An agricultural machinery business which has been trading for more than 35 years is set for its best year ever, after securing the franchise to sell one of Europe’s leading tractor brands.

Penrith-based DW Toppin Ltd became an official dealer of Deutz Fahr last October and since then has enjoyed an unrivalled period of sales.
While dealing with the busiest period in its history, the firm has also delivered its largest-ever order, supplying six of its new-brand machines to agricultural contractors Tim West Ltd.

David Toppin runs the business with his wife, Pauline. 

He said: “We have a very loyal customer base who we have supplied for many years but there was an element of nervousness when we took on the Deutz Fahr franchise because we didn’t know how it would be received.

“It is the third-biggest tractor manufacturer in Europe and we had confidence in the brand and the machines, but as it is not as established in

Cumbria as some other brands, we wondered what the reaction would be.

“I’m very pleased to say it has been fantastic and we have sold 29 tractors since last October, which means we are heading for a record 12 months of business.”

Tim West Ltd, based near Whitehaven in west Cumbria, took delivery of its six new 2019-registration Deutz Fahr tractors in a move to support the company’s growth.

Tim said: “We have been dealing with DW Toppin for many years and when they started to sell the Deutz Fahr models, we were more than happy to change the brand of tractor we use so we could continue to deal with them.

“We already had one Deutz in use, which we had bought as we needed a high-horsepower vehicle, and the feedback I have had from the operators since we bought six more from Toppins has been excellent.

“I look at price, running cost and what the team who are using them every day say to me, and everything has been positive. The comfort levels are phenomenal, the gearboxes are tremendous and we are very happy,

“The relationship we have with Toppins is very important because we know they will support us when necessary. 

“These tractors each run for 2,000 hours a year and when they are not running, we are losing money, so to know that help is on hand is invaluable.”

Jordan Rutter-Armstrong, DW Toppin Ltd’s sales manager, said: “We have been bowled over by the response to Deutz and the response from our customers. 

“We have also been pleasantly surprised by the number of people who aren’t traditionally our customers, but who are loyal Deutz fans who have been in touch and placed orders. They are thrilled that there is a new Deutz dealer in the area.”

The parent company of Deutz Fahr is SDF, an independent, family-owned company which has been manufacturing tractors since 1927.

In 2017, the company built a 90 million Euro plant in Lawingham, Germany, while last year in Trevillio, Italy, it invested 25 million Euro in automated assembly lines and a paint shop.