January 30, 2025 • 20 mins
Mahindra of Mobile https://www.mahindraofmobile.com/
5245 Hamilton Blvd.
Theodore, AL 36582
(251) 350-0532
5245 Hamilton Blvd.
Theodore, AL 36582
(251) 350-0532
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
This is News Radio seven to ten WNTM. Uncle Henry
here with you once again on Ask the Expert. And
if you're in the market for a tractor, I have
somebody here that can help you out. Chris Hankins is
with us from Mahindra of Mobile. Chris, thank you for
coming in.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Ouncle Henry, thank you so much for having.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
Us so great to talk to you about Mahindra of Mobile.
Tell people where Mahindra of Mobile is located.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Sure, we're at fifty two to forty five Hamilton Boulevard
in Theodore.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Okay, So in Theodore, Alabama. Now you're the only place
somebody can get a Mahindra tractor in South Alabama. I
guess the closest dealership in Alabama's in Troy, right.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Yeah, Troy. I think going east is guff Breeze, Florida,
and then west is around Guffport over there.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
Okay. So when somebody wants a Mahindra tractor, they come
see you here at South Alabama.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
We would love for them to come see us absolutely.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
Now you can go take a look yourself right now
online at Mahindraomobile dot Com. The website is Mahindraomobile dot com.
And if you want to go in person, you just
heard the address fifty two to forty five Hamilton Boulevard
in Theodore So tell us about Mahindra tractors. Introduce Mahindra
tractors to the listener. What's so great about Mahindra Sure, I.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
Think the biggest selling point for Mahindra tractors, Uncle Henry,
is that they do not contain diesel particulate filters or
diesel exhaust fluid, and that's a big thing for diesel engines.
These are pretty simple diesel engines and they run really,
really well. These tractors are tough, and if you compare
Mahindra tractors to other brands out there, you'll find that
(01:44):
we have a lifting capacity that's usually about four or
five hundred pounds more than any tractor in the same class.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
Now, there are lots of different types of tractors. What
kind of tractors do you sell?
Speaker 2 (01:59):
Well, we sell all kinds. We have subcompact tractors, we
have compact tractors, and we have utility tractors.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
Okay, what give me some example. What would a subcompact tractor?
What would I use that for sure.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
Subcompact tractors are pretty small. Uh. They're usually under twenty
five horse power, and they're normally used around your place
for doing small to medium tasks, say moving haybells to
the horse pen, or maybe doing you know, a little
gardening workout back. If you've got you can get little
tillers for the back of them and you know, till up,
(02:33):
till up a small garden. We also offer those units
that they have belly mowers, so you can use them
as a lawnmower. They just have a bucket and a
you know, front end loader on the front. So it
just because it does more than a than a lawn
mower does.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Okay, now see I've already learned something here. I didn't
know people did that. This sounds like a because people
love having those type of mowers. Yep. The idea of
also having it double as a tractor, that's pretty attractive, right.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Yeah. So you can buy the units with a belly
mower already attached, and then you've got a front end loader.
But you can also put three point implements off the back,
like a box blade to fix a driveway or a
bush hog. If you've got something that's more than just
a yard grass.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
Okay, so you describe subcompact, the next size up would
be the compact, right, How is that different.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
Well, it's just a little bigger framed tractor. If you
think about in a car class, you know, you have
a subcompact car, it's really small, you put two or
three people in it, and then you got a compact
car it's a little bigger. You know, same theory there.
Those tractors are usually twenty five to forty horse power units,
and they can pull implements that are a little bigger.
So like a subcompact tractor, you might want a four
(03:44):
foot implement behind it, and a compact tractor would have
a five foot implement like a five foot bush hog
or a five foot disc or a five foot box blade.
So you do a little more work because you got
a little bigger unit back there.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
Now, tell me about the bigger tractors that you sure.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Utility tractors are usually class from forty horsepowering up. The
largest Mahendra unit is a seventy five horsepower unit and
it's capable of doing just about anything you want to
do with it. It comes standard with rear hydraulic remotes,
and all kinds of good stuff that you would use
more in a farming type situation. Farmers are gonna want
(04:21):
something that has like a bigger implement size. So where
we went from a five foot implement on that compact unit,
you can pull upwards of an eight to ten foot
unit with this this utility tractor.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
Do you have farmers that that buy tractors from you?
Speaker 2 (04:36):
We do occasionally we sell to farmers. Normally, our farmers
are gonna be more of like the animal type farmers.
They goat farm, they may have a horse farm, you know,
run some cattle, that kind of thing. We don't deal
a whole lot with farmers that have large tracks of land.
