Siromer 304 Q&A Customer Review with Mark Purnell
- rosebvassistant
- Mar 28
- 11 min read
Recently one of our lovely long term customers, Mark Purnell, got in touch with us about buying another tractor.
Now, Mark had originally bought a flatpack 204S with us over 18 years ago. By the time the tractor arrived home, it was then christened ‘Tractor Tom’ by his then young children, and later went on to farm over 150 acres over 18 years.
Now that’s what we call bang for your buck!
Mark has been using the tractor for his land which houses his business ‘Dogs Exclusive’. Dogs Exclusive is your one stop shop for everything doggy. They have a doggy day care, dog boarding, clipping, grooming, training and everything else you can think of. Mark also has a small farm with sheep and horses which makes up the bulk of the tractors work.
Mark was kind enough to speak to us about his experience over 20 years with Siromer, how he found the tractors and how the tractor helped to positively influence his life and business.
If you are a potential customer looking to buy a Siromer tractor, then this is the interview for you!
We understand that especially when buying a more expensive piece of equipment like a tractor you:
Want to make sure you are not buying a dud. You need something reliable for your smallholding.
Need to know that the company that you are buying from will be there to offer fantastic support in all eventualities
Want reassurance that this tractor will indeed be a good investment and make a positive impact on your life and business.
Because of this we thought this interview would be a fantastic resource to all current and potential customers to review an unbiased opinion from one of our real life customers.
So without further ado, let’s begin!
Chapters:
Why did Mark first buy a tractor?
Interviewer: So Mark, would you be able to give us a bit of background about your beginnings with ‘Tractor Tom’ [Mark’s original Siromer 204S]?
Mark: “We actually moved here 20-21 years ago this year and we didn’t have anything equipment wise when we moved in. We had a quad bike and I just needed something that was fairly… well we would have loved something quite big, but we didn’t have a lot of money at the time. And I was at the county show, the Bucks county show, and we saw the Siromer tractors there and we thought that would be quite handy! So that’s why we got one”
Interviewer: What was your original reason behind purchasing the tractor? Was it to do with the 21 acres just being too big to not have one?
M: “Yeah it was just too big to do with an ordinary lawnmower type thing and we needed something. I think it was about 2 years before we actually got anything. I was borrowing some equipment from the person we had just bought the farm from as they had moved not far away. So I was borrowing their equipment for a couple of years and then I thought ‘I can’t carry on like this’. And the yard itself is not very big, there’s not much room, it's too tight to manoeuvre anything massive so the compact tractors were the ideal size for that type of thing.”
How did owning a Siromer tractor change Mark’s average day?
Interviewer: So comparing life before and after buying the tractor, how did it change your typical day?
M: “Well it certainly opened up the opportunity, for example, that the field needs harrowing, or rolling, or mowing, I can just go and do it. I didn’t have to beg, borrow or steal somebody else’s machine really. And it’s just here on site and I can just hop on in so it’s made life so much easier. It’s just so convenient, that’s what it is, the convenience of it is much easier!”
Interviewer: And I'm guessing before if you weren’t able to have borrowed equipment from someone else it…
M: “It just wouldn’t have got done!”
I: Because you’ve got a lot of acres!
M: “We’ve got 21”
I: It’s a lot of land to deal with!
M: “It’s only actually a small hamlet we live in. And once I did get the tractor in, for other neighbours who have also got similar areas of land and who don’t have equipment, I actually ended up doing a lot of their stuff as well. So actually, Tom ended up farming about 150 acres in the end, mowing and that sort of thing. So he’s been quite busy!”
I: Wow the tractor did well for 18 years for 150 acres then!
M: “He did very well little Tom. I’ve still got it!”
I: Oh yeah?
M: “Unfortunately, back in January time, we had a really cold snap and it got down to about minus 16 degrees Celcius here one night. Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough antifreeze in it, there was some, but not enough and so it damaged the engine somehow. But actually speaking to the guys at Siromer, I thought it might have just cracked it, but they’re telling me that it was a core plug inside it, which is quite common for them to pop out when the engine freezes. Hopefully if it is that, it should be quite fixable so I might end up bringing Tom back to life again!”
