When John Vallance decided to buy a new set of bale handlers to lighten the workload on the Hustler Softhands purchased by his father 20 years earlier and still used on the farm, he chose Hustler without a second thought. Find out in this video why John chose Hustler after trying a few other brands.
John Vallance farms in Tangiteroria, Northland, New Zealand. Tangiteroria is a small rural community located halfway between Whangārei and Dargaville on State Highway 14 on the banks of the Northern Wairoa River.
As New Zealand’s only subtropical region, Northland’s climate offers a key competitive advantage for its agricultural sector, which includes dairy, beef, and sheep farming. The mild climate and reliable rainfall create ideal conditions for fast pasture growth, giving Northland producers the ability to fatten stock during the warmer winter and spring months. Northland produces around 20% of New Zealand’s beef output and produces about 116,000 tonnes of dairy products.
John Vallance runs 900 heads of Friesian bulls on 360 hectares of grass, his land is a mixture of easy and steep-hill country. John uses quite a bit of wrapped silage bales each feeding season…
Farm equipment seems to be a family affair among the Vallance family! John’s father bought a set of Hustler Softhands and he
“had them for about 20 years and they’ve never let us down so I just went straight in and bought another set of Hustler,”
John explained.
“The reason why we chose Hustler is because of their reliability, its lack of maintenance. Grease them and away you go! However, sticking with Hustler is not only due to John’s father’s choices or the quality of the Softhands, it’s also because Hustler outperforms the others! John has also had experience with other bale handlers or bale grabs, and “their quality hasn’t been up to scratch. We’ve used it for less than a week and I’ve come across cracks in the welds and other issues that weren’t acceptable,”
John recounted.
“They last for a long time so in that respect they’re saving us a lot of money because we’re not having to go and replace them all the time.”
Choosing the right brand of farm equipment is indeed a question of long-term investment. This is true for all equipment – sometimes the purchase price is lower, but there are actually hidden costs, such as the price of parts to be replaced or the time spent on repairs and maintenance. According to John, the Hustler Softhands need “no maintenance, they’re strong, they’re sturdy.” The set is also a pleasure to work with thanks to clever engineering that offers perfect visibility on the load.
“My father’s set of Softhands is proof of that after 20 years of no issues. I’d highly recommend Hustler. Great product,”
John concluded.
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