Ashbrook Plant is one of the leading plant and access hire companies in the North West, North Wales and Anglesey. The company has had dealings with John Bownes for many years and, in fact, it was at the Bownes sub-dealership DJS, at Amlwch, Anglesey, that Ashbrook first made the decision to try the Valtra brand, adding several tractors to the company fleet.
Company boss James Ashbrook and his team were sufficiently impressed with their performance that a much larger consignment was purchased to equip all the firm’s depots, which include Congleton and Warrington.
From left to right: James Ashbrook, John D Bownes, Mike Ashbrook, John C Bownes.
James explains the initial attraction: “We’d had several other tractors from competing manufacturers, but found that since the Valtras went into the fleet – especially those used on groundworks contracts – they were using just half the fuel that we had been putting into other makes’ similar models.”
Ashbrook currently has 24 Valtras in its machinery hire fleet – 13 x T174, 7 x T254, 1 x T154, 2 x T144 and a single A92.
“They have been used to carry out a whole range of tasks – for agricultural contractors, farmers, on construction sites, in quarries and in the forestry sector,” states James.
The hire firm likes to get as much feedback from its customers as it can, in order to remain at the forefront of the plant hire industry in its region. So, James places great store in the comments coming back from the Valtra hirers: “The most common points mentioned include the fact that they have plenty of power and that the fuel consumption is good,” he says.
“They like the cab environment too, which they describe as spacious and with a bright and airy feel.”
With regard to Ashbrook’s machine replacement policy, the aim is to renew after a maximum of three years, but James says that in most instances, this happens after 12 months.
Line up of the new fleet of Valtra tractors at dealer John Bownes Ltd. Ready for hand over.
“We invest heavily in our machinery fleet to try and ensure that we are at the forefront of product safety, while guaranteeing high performance and energy efficiency with every hire,” James explains.
“Our locally resourced business allows us to offer competitive rates, comparative to our measured overhead.”
“Although our bases are located in the North West, North Wales and Anglesey, we are able to provide the same service nationwide to any of our customers. This is made possible by having an external transport division, which means we can offer a competitive price to travel further afield.”