Say they're planting cornfields for you know, two three hundred acres,
They're usually going to want something that's one hundred horsepower more.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
Tell me a little bit more about who would the
average customer be. How are they using the subcompact you
described taking some bales of hay here and there? Is
it somebody that has a few acres and they just
want to take really good caravan.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
Yeah. I think most of the subcompacts that we sell
are going to people who have like really large estate
lot type stuff. Okay, they may have some trees that
they want to be able to pick up dead branches
and haul them around. Or they may have a bigger
garden than some of us that you know, of course,
you have a midtown house with a garden out back.
These people might have a you know, two three, four
(05:33):
six row garden, yes, where they're really producing some vegetables
out there. But we sell a lot of those tractors,
to believe it or not, women who want to do
things around the farm, but they don't want to drive
their husband's big old tractor.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
Okay, well now I see I never thought of that. Yeah, okay, yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
The subcompacts are usually a hydrostat tractor, and what that
means is is that it has it just has two
and one goes forward and one goes back. You don't
have to change gears, you don't have to shift gears,
you don't have to pull any levers, and so they're
really simple to operate. In fact, my twelve year old
loves to come to the tractor dealership and just ride
a subcompact all over the back lot back there.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
Now, if you just tuned in, we're talking with Chris
Hankins of Mahindra of Mobile. Mahindraomobile dot com is the website.
You can go there anytime and take a look at
the inventory. Mahindraomobile dot Com. They're at fifty two forty
five Hamilton Boulevard in Theodore, Alabama. So if I had
a tractor, one of these tractors, I think the first
(06:36):
thing that I would be concerned about, want to know about,
would be how do I get this serviced? Because I'm
I'm gonna want someone else to do that for me.
Do you handle service?
Speaker 2 (06:47):
Absolutely, we handle sales, service, a warranty, all of that stuff.
And I want the public to know too. If you
own a Mahindra tractor already, even if you didn't buy
it at Mahindra Mobile, we can certainly help you with
the servi and the warranty of that unit as well.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
Okay, now I see you are on Facebook, and on
Facebook it says that you are offering fifteen percent off
full service.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
Yet we have a kind of a pre spring special
for full service on your tractor. Right now, we're offering
that fifteen percent discount which saves you about one hundred
and twenty dollars if I remember correctly. The full service
includes the air filters, the hydraulic filters, the oil filters,
the hydrostat filters. I mean, any filter that comes on
(07:32):
that tractor, we're going to change it. Any fluid that's
in that tractor, we're going to change it. And we
also do a thirty four point inspection on the unit
included in that so that if there is any problems
that may be arising, we can point those out to
you and try to help you get them fixed before
they become an issue.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
And so do you do service, you do repair as well.
So if something is actually wrong with my tractor and
it's a Mahindra, you can help me.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
With that absolutely, and believe it or not, this was
a surprise to me getting in the tractor business. We
have a lot of people that own tractors that do
not have a trailer or a truck uh to pull
those tractors. And so we also offer a pick up
and delivery if you need that.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
Oh okay, what if what if I want that's the
convenient yep, But what if I want to take my
tractor around with me? Could you do you have the
could I come and get a tractor and a trailer.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
Absolutely, we have packages available where we can sell you
the tractor UH two three implements to go on and
the trailer to uh to haul at home with you.
So you can stop by the dealership pick all those
things out. We can package them up, have them ready
for you in a day or two, and you can
stop by with your truck. We'll hook it on the
back and off you go.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
Do people in South Alabama love Mahindra tractors.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
I think every customer we've dealt with so far as
love Mahindra tractors. Yeah, they're they're tough units, they're simple,
and they really do a lot of work.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
Well, I'm gonna guess that they love the tractor, but
probably even more love the fact that there's somebody that
can take it to if they need something done to
the tractor. That is probably is that a big part
of what you do.
Speaker 2 (09:04):
I think it is a huge part of what we do. Yeah,
you know, we try to assure every customer that buys
a tractor from us and the ones that bought tractors
from previous dealers, that we're here to stay and we're
here to help, and so we field phone calls all
the time just to answer you know, hey, what do
I do about this? I mean, I want these these
customers to know that we're here and we may not
(09:26):
have the answer for you, but we'll get you one.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
By the way, if you want to call Mahindra of Mobile,
the numbers two five to one three five zero zero
five thirty two. That's two five one three five zero
zero five thirty two to call Mahindra of Mobile. So
I haven't been on a tractor probably since I was
a teenager. Are tractors like are your Mahindra tractors like
(09:52):
all other modern vehicles where I'm going to find computers
and things on there.
Speaker 2 (09:56):
We have models that do have computers. In fact, they're
two brand new models with Mahindra that there's the eleven
hundred series and the twenty one hundred series tractors that
they actually have an app that will attach to those
tractors and it'll email you certain things or text you
on the app to tell you that it needs a
service or things like that. So there are some of
those units that are really technology savvy. And then we
(10:20):
also have units that have no computers on them at all,
and so I think that's important too, because I'm one
of the fans of the I don't want any computers
on anything.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
Yeah, well, I'm I'm like that. I appreciate that, but
I also want to be I'd like to be in
a group of friends and have my phone go off
and say, oh, sorry, my tractor is calling me.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
That's correct, Well.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
My tractor is telling me yeah, So that that would
be a lot of fun. Now, what do you think?
