The MachineFinder website that John Deere launched in 1998 just received its first major overhaul. It broke ground when it was released, but had become dated compared to newer farm implement search tools.
The overhaul was designed to simplify and speed up the process of finding implements.
The site ignores the 49th parallel, allowing farmers in Canada and the United States to find used machines at Deere dealers in both countries.
It has an improved search and browse system and now features Google Maps to pinpoint the location of equipment and provide route instructions for the quickest road trip from farm to the implement. The gallery views provide higher quality photos than what was previously available, along with detailed information on the items. As well, farmers can now save their searches.
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Mike Gause, who is in charge of the website, said he knows the border can be a big hurdle for a semi-tractor and a flatbed carrying a combine.
“Personally, my department handles all the equipment going back and forth between dealers on both sides of the border, so I know first-hand what a pain it can be sometimes.
“So what we’ve done is partner up with an on-line shipping retailer called UShip. They deal with specialty truckers who handle cross border trade. It’s on a bid system so you can compare prices from a dozen or more trucking firms.”
For more information, visit www.machinefinder.com and www.uship.com.
