Tractor heritage, news and features

Lincs dealer celebrates 90 years in business

Held at the company’s premises in Frithville near Boston, the occasion marked the local launch of the new McCormick X60 Series mid-range tractors and finished a 12-month period in which the business was presented with the McCormick National Dealer of the Year award by distributor AgriArgo UK.

“We had a pretty good year in 2011,” says Robert Crawford junior, who runs the sales, service and hire departments. “A little over 12 months ago our McCormick territory was extended further west towards Lincoln to take in part of the area vacated by another dealer, so we’re working with new customers there.

“And in the spring we moved more decisively into the groundcare sector by signing up to the McCormick X10 Series compact and utility tractor range. “We see a lot of potential in the compacts, although bigger tractors like the four-cylinder C-Max, new X60 and MC Series, and the six-cylinder MTX, XTX and TTX will remain our biggest sellers.”

McCormick tractors apart, the company has become synonymous with the vintage Marshall and Track Marshall marques; first as a dealer for the wheeled and tracked machines, and today as the leading supplier of parts and memorabilia.

The association began in 1931 when Robert H Crawford took on the Field Marshall franchise; 10 years or so later the Track Marshall products were added.

“We bought all the remaining Field Marshall parts and drawings from British Leyland in the mid-1970s, and then purchased the Track Marshall stock from Gainsborough in 2005,” explains current managing director Robert Crawford senior. “Demand for Field Marshall parts is pretty constant all year round, from enthusiasts here and all over the World; and we always have a good selection of Field Marshall and Track Marshall tractors in the yard.”

Today, of course, new tractor sales focus on the modern McCormick machines, which Robert junior says strike a happy balance between sophistication and simplicity.