Maximise the Growth on Your Land
Wairarapa Rural Extra: June 2019
Craig and Deb Allen have been running Allen Custom Drills together since 2010. With Craig’s passion lying in all things crops, farm machinery and design, and Deb’s passion being clearly in business development, it’s no wonder they make a great team.
Craig designs all of the drills himself with a state-of-the-art computer aided design (CAD) program. Each drill is designed with extremely low future maintenance costs in mind; word has been given from many customers that these are the easiest, most reliable, and cost-effective machines they
have run. The majority of each machine is manufactured in the Ashburton workshop, where Allen Custom Drills welcomes all visitors to tour, meet the people within the company and see the creation of drills from the ‘ground up’.
Allen Custom Drills has five base model drills, established from previous design experience and success. Drills are built to order, and customers can make additions and/or alterations to the base model of thedrill to suit them and the needs of their job(s).
The C-D (Contour Drill) Series is the most popular Allen Custom Drills for contractors and larger scale farmers. It incorporates a triple-disc system, and comes with sowing widths of 3m to 6m, with row spacing of 5” or 6”. The Contour drill features the Accord metering and distribution system, providing the capability of seed and fertiliser bins. The seeding units can handle sowing rates from 0.5kg to 400kg per hectare.
Craig says, “It’s a strong robust product. We continue to pride ourselves on quality and durability and won’t compromise on reliability or strength. Any component incorporated into our product has to meet a very high expectation and perform. We are confident that we have the highest performing, reliable and efficient disc drill on the market. We get a lot of positive feedback and good yarns from our customers or operators, it’s what continues to drive me if I’m honest.”
A recently new aspect to the business is selling parts; all parts are on the shelf at realistic prices in the Ashburton workshop, with most of them able to be couriered over-night. Allen Custom Drills aims to use the best technology and parts with components either being manufactured in-house or sourced from New Zealand and overseas, ensuring that there is no shortage of parts available for customers. Deb says, “We always aim to do what we can to make sure each client is looked after in each situation”.
“We often show people an Allen drill at work so that they can see exactly how they operate and the results they give. I can safely say that any customer of ours are happy for us to call in with a person in thinking of an Allen drill, jump in the cab and see the drill run. I enjoy it, so if you would like to know more about our drills, give us a call or pop in and see us,” Craig says.