What do you think of modern tractors? They still get
the job done obviously, absolutely.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
Yeah. And you know, one of the things that sticks
out to me about the app that has recently come out,
it's called Osia. By the way, Oja if you wanted
to research that, but you can geo fence your tractor,
meaning that you can put points around your property. And
so if your tractor leaves that geofence, that sends you
a message and says, hey, your tractor left your spot there.
(11:17):
And I think that's really neat technology, you know, especially
for if the tractor is stolen, God forbid. I mean
you can track it down.
Speaker 1 (11:26):
So what are your more popular models? What are people
really enjoying in terms of Mahindra Mobile Mahindra Mobile.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
Specifically, we have sold more sixteen hundred tractors, and those
are the compact tractors. They're offered in a sixteen twenty six,
which is a twenty six horse power, a sixteen thirty
five which is a thirty five horsepower, and a sixteen
forty which is a forty horsepower unit. But they're all
about the same size. And I think I call those
(11:55):
my hunting camp tractors.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (11:57):
I get guys that are looking to buy a tractor
to go to the hunting camp. Nine times out of
ten they're gonna pick one of those three models.
Speaker 1 (12:03):
Okay, Now what do you think about that model attracts
these folks? Why do they like it so much that
that made it popular.
Speaker 2 (12:10):
They're big enough to do work, but they're not so
heavy that you can't pull them with a half ton
pickup truck. Okay, and I think that stands out. You know,
when you get into the bigger utility model tractors, you
need a bigger pickup truck. And so if a guy
just has an F one fifty and wants to buy
a tractor, those models fit really well into I can
(12:33):
buy this tractor without having to go buy a brand
new truck to pull it around with.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
Okay, Now, if people want to come out and take
a look at these tractors, what are your hours there
at Mahindra of Mobile can they do? They need to
come by Monday through Friday? What are your hours?
Speaker 2 (12:49):
We're open Monday through Friday eight to five. We're open
on Saturdays from eight to noon between the months of
March and November, so it's kind of seasonal. But I
have told every customer if you need to make an
appointment for a Saturday visit, we are more than happy
to do that. Just give us a call on the
phone and talk to us ahead of time and say, hey,
I want to come out next Saturday, and we'll have
(13:11):
somebody there for you.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
Now, you mentioned a few minutes ago that some women
like the subcompact tractors because they don't want to bar
the giant tractor that the husband has. Do you also
help your customers get up to speed on how to
operate the tractor.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
Absolutely, any new purchase that you have with Mahindra, whether
we deliver it or you pick it up on the trailer,
one of the things we do is spend about an
hour with you on how the tractor operates, what you
need to be doing, what you need to be looking for,
and really try to give our customers an experience that
we want them to go home and feel like, hey,
(13:50):
I know what I'm doing, even if it's the first
time they've ever sat on a tractor seat.
Speaker 1 (13:55):
It's South Alabama tractor country, a lot of tractor owners
around there's a lot.
Speaker 2 (13:58):
Of tractor owners around here. Yes, sir, Yeah, we like
our tractors in South Alabama for sure.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
Now what about financing? Do you have a way to
finance these tractors.
Speaker 2 (14:09):
Absolutely. We go through Mahindra Finance and most all of
our units qualify for some sort of zero percent financing.
We can normally get you something between zero percent and
sixty months or zero percent in eighty four months. But
all of the units that qualify for a zero percent finance,
and one way or the other, the two that we
(14:30):
spoke about earlier, the eleven hundred and the twenty one
hundred series, you can actually get zero percent for eighty
four months right now, and we'll give you two thousand
dollars cash back on one of those units.
Speaker 1 (14:40):
Okay, all right, So those is that going to be
good at least through the month of February.
Speaker 2 (14:45):
I think it's gonna be good through the end of February.
Speaker 1 (14:47):
Yep. Now, we mentioned a few minutes ago that you've
got an off for fifteen percent off of full service
to get your tractor serviced at Mahindra of Mobile. That
is going on through the end of February. Now for
the new tractor owner, how did how often do they
have to get it service? What does the new owner
(15:08):
need to do to make sure that the tractor runs
good all the time?
Speaker 2 (15:11):
Sure, the first service is fifty hours. We want to
get that unit back fairly quickly to just check all
the torque specs on it, make sure all the nuts
are tight and that gives it a little time to
work it and loosen up anything that may loosen up.
But after that, you only have to service this unit
at every two hundred and fifty.
