Australia’s largest JCB dealer Michael’s Group has four branches throughout Victoria and southern New South Wales, which are all deeply committed to providing the best aftersales support
With more than 60 years of history over four generations, family-business Michael’s Group has built a reputation as one of the most trusted agricultural equipment suppliers in Victoria and southern New South Wales.
The business is a specialist dealer of Simplicity Australia seeders, Bernard van Lengerich (BvL) feed mixer wagons, and parts for Boss Agriculture, but perhaps what its most known for is being a dealer of JCB machinery.
No matter how large or small its customers’ operations are, Michael’s Group has something for everyone with a full comprehensive range of JCB agricultural and construction equipment available, including telehandlers, tractors, wheel loaders, skid steers, backhoe loaders, and excavators.
This range is on offer across all four Michael’s Group branches, including its originating store in Donald, Victoria – known as Michaels of Donald – along with NSW-based Michaels Moama and Victoria’s JCB Gippsland and JCB Ballarat.
Michael’s Group technical sales representative Dan Brown says these branches have contributed to the business becoming Australia’s largest JCB dealer.
“We cover a large area throughout Victoria and southern New South Wales,” he says.
“Our Ballarat branch has recently opened a brand-new state-of-the-art depot.”
Key staples
One of the most popular machines sold by Michael’s Group are the JCB telehandlers, thanks in large part to their farming-specific models.
Available in Agri, Agri Super and Agri Pro variants, customers can choose a model that suits their specific needs, with the main differences being the horsepower and features available.
“JCB is the number one selling telehandler in Australia for sales and units on-farm,” Brown says.
“That’s because there’s a model for nearly every application in the agricultural industry. From a small and compact machine needed to fit into a chicken shed, or a large machine to move serious amounts of hay, JCB has something to suit everyone’s specific needs.”
The JCB Fastrac tractor series is another popular machine sold by Michael’s Group, which have become a household name since entering the Australian market.
As the name suggests, these tractors are renowned for their speed. The top-of-the-range iCON 8330 boasts a 348hp (260kW) engine, enabling speeds of up to 70km/h – making it the fastest production tractor in the world.
This is complemented by a 10-tonne rear lift capacity, allowing the JCB tractor to make light work of even the largest implements.
By having this speed and pulling power, farmers can drive long-distances between faraway paddocks, all while getting their jobs done efficiently.
Operator comfort is second-to-none on the Fastrac tractors, with the iCON cabin offering 360-degree visibility, an adjustable screen, seat, armrest and configurable controls, climate control, plus a heated and ventilated seat.
“We sell the most Fastracs of any JCB dealer in the country,” Brown says.
“They’re sold into all different applications, whether it’s silage contractors or broadacre cropping farmers, we’ve got them everywhere.
“I’ve seen them pulling tow-behind sprayers, spreaders and muck spreaders, butterfly mowers, you name it – the Fastracs have been doing it all.”
Michael’s Group often also sees the JCB construction machines including the wheel loader and backhoe models being used in farming operations.
Brown says both machines thrive when tackling general maintenance work, with the backhoe models being especially helpful for farmers building irrigation channels.
Customer focus
Renowned for its aftersales support, Michael’s Group goes above and beyond to help its customers choose the right JCB machine for their farm to ensure the job can always get done properly.
This is evident through the business’ demonstrations, which enable its customers to get behind the wheel of a machine to test it for themselves before making a purchase.
Brown has done many of these JCB demonstrations, particularly with the Fastrac tractor models and the Agri telehandlers, often videoing them with drones and uploading the footage to his TikTok page.
“The demos are just something we offer as the norm and we can do them for any machine on the customer’s farm,” he says.
“I’ll show the customer how to use the product and then leave it with them for two or three days so they can get a proper taste of what they’re looking at.”
Once a machine is purchased after a demonstration, Brown heads back to the customer’s farm to help with the installation process and to provide serviceability training – further highlighting the Michael’s Group’s focus on aftersales support.
“I go through every single button on the machine to make sure the customer knows what each one does, so they get the most out of the machine,” he says.
“I recently showed a group of workers at a corporate farm how to do their daily and weekly checks on a machine to reduce the risk of potential breakdowns and for general maintenance and upkeep.
“We’ve also got an extensive workshop with all the special tools required from the manufacturer, along with skilled technicians that are fully equipped to service the JCB machinery range.”
Michael’s Group’s commitment to providing the very best aftersales support is reinforced by JCB itself, with the manufacturer paying close attention to customer feedback.
“The beauty of JCB is that they always listen to feedback, so if there’s something being said by customers and dealers that needs to be changed, they act on it and make that change 99 per cent of the time,” Brown says.
“That’s because the best people to test their machines are the customers that are driving them to do their job.”
JCB machinery is distributed in Australia by JCB CEA’s extensive dealer network, which includes Michael’s Group. To find your nearest outlet, visit www.jcbcea.com.au or call 1300 522 232.