I: Then you’ll have 2 tractors!
M: “Yeah so I’ll keep both of them so he [Tractor Tom] can help out with small jobs.”
I: Yes give him a bit of a rest for a while, he’s worked very hard by the sounds of it!
M: “Exactly, yeah!”
How Tom came to be
I: And have you kept the name of Big Tom for the larger Siromer 304 then?
M: “Yes so far, nothing else has come along yet haha!”
I: And how were your 18 years with the Siromer 204S?
M: “Yeah it was great, it did basically everything that the bigger boys can do, within reason obviously. But no, I never had any major problems. One of the issues it did have in the early days was that it overheated quite a lot. I’ve noticed with the newer ones that they’ve changed them, as before on the older ones, the battery was right in front of the radiator. But I’ve noticed with the new one [ Mark’s 304] it's been fitted right down below it, so that’s obviously something that they realised and learnt from as well. And I bought a different radiator for Tom, a bigger radiator, so it stopped overheating. The overheating was happening in the summer, but I was probably pushing him harder than he was designed for. But other than that he’s been really loyal. And as I said nothing major ever went wrong with it, it’s still on the same clutch, still on the same head gaskets. The only thing I’ve gone through are a couple of water pumps and tyres basically. But other than that he’s been very reliable and any little niggles have been easy to fix and any parts I’ve needed I’ve just been able to ring up Siromer and then they’ve sent them over to me by the next day.”
Building his own flatpack tractor with Siromer
I: I’m glad to hear that’s been all good. And I’ve heard you built Tractor Tom [The Siromer 204S] with our flatpack feature*. How was that for you?
*For more information about building your own flatpack tractor please click here: https://www.siromer.online/post/is-a-siromer-flatpack-tractor-right-for-you
M: “Whenever anyone’s ever seen it I’ve been quite proud of the fact that I’ve built it! And then they go ‘What do you mean you built it?’ and then I go ‘Yeah its’ a flatpack’ and then they say ‘What do you mean a flatpack’ and then I say ‘Yeah it came in a crate, flat’. And no one believes me! But yeah it was fairly straightforward. The two hardest problems were when I bought it…it was brought on the back of a trailer. And he [Richard Clark] got here and he said ‘Have you got anything to lift it off with?’ and I said ‘No, I’m buying a tractor because I haven’t got anything to lift with’, so then he said ‘Well how are you going to get it off it?’ and I said ‘Well I don’t know!’. I had a 4x4 volvo at the time, so I put a chain around the back of this crate and just dragged it off the back of this trailer. It landed in the middle of my yard and stayed there until I managed to build around it. But no, the build was fairly straightforward. But the hardest part was trying to get it out of the crate, because it literally sits on the floor. So I had to get it up high to get the wheels on, and even though it's only a little tractor, you still have to get it up quite high. It took me a while as it was a little tricky to eventually get the hind wheels on. But eventually once I got the wheels on, it all came together fairly quickly. I think I built it, I remember because it was a very hot weekend, I think I did it in about 3 or 4 days’.
I: Not bad at all!
M: “Yeah, I mean for my hobby I build vintage cars, or rebuild vintage cars so I’m quite used to building. It’s one of the reasons why I did it in the first place- it’s quite nice to build as a project.”
I: So what made you decide to buy a ‘ready made’ tractor this time?
M: ‘Just the time factor! Purely a time factor. Because Tom went bang right at the wrong time. We’ve got hay bales and animals out at the moment in the winter. So with having the animals out in the fields and feeding the animals, we needed the tractor to get the hay and everything out in the fields as soon as possible. And also I didn’t fancy being outside for 3 days in the pouring rain trying to build it. So I looked on Siromer’s website and they had a couple on there. There were a couple of second hand ones that I rang up about and from there it was easy! They emailed me back saying we’ve got ‘Big Tom’ [Mark’s new 304]. It was a demonstrator who’d done about one hour's work. I think he’d literally only driven around the yard with customers so they could get some idea of what they’re like. So they asked if I’d like that one so I said ‘Well yeah!’. I got a deal on that one. And my one criteria for Big Tom was to have a front loader because that makes such a big difference. They are quite expensive attachments but I said to my wife ‘If we are going to do it I need one’. It makes such a big difference. And since I’ve had Big Tom it’s all that I’ve used it for so far. I’ve used it [the front loader] for so many different things at the moment, it’s so handy!’