Speaker 1 (15:29):
Hours, Okay, all right? So it it of course pays
off in the long run to take really good care
of it.
Speaker 2 (15:36):
Absolutely. I tell people I've owned them a Hindre tractor
for fourteen years, so way before we got into selling
the hinder tractors. But the only thing I do to
my tractor is I wash it. I just rinse it
off every time I use it, and then I grease
it every time. If I just get it out of
(15:58):
the barn to haul something across the other I take
it back, rinse it off and grease it. And if
you'll do that with your unit, it'll last you for
a really long time.
Speaker 1 (16:06):
So you've had your Mahindra for fourteen years.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
Fourteen years?
Speaker 1 (16:09):
Yes, So how do you use your Mahindra.
Speaker 2 (16:11):
We use it specifically at the hunting camp to plant
food patches for deer.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
Okay, yep. So what has anybody come to you with
a fun story about what they used their tractor for.
Speaker 2 (16:24):
We have had some comical people come in about tractors.
We had a gentleman, I don't know that this was
really funny, but the story was kind of funny. They
dropped a tractor on I mean, I'm sorry, they dropped
a tree on the tractor. Oh okay, And how they
got in that position was pretty comical. They had cut
(16:45):
this tree most of the way through and they were
trying to move the tractor around the other side of
it to push on it. And before they could get
the tractor all the way around there. The tree just fell,
so we did. We had to do an insurance job
for that one and replace the loader. But we have
a lot of characters that come in and we've seen
some funny stuff with the tractors.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
For sure, I bet you do. Now we've talked about
service and you mentioned warranty. You do warranty work, yes, sir,
tell me about the warranties on these tractors.
Speaker 2 (17:15):
So all Mahendra units carry a two year bumper to
bumper warranty and then after that two years you get
an additional five years of powertrain warranty, so it's a
total of seven year warranty on all of our units.
Speaker 1 (17:29):
Now, as the Mahindra dealer, do you are you able
to provide parts and maintenance for older Mahindra model Yes.
Speaker 2 (17:38):
Sure, we can order any and all parts from Ahindra
that are available. If you've got an older unit, what
we recommend is just give us a call or come
by and sometimes finding that particular part on the older
units can be challenging, but if we if you'll work
with us on the phone, we can find it eventually
and get it for you.
Speaker 1 (17:58):
So when you become a Mahindra dealer, and you just
told us you've had a Mahindra for fourteen years now,
you're a Mahindra dealer. When you became a dealer, did
anything surprise you about the tractors? Did you learn anything
that you thought, Wow, I wish i'd known this years ago. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (18:15):
I think for me, just really learning the ins and
outs of the unit and how they operate has been
a surprise. I mean, we have owned that tractor for
fourteen years, but we have not really had to do
a whole lot of work to it. We service it
regularly in Greece. It like I said, But being able
to get into these units and see them come apart
(18:38):
and see what's inside and how they go back together.
They're really well built tractors. And I knew that having
owned one because it's been it's been a really good
unit for me. But being able to see that with
my own two eyes, I think was an eye opening
experience for sure.
Speaker 1 (18:52):
All Right, Well, Chris Hankins, we're running short on time.
We've only got a couple of minutes left before we
end our conversation. For people that just tuned in, let's
tell them about a couple of offers. You've got absolutely First,
tell us a little bit about you've got package deals.
Explain what a package deal is.
Speaker 2 (19:10):
Yeah, So package deals are the tractor, a bush hog,
a disc and a trailer included in one total price,
and we can finance that one total price for you.
In fact, we've got one on our sixteen to twenty
six unit right now, that's thirty one to nine, and
then we've got one on the sixteen thirty five unit
(19:31):
that's thirty four to nine right now. So the customer
can come in. We can still offer that zero percent financing,
but we get them everything they need to just go
home and start working.
Speaker 1 (19:42):
Okay, and let's repeat the offer for people that already
have Mahindra tractors that want to get a full service.
You're offering fifteen percent off a full service through the
month of February. What does that include.
Speaker 2 (19:54):
So, it's going to be your oil change, your hydraulic change.
That's filters and fluid included. If you have a hydrostat
there'll be an HST filter, it'll be your air filters,
and then we do a thirty four point inspection check
all of the fluids and the front end and the
rear end and really make sure that your unit it
also gets greased in that process, so just really make
(20:17):
sure it's ready to work for spring. If we find
any problems in that thirty four point inspection, we'll give
you an estimate to repair those as well.
Speaker 1 (20:24):
Very good now, Mahindra of Mobile you the listener. If
you want to call them, you can call them at
two five to one three five zero zero five three two.
That's two five one three five zero zero five three two.
You can find them in the real world at fifty
two forty five Hamilton Boulevard in Theodore, Alabama, and they're
online at mahindraomobile dot com. Chris, it was great to
(20:46):
meet you.
