#AgriTech

Rent, buy or both: stay on the safe side with FIRST CLAAS RENTAL

Rent, buy or both: stay on the safe side with FIRST CLAAS RENTAL“Flexibility, secure planning, and transparent costs. Those are the things that customers want, especially for short-term rentals,” says Giacomo Burgio, responsible for the short-term rental programme at CLAAS. Since 2018, FIRST CLAAS RENTAL has offered rental tractors for all applications for short-term hire through a network of sales partners: Whether it is for work in and around the yard or more challenging tasks out in the fields, for short-term rental or secure machinery planning for the season – the range of offerings from FIRST CLAAS RENTAL provides great flexibility and security with maximum cost transparency.

A CLAAS tractor for all seasons"More than a quarter of our rental agreements are signed well before the start of the season. Other businesses decide at short notice, to deal with peaks or because their own tractor is out of action,” explains Giacomo Burgio, Business Development Manager at CLAAS.

Rentals are split into power categories: CLAAS focuses on the needs of its customers and the uses of the machinery. In the 250 to 300 hp category, for example, the rental fleet includes the AXION 870. “All our rental tractors are very well equipped, we maintain them meticulously and they are fully fuelled and comprehensively insured, ready to go from more than 30 FIRST CLAAS RENTAL stations at our sales partners all over Germany,” said Burgio.

A changed market“Some businesses use the rental option to familiarise themselves with the latest CLAAS technology and put it through its paces,” says Burgio. They’re looking at aspects such as the way it drives, its performance and its equipment. “If a customer then wants to buy a rental machine, that’s also possible within the FIRST CLAAS RENTAL programme,” explains Burgio.

The tractors speak for themselves, as shown by the fact that around one in three customers buy after renting. Overall, CLAAS experts are reporting a growth trend in the rental market, and the benefits are clear: maximum flexibility, low capital outlay, efficient

cost/benefit ratio, and state-of-the-art vehicle engineering.

A growing rental fleetLaunched in 2018 with four stations, CLAAS offered rental through its sales partners at more than 30 stations all over Germany in 2023. In light of increasing demand, CLAAS has also extended its business to cover wheel loaders. From spring 2024, the rental fleet will also include telehandlers.

In times when the focus is on sustainability, it’s the little efforts that count: when a new rental enquiry is received, CLAAS checks the existing tractor stocks, durations of rental agreements and where the tractors are physically located.

This means that tractors can be efficiently switched between the various sites, and businesses receive the machines they need faster. “And the tractors aren’t needlessly driven here and there,” said Burgio, “which is better for the environment.”