In a working relationship that has stood the test of time, SA Tractors and Merlo Group Australia are a match made for the earthmoving industry.
One of South Australia’s leading supplier of attachments to the earthmoving industry, SA Tractors, has been in a solid partnership with telehandler specialist Merlo Group Australia for five years.
A South Australian-owned and operated business located in Cavan, 10km north of Adelaide, SA Tractors supplies equipment, parts and service solutions to the earthmoving, mining, and farming industries, with a range of stock available for immediate delivery backed by local backup support.
This includes attachments for skid steers, excavators and wheel loaders.
Earthmoving Equipment Magazine speaks with SA Tractors part owner and sales director Matt Allen to learn more about the company’s connection with Merlo Group Australia.
Also looking after equipment sales, Matt is an authority on Merlo equipment and what it offers.
Matt said the association began when The Merlo Group wanted to place its machines in front of the Australian market, and SA Tractors quickly snapped up the opportunity.
“SA Tractors had been looking to partner with a high-quality dedicated telehandler distributor, and chose Merlo as it was simply the best on the market and complemented our other products really well,” Matt said.
“The company’s core values match those of SA Tractors, being a family-owned and operated business and having a customer-first attitude.
“Its mission is to provide personalised solutions to help businesses grow and return more profit to the bottom line.
“The Merlo machines are built for the customers and operators. We like to have our focus in that area as well.
“Performance-wise, anywhere heavy work needs to be done, a Merlo machine can and should be there.”
Merlo telehandlers are used in a range of industries including construction, defence, government and farming.
“Merlo is different to other telehandler brands, because they are built as a telehandler from the ground up,” Matt said.
“The Merlo factory is an amazing facility and one of the few factories that creates just about the entire machine on site from scratch.
“Any visit to the Merlo base really opens your eyes to how much care, quality and experience has gone into getting the product to where it is today.”
SA Tractors boasts a full range of Merlo equipment at its showrooms.
“We offer the full Merlo range from the new Cingo tracked carrier machines to large Roto rotating telehandlers. We have a range of six Merlo telehandlers available for use: the medium duty Turbofarmer II, Multifarmer, Panoramic HM, Panoramic CS, Panoramic with stabilisers, and Turbofarmer Heavy Duty.”
- The Turbofarmer II range consists of six models with three boom dimensions (7, 9 and 10 metres) and load capacity from 3300 to 4200kg.
- The Multifarmer is a cross between a tractor and a telehandler. The Multifarmer family and its MF 40.7 and MF 40.9 models are heavy duty telehandlers with booms capable of handling 4 tonne loads at 7m or 9m height.
- Merlo has two distinct families in the high- capacity class: the first belongs to the high- end Panoramic range with lifting capacities from 6t and 7.2t in the 10 metre class; the second, named HM, completes the offering with load capacities up to an impressive 10t with booms from 10 up to 18m.
- The Panoramic CS is a revolutionary telehandler that introduces new solutions for design and engineering, and anticipates what telehandlers will be like in the next
few years. This product family offers many unique technologies as standard in order to increase comfort, productivity and reduce the fuel consumption. Another exclusive Merlo technology, the EPD (Eco Power Drive), reduces the consumption by about 18per cent to guarantee low cost of ownership. - The unique Merlo design of the Panoramics with stabilisers ensures good weight balance which, together with versatile drive/steer axles, extraordinary ground clearance, permanent 4WD and road travel at up to 40 km/h, ensure unrivalled driving ability in the most challenging of ground conditions. The Panoramic telehandlers feature a brilliant boom side-shift system uniquely developed by Merlo, allowing the operator to control the resulting sideways movement of the load with great accuracy.
- The Turbofarmer range expands with Heavy Duty, a new range of high-capacity telehandlers for the agriculture sector – specially designed for emerging applications such as biomass handling. Heavy Duty telehandlers offer exceptional comfort, with handling capacity of 5t at 8m or 4.5t at 11m.
SA Tractors also runs a fully equipped warehouse and workshop facility, with a wide range of skilled and experienced personnel ready to support business.
“SA Tractors provides on-site after sales service for all Merlo products with trained service technicians and Merlo electronic tooling,” Matt said.
More on Merlo
Matt said Merlo Group as a family-run international industrial group based in Italy,which designs, produces, and markets its own products under the ‘Merlo’ and ‘TreEmme’ brands.
The Merlo strategy is based on proximity to the customer, thanks to a solid distribution network, and on the search for innovative avant-garde solutions that allow profitable and lasting activities with the utmost respect for safety and the environment.
The Merlo Group continues to expand its dealership network across the country, with dealers like SA Tractors in South Australia, and two headquarters on opposite sides of the country.
Its worldwide presence is ensured by a direct organisation of seven branches in Australia France, Germany, England, Spain, Portugal and the USA. With a distribution network of over 50 importers and 800 dealers, Merlo offers widespread coverage in terms of sales, service and spare parts.
The Merlo Group’s international approach remains to increase its global footprint, guaranteeing proximity to customers and opening up new markets by introducing high-tech products with superior safety standards. The Group is also committed to respecting the environment and making the work of the operator more functional, safe, and comfortable. Its goal is one shared by SA Tractors: to innovate compact manageable machines to deliver unrivalled operating features, comfort, efficiency, and unparallel safety.
Matt firmly believes that the solid alliance between Merlo and SA Tractors is one that won’t end anytime soon.
“We will certainly keep being a proud dealer for the Merlo product for many years to come,” Matt said.
Merlo Group Australia’s national dealer development manager, Chris Wilson, recognises the importance of a strong partnership with trusted Australian dealers. “SA Tractors are certainly a good fit for Merlo Group Australia with similar family traditions and longevity in the South Australian market,” he said.
It is evident that Merlo equipment is a favourite in the earthmoving industry, with South Australian buyers continuously replacing new models.
“We have seen a steady growth of Merlo telehandlers into the South Australian market with customers building on their Merlo fleet as well as replacing them with new models,” Chris said.
“As we grow our model mix and introduce new products into the market, we look forward to working closely with Matt and his team to keep the Merlo brand front and centre.”