Speaker 2 (20:46):
Auncle Henry. Thank you so much for having us here.
This is News Radio seven to ten WNTM. Uncle Henry
here with you once again on Ask the Expert. And
if you're in the market for a tractor, I have
somebody here that can help you out. Chris Hankins is
with us from Mahindra of Mobile. Chris, thank you for
coming in.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Ouncle Henry, thank you so much for having.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
Us so great to talk to you about Mahindra of Mobile.
Tell people where Mahindra of Mobile is located.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Sure, we're at fifty two to forty five Hamilton Boulevard
in Theodore.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Okay, So in Theodore, Alabama. Now you're the only place
somebody can get a Mahindra tractor in South Alabama. I
guess the closest dealership in Alabama's in Troy, right.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Yeah, Troy. I think going east is guff Breeze, Florida,
and then west is around Guffport over there.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
Okay. So when somebody wants a Mahindra tractor, they come
see you here at South Alabama.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
We would love for them to come see us absolutely.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
Now you can go take a look yourself right now
online at Mahindraomobile dot Com. The website is Mahindraomobile dot com.
And if you want to go in person, you just
heard the address fifty two to forty five Hamilton Boulevard
in Theodore So tell us about Mahindra tractors. Introduce Mahindra
tractors to the listener. What's so great about Mahindra Sure, I.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
Think the biggest selling point for Mahindra tractors, Uncle Henry,
is that they do not contain diesel particulate filters or
diesel exhaust fluid, and that's a big thing for diesel engines.
These are pretty simple diesel engines and they run really,
really well. These tractors are tough, and if you compare
Mahindra tractors to other brands out there, you'll find that
(01:44):
we have a lifting capacity that's usually about four or
five hundred pounds more than any tractor in the same class.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
Now, there are lots of different types of tractors. What
kind of tractors do you sell?
Speaker 2 (01:59):
Well, we sell all kinds. We have subcompact tractors, we
have compact tractors, and we have utility tractors.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
Okay, what give me some example. What would a subcompact tractor?
What would I use that for sure.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
Subcompact tractors are pretty small. Uh. They're usually under twenty
five horse power, and they're normally used around your place
for doing small to medium tasks, say moving haybells to
the horse pen, or maybe doing you know, a little
gardening workout back. If you've got you can get little
tillers for the back of them and you know, till up,
(02:33):
till up a small garden. We also offer those units
that they have belly mowers, so you can use them
as a lawnmower. They just have a bucket and a
you know, front end loader on the front. So it
just because it does more than a than a lawn
mower does.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Okay, now see I've already learned something here. I didn't
know people did that. This sounds like a because people
love having those type of mowers. Yep. The idea of
also having it double as a tractor, that's pretty attractive, right.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Yeah. So you can buy the units with a belly
mower already attached, and then you've got a front end loader.
But you can also put three point implements off the back,
like a box blade to fix a driveway or a
bush hog. If you've got something that's more than just
a yard grass.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
Okay, so you describe subcompact, the next size up would
be the compact, right, How is that different.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
Well, it's just a little bigger framed tractor. If you
think about in a car class, you know, you have
a subcompact car, it's really small, you put two or
three people in it, and then you got a compact
car it's a little bigger. You know, same theory there.
Those tractors are usually twenty five to forty horse power units,
and they can pull implements that are a little bigger.
So like a subcompact tractor, you might want a four
(03:44):
foot implement behind it, and a compact tractor would have
a five foot implement like a five foot bush hog
or a five foot disc or a five foot box blade.
So you do a little more work because you got
a little bigger unit back there.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
Now, tell me about the bigger tractors that you sure.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Utility tractors are usually class from forty horsepowering up. The
largest Mahendra unit is a seventy five horsepower unit and
it's capable of doing just about anything you want to
do with it. It comes standard with rear hydraulic remotes,
and all kinds of good stuff that you would use
more in a farming type situation. Farmers are gonna want
(04:21):
something that has like a bigger implement size. So where
we went from a five foot implement on that compact unit,
you can pull upwards of an eight to ten foot
unit with this this utility tractor.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
Do you have farmers that that buy tractors from you?
Speaker 2 (04:36):
We do occasionally we sell to farmers. Normally, our farmers
are gonna be more of like the animal type farmers.
They goat farm, they may have a horse farm, you know,
run some cattle, that kind of thing. We don't deal
a whole lot with farmers that have large tracks of land.
Say they're planting cornfields for you know, two three hundred acres,
They're usually going to want something that's one hundred horsepower more.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
Tell me a little bit more about who would the
average customer be. How are they using the subcompact you
described taking some bales of hay here and there? Is
it somebody that has a few acres and they just
want to take really good caravan.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
Yeah. I think most of the subcompacts that we sell
are going to people who have like really large estate
lot type stuff. Okay, they may have some trees that
they want to be able to pick up dead branches
and haul them around. Or they may have a bigger
garden than some of us that you know, of course,
you have a midtown house with a garden out back.
