{"id":2978,"date":"2026-11-02T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-11-02T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/valmyfrance.com\/?p=2978"},"modified":"2026-10-22T23:23:18","modified_gmt":"2026-10-22T23:23:18","slug":"spare-parts-stock-harvest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/valmyfrance.com\/en\/spare-parts-stock-harvest\/","title":{"rendered":"Spare parts stock: preparing for harvest in winter"},"content":{"rendered":"

A combine stopped for want of a knife section, a baler stuck because a needle broke: in season, the missing part costs far more than its price. For an importer, a dealer or a workshop, the real work therefore happens months earlier. A good spare parts stock means the right part number, in the right quantity, on the shelf before the machines go out.<\/p>\n

Here is how to build that list, and when to place it.<\/p>\n

Why a spare parts stock is prepared in winter<\/h2>\n

First, demand arrives all at once. Everyone wants the same part numbers in the same weeks, and whoever orders last waits.<\/p>\n

Second, a spare part doesn’t always come straight off a shelf. At Valmy France, we make the part numbers that sell in advance. However, a large quantity, or a part that isn’t yet in our catalogue, needs production time. On top of that comes transport to your warehouse, then putting the parts away.<\/p>\n

Growers know this well. As this AgriNews piece on combine preparation<\/a> points out, nothing is more frustrating than standing idle for want of a cheap part. Their dealer therefore needs those parts before they do.<\/p>\n

The calendar: start from the harvest date and work back<\/h2>\n

Harvest doesn’t fall at the same time everywhere. It starts in May around the Mediterranean and can run into August in northern Europe. So the right starting point is the date your customers take their machines out. From there, you work backwards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
When<\/th>\nWhat to do<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Just after the season<\/td>\nSales review by part number, and a list of requests you couldn’t fill<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
5 to 6 months before<\/td>\nList of part numbers and quantities, request for a quote<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
4 to 5 months before<\/td>\nFirm order, production of the parts not in stock<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1 to 2 months before<\/td>\nDelivery, checking the parcels, putting stock away<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

These lead times are a guide. Each quote then gives the actual lead time for every part number.<\/p>\n

In short, for a June harvest, you draw up the list in December or January. November is therefore the right time to review last season.<\/p>\n

Which parts to stock first<\/h2>\n

Not all parts are managed the same way. On the one hand, workshops replace wear parts every season, in quantity, so demand is fairly predictable. On the other hand, breakage parts (a gear, a shaft, a pump) fail without warning. You keep only a few, but you choose the ones whose absence would keep a machine idle for days.<\/p>\n

Wear parts to plan for, machine by machine:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Machine<\/th>\nWear parts to plan for<\/th>\nExamples from our catalogue<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Combine harvester<\/td>\nKnife sections and their bolts, guards, clutch release bearing<\/td>\nSampo knife section bolt and release bearing<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Baler<\/td>\nNeedles, knotter bills, twine knives, knives, rollers<\/td>\nClaas Markant needle, knotter bill and baler knife<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tractor<\/td>\nClutch, oil seals, hydraulic seals and pumps<\/td>\nMassey Ferguson 440 Xtra clutch plate, Deutz oil seals<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

On Claas Markant balers, for example, the 804523 needle<\/a> is one of the parts replaced most often. On Sampo combines, the 629.000R knife section bolt<\/a> sells in numbers, since a single cutter bar carries dozens of them.<\/p>\n

Don’t forget the small parts either. Indeed, a bolt worth a few pence stops a header just as surely as a big part.<\/p>\n

How much to order for your spare parts stock<\/h2>\n

No average figure replaces knowledge of your own market. Three sources are usually enough:<\/p>\n