Ritchie Implement is a leading distributor of new and used farm equipment in Southwest WI. Ritchie’s has been in business since 1961 and provides quality products, parts and service across four locations.
In 2019, Don from Ritchie’s reached out to Monroe Truck Equipment to inquire about a replacement mechanics truck, as the one they currently had (from a competitor) was falling apart.
Don is the lead mechanic in the company, working primarily on Claas Corn Foragers, and services customers from Lake Michigan to the western side of Iowa. Don liked some of the features of his old truck but really wanted to tailor a new truck to fit his needs.
Steve Pipkorn and Brandon Farnsworth worked with Don and Tony Ritchie to tailor a new truck to solve their most basic needs: space and storage. Being a mechanic in the field, Don needs to carry a wide variety of parts so he can service his customers wherever and whenever he needs them. Also, Tony only wanted electric equipment on the truck. With the high cost of DEF fluid, he saw the importance of having a truck that did not have to idle for the equipment to work.
Keeping these things in mind, the Monroe Truck Equipment team designed the perfect work truck, which features:
- A transverse compartment in the first vertical of the body.
- This feature was important because Don needed a place to store his 8’ long combine liners.
- A 24” square door in the load space for access to the transverse compartment.
- Tank brackets in the load space and a hose reel on the top pack so he can use a cutting torch to tackle the toughest jobs.
- A custom C-tech 48” deep two-drawer unit on the curbside to put small parts in.
- The first, second, and rear compartments on the roadside of the truck have 5 drawer units for additional parts storage.
- C-tech 4 drawer unit in the roadside horizontal compartment
- Vanair 35 Air compressor with a 30-gallon tank to run their pneumatic drills and wrenches.
- 3 drawer unit with a laptop shelf on the bottom drawer in the curbside compartment.
- Palfinger 6025, 6000 lbs. crane to move heavy agriculture parts.
- LED strip lighting in all interior compartments and 3 work lights for increased visibility, even at night.
We are grateful to be able to collaborate with the team at Richie’s and provide a customized work truck solution that will help them work smarter, easier and safer for years to come.