These people might have a you know, two three, four
(05:33):
six row garden, yes, where they're really producing some vegetables
out there. But we sell a lot of those tractors,
to believe it or not, women who want to do
things around the farm, but they don't want to drive
their husband's big old tractor.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
Okay, well now I see I never thought of that. Yeah, okay, yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
The subcompacts are usually a hydrostat tractor, and what that
means is is that it has it just has two
and one goes forward and one goes back. You don't
have to change gears, you don't have to shift gears,
you don't have to pull any levers, and so they're
really simple to operate. In fact, my twelve year old
loves to come to the tractor dealership and just ride
a subcompact all over the back lot back there.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
Now, if you just tuned in, we're talking with Chris
Hankins of Mahindra of Mobile. Mahindraomobile dot com is the website.
You can go there anytime and take a look at
the inventory. Mahindraomobile dot Com. They're at fifty two forty
five Hamilton Boulevard in Theodore, Alabama. So if I had
a tractor, one of these tractors, I think the first
(06:36):
thing that I would be concerned about, want to know about,
would be how do I get this serviced? Because I'm
I'm gonna want someone else to do that for me.
Do you handle service?
Speaker 2 (06:47):
Absolutely, we handle sales, service, a warranty, all of that stuff.
And I want the public to know too. If you
own a Mahindra tractor already, even if you didn't buy
it at Mahindra Mobile, we can certainly help you with
the servi and the warranty of that unit as well.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
Okay, now I see you are on Facebook, and on
Facebook it says that you are offering fifteen percent off
full service.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
Yet we have a kind of a pre spring special
for full service on your tractor. Right now, we're offering
that fifteen percent discount which saves you about one hundred
and twenty dollars if I remember correctly. The full service
includes the air filters, the hydraulic filters, the oil filters,
the hydrostat filters. I mean, any filter that comes on
(07:32):
that tractor, we're going to change it. Any fluid that's
in that tractor, we're going to change it. And we
also do a thirty four point inspection on the unit
included in that so that if there is any problems
that may be arising, we can point those out to
you and try to help you get them fixed before
they become an issue.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
And so do you do service, you do repair as well.
So if something is actually wrong with my tractor and
it's a Mahindra, you can help me.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
With that absolutely, and believe it or not, this was
a surprise to me getting in the tractor business. We
have a lot of people that own tractors that do
not have a trailer or a truck uh to pull
those tractors. And so we also offer a pick up
and delivery if you need that.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
Oh okay, what if what if I want that's the
convenient yep, But what if I want to take my
tractor around with me? Could you do you have the
could I come and get a tractor and a trailer.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
Absolutely, we have packages available where we can sell you
the tractor UH two three implements to go on and
the trailer to uh to haul at home with you.
So you can stop by the dealership pick all those
things out. We can package them up, have them ready
for you in a day or two, and you can
stop by with your truck. We'll hook it on the
back and off you go.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
Do people in South Alabama love Mahindra tractors.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
I think every customer we've dealt with so far as
love Mahindra tractors. Yeah, they're they're tough units, they're simple,
and they really do a lot of work.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
Well, I'm gonna guess that they love the tractor, but
probably even more love the fact that there's somebody that
can take it to if they need something done to
the tractor. That is probably is that a big part
of what you do.
Speaker 2 (09:04):
I think it is a huge part of what we do. Yeah,
you know, we try to assure every customer that buys
a tractor from us and the ones that bought tractors
from previous dealers, that we're here to stay and we're
here to help, and so we field phone calls all
the time just to answer you know, hey, what do
I do about this? I mean, I want these these
customers to know that we're here and we may not
(09:26):
have the answer for you, but we'll get you one.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
By the way, if you want to call Mahindra of Mobile,
the numbers two five to one three five zero zero
five thirty two. That's two five one three five zero
zero five thirty two to call Mahindra of Mobile. So
I haven't been on a tractor probably since I was
a teenager. Are tractors like are your Mahindra tractors like
(09:52):
all other modern vehicles where I'm going to find computers
and things on there.
Speaker 2 (09:56):
We have models that do have computers. In fact, they're
two brand new models with Mahindra that there's the eleven
hundred series and the twenty one hundred series tractors that
they actually have an app that will attach to those
tractors and it'll email you certain things or text you
on the app to tell you that it needs a
service or things like that. So there are some of
those units that are really technology savvy. And then we
(10:20):
also have units that have no computers on them at all,
and so I think that's important too, because I'm one
of the fans of the I don't want any computers
on anything.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
Yeah, well, I'm I'm like that. I appreciate that, but
I also want to be I'd like to be in
a group of friends and have my phone go off
and say, oh, sorry, my tractor is calling me.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
That's correct, Well.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
My tractor is telling me yeah, So that that would
be a lot of fun. Now, what do you think?
