Ever since Phillip Blanchard bought the former Bulloch Equipment on Stockyard Road in 1997, Blanchard Equipment has made its goal to serve the needs of the Statesboro and area communities.
Known for being the local John Deere dealership, Blanchard is so much more.
You don’t have to be a farmer to find what you need at Blanchard Equipment. From home owners keeping their lawns looking sharp to commercial growers making a living, Blanchard caters to all agricultural and landscaping needs. They specialize in sales, parts, service and precision agriculture.
Levi Lott has worked at Blanchard for the past nine years, primarily in John Deere sales. He thinks some people get intimidated by the John Deere name.
“Some folks see John Deere as something for just large ag equipment, and we do offer that, but we love our small community farmers who just like to piddle in their yards,” Lott said. “Maybe they’re not growing an actual crop to eat or harvest, but it’s their hobby. It’s what they enjoy doing. Or maybe they need to fix their driveway because we had five inches of rain last week.”
In fact, one of the hottest items at Blanchard for the past few years are compact utility tractors.
“These tractors are purchased primarily by folks who aren’t farmers, but they have five to 10 to 12 acres that need to do regular maintenance on their property that requires more than a riding or zero-turn lawn mower,” Lott said. “Folks use it to help fix their driveways. We’ve had a lot of rain this winter and people want to keep them safe and smooth.
“Last week, I had a guy come in who wanted to pull out and move all the mulch from his shrubs and then put all new mulch in himself. He said he’d been doing that with a wheelbarrow for years and it was killing him. A compact tractor is perfect for that.”
Lott said he has helped more and more locals who just enjoy getting outside and working on their property see the benefits of a compact tractor.
“I think there’s a stigma for some folks that they think ‘Hey, I’m not a farmer. I can’t go get a John Deere,’” Lott said. “But I want to let those folks know that think they can’t afford a John Deere that we have something that can fit their budget. That we have something for the homeowner that’s user-friendly and meets their needs.”
Blanchard also offers repair and maintenance service for every type and size of landscaping and farm equipment.
“We repair everything from the smallest Stihl hand, two-stroke chainsaw or weed eater up to a massive cotton picker,” Lott said. “We can service and maintain and repair anything from a small engine up to the largest agriculture machine in use.”
And though there won’t be any cotton picking until the fall, one of the key parts of the cotton harvester tractors is keeping technicians in the Blanchard shop busy right now – cotton picker doffers.
“Farmers bring their doffers in to get ground and restack the doffers if they are worn out,” Lott said. “Doffers pull the cotton off the cotton stalk. This time of year, farmers are concentrating on doing maintenance on their machinery and it’s keeping us very busy. We do a lot of doffer grinding and stacking.”
In addition to John Deere products, Blanchard also carries brands such as Bush Hog, Amadas, Honda, Stihl and KMC.
Blanchard Equipment’s success is due to a combination of experience, customer service, superior products and an active interest in the community.
With hundreds of employees across the South dedicated to meeting the needs of customers, Blanchard Equipment is proud of its employees’ depth of experience and attention to detail when it comes to finding solutions.