these log jammers a hydro axe🤠

I know Weiler has got a plant right up 85 from me in Lagrange, not too far past Kia.
I’ve got a Thompson Cat dealer walking distance(3mi) from my house.
Also a Bobcat dealer that’s 1.9mi according to Google.

You may want to check into a rental sales position. Those roles seem to be a little easier to get established in. More frequent repeat business. Then maybe transition to full on sales.

My advice dont become a DOOSAN / DEVELON sales rep if you want to keep a good name.

Not a good time to get in IMO due to the Economy and interest rates. On a more local level you have to look at coal mining through the eyes of the Steel markets. As far as Construction goes it's a difficult call. Road and Bridge projects, etc.

Definitely a complex industry but there is 1 certainty and that is CAT and it's peers are typically the first to take a complete beatdown if the markets get sideways. Heavy Equipment always gets hammered in a downturn.

As stated leasing or rental is becoming more and more common in this area.

Ran into a guy yesterday that’s done heavy equipment work for years. Runs Cat dozers and track hoes. I told I’d seen where he was selling everything, he laughed and said it was time to retire. He said he told the Cat guys I’ve made a lot money with Cat equipment. Almost all of which he’d paid Cat for in repairs. 😂

Not in it myself, but I did stop by the Bobcat dealer on January 15 to get info on a newer cabbed mini excavator. The guy there tells me I am the only one who has even inquired about a new machine at that dealer this year (only 15 days in) and that the company (7 dealerships) had not sold a single machine at all this year. He said that was not at all normal and that those guys were already slashing pricing to move inventory. Keep in mind, he wanted to sell me something but also that I just went i for a brochure to compare the models and let him know I would DEFINATELY be buying used. This guy came from JD ag, and left there due to declining sales opportunities, says this may have been a bad decision. I think as things get tougher that market will suffer, used will do ok but new will be a tough sale without some zero interest finanching and LONG payment terms to attract people. Good luck with your decision.

Jason

That is interesting. I dont have all your insight, but several farmers I know have been on equipment buying sprees. Lots of money is also being spent on grading fields. So, I would think that would lead to equipment sales. But, we are talking irregated beans and rice, so maybe they fared better.

I keep hearing cotton and rice more and more often in the MS Delta, this year, with other prices tanking. There have been pockets of rice scattered, but nothing like up until the late ‘90s. Sounds like we’ll have a lot more paddies, again. Gonna be a good year for a moccasin population uptick…beastly skeeters, too!
I say this to say that with changing crops comes acquisitions of crop specific equipment. Some will buy new, to resell, but I think most will find used and lease equipment until they see how the rice market responds. If it responds well (like corn did) they’ll buy in, upgrade equipment and ride the wave. Some that own it outright try to keep equipment for when the market rolls back around, but most sell off equipment specific to the crop they’re getting away from due to having a note on it. Nothing is worse than looking at a piece of equipment you’re making a (large) note on that just sits under the shed with nothing to do but collect dust.
*There’ll be some that will be getting back into cotton and doing the same as farmers just getting into/back into rice. A lot of cotton equipment was sold when they dropped it and went corn, lock stock and barrel, many years back. It’s hard to make payments on that $800k-1mil cotton picker when you aren’t even growing cotton!

I guess John Deere is offering good lease (or buyback) deals with one place I know that has 20+ pieces and each will turn over every 3 years (is what I was told). So, That is a bunch of turnover for the dealer. I think about everything is green now other than the road tractors and trailers. But those big tracked Case combines looked better than these green ones with tires. (lol...My dad said he would never own a green tractor unless it was an Oliver).

All I know is the ag market continually shifts around. 10 years ago two brothers that owned everything on their farm sold out. Too risky without the government backstop plus incentives so they got out. At the time I didn’t understand having everything g paid for and al they had to do was plant rice. Well heck planting 900 plus acre of rice cost 💲.
I hear folks saying well they can get insurance money if they plant. None of that is true any longer.

The markets right now is cotton positive. Maybe wheat too.

The Times Daily ran an article 10 years ago that cotton was done for in the south. They interviewed the last of the big time cotton farmers and he was getting out. Texas and overseas is where it went. A few years later I saw a brand new JD cotton picker/baler going down the hwy. $700,000 machine. Cotton was back. I think it’s all pretty fluid these days.

I’ve seen two good sized farms sell off equipment this year so far. Heck they can make more on land rent than doing the work. Repairs cost are stupid high. Im glad we only piddle at it. It has been eye opening.