Upgrading from a 204S to a 304
I: And have you noticed a difference between the 204S and the 304?
M: “There are subtle differences. Like for example, with my Little Tom the gearbox is in between your legs. With this one [the 304] they are on the outside so I keep on going ‘Oh it’s not there!’. Stupid of me that! And as I say, I’ve been noticing there are some improvements that they have made over the generations. They’re subtle changes that I have been thinking ‘Oh that needed that’. The 304 certainly seems to be everything I need at the moment.”
I: So I'm guessing if you had to say what your favourite thing about your new 304 would be, it would be the ability to have the frontloader?
M: “ Yes absolutely yes”
What does Mark use his tractor for?
I: So what do you currently use your 304 Siromer tractor for?
M: “So when the weather comes around I am going to be doing things like the harrowing, the rolling, that sort of stuff. We have made our own hay in the past but I probably won't be doing that this year. So it's mainly just for that sort of stuff, ground maintenance and mowing, and all that sort of thing.”
I: So a bit of everything then really!
M: “Yeah basically haha. Everything!”
I: And would you say that having the tractor has positively impacted your business and caring for the land in general?
M: “Oh definitely! Yeah, it cuts down on a lot of the manual lifting of things and I certainly couldn’t have the land without some form of tractor of some sort. I did originally look at Autotrader on the second hand tractors, and even with the older tractors the money you’ve got to pay for those is still going to be comparable with buying a brand new one from Siromer. So I decided in the end I might as well just get a new one! A compact one.”
How a compact tractor compares to a larger tractor
I: Did buying a compact tractor influence your decision quite a lot?
M: “With the yard we’ve got, manouverability around the stables is fairly limited, so the compact tractor is perfect for that. I have farm friends that have these lovely big John Deere’s and things, and they are lovely, but it just wouldn’t work for my yard. The only, I wouldn’t say it is a criticism because it is me, not the tractor, but I am 6,6’ so it is a bit compact that’s my own fault!”
I: A little bit of a tight squeeze!
Are Siromer Tractors good quality?
I: And do you feel like Siromer is good quality?
M: “Yes I think they are. As I say, touchwood with the old one, nothing has gone significantly wrong with it, apart from general wear and tear which is expected from anything. But no, the quality seems to be pretty good.”
I: And would you recommend Siromer to a friend?
M: “Oh yes, I have done! In fact, 2 people have bought one over the years, after seeing my tractors. One friend has moved away now, but one friend of mine who has got horses bought one shortly after I bought it. And I know one friend who bought one some years afterwards because of the one I bought.”
I: And they were happy with their tractors?
M: “Yep yep yep. So indirectly I think I’ve sold 3 haha!”
I: You should’ve got a bigger discount then I think!
M: “Haha that’s right.”
Does Siromer have good quality service?
I: How would you rate the service you’ve received over 18 years at Siromer?
M: “To be honest the service has been second to none.”
Once again a massive thank you to Mark for agreeing to be interviewed by us, we really do appreciate it! We hope Big Tom gives you 20+ happy years more out in the field.
We hope this blog has answered any burning questions you’ve had about getting a Siromer tractor, but if you do have more questions please do not hesitate to give us a ring on 01253 799 029 for more information or feel free to use our live chat funcion at the bottom right of our website here: https://www.siromer.online
If you would also like more information specifically about the Siromer 304 talked about above please feel free to visit our website here: https://www.siromer.online/304 or have a quick look at our YouTube Full Specification Video (including moving video) here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xt0l1_k51XE
We hope to hear from you soon and can’t wait for you to join Mark in our very special group of long term customers!
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