Prairie State Tractor expanding its Dixon site

DIXON – Six months after Prairie State Tractor was formed by the merger of John Deere dealerships Holland and Sons Inc. and Kelly Sauder Rupiper Equipment, the company is expanding its location at 908 Bloody Gulch Road and adding employees.

A new 9,600-square-foot, state-of-the-art service shop featuring six service bays, and a 5-ton bridge crane, used to pull big tractor engines and transmissions, as well as a dedicated turf and utility service area, and a 2,080-square-foot wash bay are expected to be completed by mid-December, the company said in a news release this morning.

More work space means three or four new service techs will be added to the store’s staff of 25, said Matt Holland, the company’s marketing manager.

It’s an effort to concentrate on its ag and turf and utility customers – those who are looking for lawnmowers, compact tractors and utility vehicles like Gators, Holland said.

“Many agricultural producers in the Dixon and surrounding areas are using the latest John Deere technology and equipment to maximize returns on their business,” Chris Rupiper, CEO of Prairie State Tractor, said in the release.

“We recognize that to continue to support them fully we need to invest in our business with upgraded facilities.”

Work already has begun on the new wash bay, which is being built onto a building just north of the main building, Holland said.

MDS Construction Inc. in Dixon is the contractor.

Prairie State Tractor, headquartered in Mendota, has more than 200 employees at eight full-service locations, including Freeport, Geneseo, Lacon, Mendota, Pontiac, Princeton, and Streator. No other expansion is planned at this time, Holland said.

The Dixon location is just north of Interstate 88 on the south end of town.

Go to www.prairiestatetractor.com for more information and to view construction progress.