What do you think of modern tractors? They still get
the job done obviously, absolutely.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
Yeah. And you know, one of the things that sticks
out to me about the app that has recently come out,
it's called Osia. By the way, Oja if you wanted
to research that, but you can geo fence your tractor,
meaning that you can put points around your property. And
so if your tractor leaves that geofence, that sends you
a message and says, hey, your tractor left your spot there.
(11:17):
And I think that's really neat technology, you know, especially
for if the tractor is stolen, God forbid. I mean
you can track it down.
Speaker 1 (11:26):
So what are your more popular models? What are people
really enjoying in terms of Mahindra Mobile Mahindra Mobile.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
Specifically, we have sold more sixteen hundred tractors, and those
are the compact tractors. They're offered in a sixteen twenty six,
which is a twenty six horse power, a sixteen thirty
five which is a thirty five horsepower, and a sixteen
forty which is a forty horsepower unit. But they're all
about the same size. And I think I call those
(11:55):
my hunting camp tractors.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (11:57):
I get guys that are looking to buy a tractor
to go to the hunting camp. Nine times out of
ten they're gonna pick one of those three models.
Speaker 1 (12:03):
Okay, Now what do you think about that model attracts
these folks? Why do they like it so much that
that made it popular.
Speaker 2 (12:10):
They're big enough to do work, but they're not so
heavy that you can't pull them with a half ton
pickup truck. Okay, and I think that stands out. You know,
when you get into the bigger utility model tractors, you
need a bigger pickup truck. And so if a guy
just has an F one fifty and wants to buy
a tractor, those models fit really well into I can
(12:33):
buy this tractor without having to go buy a brand
new truck to pull it around with.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
Okay, Now, if people want to come out and take
a look at these tractors, what are your hours there
at Mahindra of Mobile can they do? They need to
come by Monday through Friday? What are your hours?
Speaker 2 (12:49):
We're open Monday through Friday eight to five. We're open
on Saturdays from eight to noon between the months of
March and November, so it's kind of seasonal. But I
have told every customer if you need to make an
appointment for a Saturday visit, we are more than happy
to do that. Just give us a call on the
phone and talk to us ahead of time and say, hey,
I want to come out next Saturday, and we'll have
(13:11):
somebody there for you.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
Now, you mentioned a few minutes ago that some women
like the subcompact tractors because they don't want to bar
the giant tractor that the husband has. Do you also
help your customers get up to speed on how to
operate the tractor.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
Absolutely, any new purchase that you have with Mahindra, whether
we deliver it or you pick it up on the trailer,
one of the things we do is spend about an
hour with you on how the tractor operates, what you
need to be doing, what you need to be looking for,
and really try to give our customers an experience that
we want them to go home and feel like, hey,
(13:50):
I know what I'm doing, even if it's the first
time they've ever sat on a tractor seat.
Speaker 1 (13:55):
It's South Alabama tractor country, a lot of tractor owners
around there's a lot.
Speaker 2 (13:58):
Of tractor owners around here. Yes, sir, Yeah, we like
our tractors in South Alabama for sure.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
Now what about financing? Do you have a way to
finance these tractors.
Speaker 2 (14:09):
Absolutely. We go through Mahindra Finance and most all of
our units qualify for some sort of zero percent financing.
We can normally get you something between zero percent and
sixty months or zero percent in eighty four months. But
all of the units that qualify for a zero percent finance,
and one way or the other, the two that we
(14:30):
spoke about earlier, the eleven hundred and the twenty one
hundred series, you can actually get zero percent for eighty
four months right now, and we'll give you two thousand
dollars cash back on one of those units.
Speaker 1 (14:40):
Okay, all right, So those is that going to be
good at least through the month of February.
Speaker 2 (14:45):
I think it's gonna be good through the end of February.
Speaker 1 (14:47):
Yep. Now, we mentioned a few minutes ago that you've
got an off for fifteen percent off of full service
to get your tractor serviced at Mahindra of Mobile. That
is going on through the end of February. Now for
the new tractor owner, how did how often do they
have to get it service? What does the new owner
(15:08):
need to do to make sure that the tractor runs
good all the time?
Speaker 2 (15:11):
Sure, the first service is fifty hours. We want to
get that unit back fairly quickly to just check all
the torque specs on it, make sure all the nuts
are tight and that gives it a little time to
work it and loosen up anything that may loosen up.
But after that, you only have to service this unit
at every two hundred and fifty.
Speaker 1 (15:29):
Hours, Okay, all right? So it it of course pays
off in the long run to take really good care
of it.
