News & Events
Kobelco Excavator with Wounded Warrior Design
Purchased by Wetherington Tractor Service
September 10, 2014
At this year's ConExpo, Kobelco announced that they would donate $119,317 to the non-profit Wounded Warrior Project from the sale of five special edition SK350 excavators. The machines feature imagery representing the five branches of the armed forces.
About the Wounded Warrior Project
The WWP supports a full range of programs and service for this generation of injured veterans and their families. The WWP has 18 programs designed to nurture the minds and bodies of the estimated 400,000 service members living with physical wounds, plus another 320,000 believed to have suffered from post traumatic brain injury while deployed.
Kobelco Excavators
Wetherington Tractor Service, a family owned company in Plant City, FL recently purchased one of the five special edition machines through Great Southern Equipment. "We've used Kobelco equipment for several years," says Kimball Wetherington, chief operating officer of Wetherington Tractor Service. "In the past we had a SK350 excavator, and when the time came that we needed a larger machine again, the Kobelco SK350 caught my eye. We like the lifting capacity of Kobelco excavators since we're using them to set large material. We were already familiar with the machine, so that's what we purchased."
A Great Dealer Relationship
Wetherington explains that Great Southern Equipment understands that when a machine goes down, the whole job is stopped. " Great Southern Equipment is the reason we chose Kobelco equipment. You can buy the best machine, but if the dealership doesn't respond when there's an issue, it doesn't do you any good. We like the machine, but the reason we bought it goes back to our relationship with Great Southern Equipment. If something goes wrong, they get you back up and working quickly."
Excellent Parts and Service
The relationship with a dealer doesn't end when a machine is purchased, which is one of the reasons Wetherington Tractor Service chose to do business with Great Southern Equipment. "The parts and service support has been exceptional," says Wetherington. "If they don't have a part, they get it for you quickly. They've also been very good at finding parts for equipment brands they don't carry."