Speaker 2 (15:36):
Absolutely. I tell people I've owned them a Hindre tractor
for fourteen years, so way before we got into selling
the hinder tractors. But the only thing I do to
my tractor is I wash it. I just rinse it
off every time I use it, and then I grease
it every time. If I just get it out of
(15:58):
the barn to haul something across the other I take
it back, rinse it off and grease it. And if
you'll do that with your unit, it'll last you for
a really long time.
Speaker 1 (16:06):
So you've had your Mahindra for fourteen years.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
Fourteen years?
Speaker 1 (16:09):
Yes, So how do you use your Mahindra.
Speaker 2 (16:11):
We use it specifically at the hunting camp to plant
food patches for deer.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
Okay, yep. So what has anybody come to you with
a fun story about what they used their tractor for.
Speaker 2 (16:24):
We have had some comical people come in about tractors.
We had a gentleman, I don't know that this was
really funny, but the story was kind of funny. They
dropped a tractor on I mean, I'm sorry, they dropped
a tree on the tractor. Oh okay, And how they
got in that position was pretty comical. They had cut
(16:45):
this tree most of the way through and they were
trying to move the tractor around the other side of
it to push on it. And before they could get
the tractor all the way around there. The tree just fell,
so we did. We had to do an insurance job
for that one and replace the loader. But we have
a lot of characters that come in and we've seen
some funny stuff with the tractors.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
For sure, I bet you do. Now we've talked about
service and you mentioned warranty. You do warranty work, yes, sir,
tell me about the warranties on these tractors.
Speaker 2 (17:15):
So all Mahendra units carry a two year bumper to
bumper warranty and then after that two years you get
an additional five years of powertrain warranty, so it's a
total of seven year warranty on all of our units.
Speaker 1 (17:29):
Now, as the Mahindra dealer, do you are you able
to provide parts and maintenance for older Mahindra model Yes.
Speaker 2 (17:38):
Sure, we can order any and all parts from Ahindra
that are available. If you've got an older unit, what
we recommend is just give us a call or come
by and sometimes finding that particular part on the older
units can be challenging, but if we if you'll work
with us on the phone, we can find it eventually
and get it for you.
Speaker 1 (17:58):
So when you become a Mahindra dealer, and you just
told us you've had a Mahindra for fourteen years now,
you're a Mahindra dealer. When you became a dealer, did
anything surprise you about the tractors? Did you learn anything
that you thought, Wow, I wish i'd known this years ago. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (18:15):
I think for me, just really learning the ins and
outs of the unit and how they operate has been
a surprise. I mean, we have owned that tractor for
fourteen years, but we have not really had to do
a whole lot of work to it. We service it
regularly in Greece. It like I said, But being able
to get into these units and see them come apart
(18:38):
and see what's inside and how they go back together.
They're really well built tractors. And I knew that having
owned one because it's been it's been a really good
unit for me. But being able to see that with
my own two eyes, I think was an eye opening
experience for sure.
Speaker 1 (18:52):
All Right, Well, Chris Hankins, we're running short on time.
We've only got a couple of minutes left before we
end our conversation. For people that just tuned in, let's
tell them about a couple of offers. You've got absolutely First,
tell us a little bit about you've got package deals.
Explain what a package deal is.
Speaker 2 (19:10):
Yeah, So package deals are the tractor, a bush hog,
a disc and a trailer included in one total price,
and we can finance that one total price for you.
In fact, we've got one on our sixteen to twenty
six unit right now, that's thirty one to nine, and
then we've got one on the sixteen thirty five unit
(19:31):
that's thirty four to nine right now. So the customer
can come in. We can still offer that zero percent financing,
but we get them everything they need to just go
home and start working.
Speaker 1 (19:42):
Okay, and let's repeat the offer for people that already
have Mahindra tractors that want to get a full service.
You're offering fifteen percent off a full service through the
month of February. What does that include.
Speaker 2 (19:54):
So, it's going to be your oil change, your hydraulic change.
That's filters and fluid included. If you have a hydrostat
there'll be an HST filter, it'll be your air filters,
and then we do a thirty four point inspection check
all of the fluids and the front end and the
rear end and really make sure that your unit it
also gets greased in that process, so just really make
(20:17):
sure it's ready to work for spring. If we find
any problems in that thirty four point inspection, we'll give
you an estimate to repair those as well.
Speaker 1 (20:24):
Very good now, Mahindra of Mobile you the listener. If
you want to call them, you can call them at
two five to one three five zero zero five three two.
That's two five one three five zero zero five three two.
You can find them in the real world at fifty
two forty five Hamilton Boulevard in Theodore, Alabama, and they're
online at mahindraomobile dot com. Chris, it was great to
(20:46):
meet you.
Speaker 2 (20:46):
Auncle Henry. Thank you so much for having us here.
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