You may have driven by and seen all the big orange tractors lined up along the highway.  But what you don’t see are the years of hard work, the raising of children, tons of stories, sacrifice, and growth that went into the building of the tractor company known today as Ewald Kubota.  Ewald Kubota has also earned the title of the largest volume selling dealership of Kubotas in the United States. 

To know Ewald Kubota though, is to start from the beginning, which is rich in family history and  has a proud heritage that started in November of 1948 by Herbert John Ewald, Sr., and his oldest son Herbert John Jr. who folks just called “Red.” The company was originally a Ford Tractor dealership and was located in downtown Seguin by the courthouse, but in 1952 the business was moved to a brand-new building on Kingsbury Street in Seguin and that was it’s home for the next 20 years.

During the early 1960’s Herbert’s youngest son Henry, worked alongside his brother Red in Seguin and also operated a satellite location in Karnes City. By the late 1960’s Red managed the Karnes City store while Henry took over operations in Seguin. By 1972 Henry had purchased the business from his father and moved the store to the west side of Seguin on Interstate 10.Henry operated the dealership there for many years, enduring the hardships of the mid-80’s recession by traveling throughout the country, buying used tractors and shipping them to Seguin for resale. By 1989 many tractor dealers in the area had gone out of business due to a record drought and poor economic conditions throughout Texas. It was this same year that Ford Motor Company sold their tractor division to the Fiat Group which later renamed the tractor line New Holland. Also in the same year Henry added the Kubota line of tractors to the dealership in Seguin.

Throughout most of the 1990’s Ewald Tractor grew rapidly, adding Case and Massey Ferguson equipment as well as many other short-line brands. Also during these years John Ewald, Henry’s son, began working at the dealership as a mechanic’s helper and delivery person. In 1996 after graduating from Texas Christian University, John returned to the dealership and began work as a technician, then later as an equipment salesman. By 1999, he earned the title Sales Manager (because no one else wanted to do it) and convinced his dad it was time to expand.

In 2000 Henry retired from the business after almost 40 years and turned over management to John. That same year with the help of his father co-signing his bank loan, John purchased the assets of Greater Southwest Equipment: a Kubota tractor dealer with locations in San Antonio and Floresville.

Sadly, on Christmas Day 2002, Henry passed away in an accident at his home in Seguin. It was a devastating loss to this close-knit family and company. He was only 66 years young.In 2003 Ewald Kubota moved the San Antonio location to a new building just south of Boerne on Interstate 10 and in 2005 they moved the Floresville location to a new building just north of the city on Highway 181.

Ewald Tractor-Seguin circa 2001

The Lanford Story

Lanford Equipment Company in Austin was established by brothers Rex and Don Lanford in 1948 after they returned from service in World War II. Both men had degrees from Texas A&M and wished to start a business in the agricultural industry. They first set up shop in a modest rented facility, but by 1951 they were able to purchase property and construct a building of their own on Airport Boulevard in Austin. 

The drought of the 1950’s was tough on the Lanford brothers, but with determination and hard work they overcame the hardship and built a solid business with a strong commercial following.

In 1973 Don Lanford’s son, Bob, was released from the Army after serving in Vietnam and joined the family business. In 1977 an additional manager was needed to handle the increased volume, so Jerry Rutledge purchased half the business and became a co-owner with Bob. The business continued to prosper making their facility on Airport Boulevard no longer adequate. In 1982 Bob and Jerry purchased property in Austin on Highway 183 by Bergstrom Airport and built a new larger building to accommodate the growth. However, the “bust” of the mid-80’s soon followed and ravaged central Texas. Lanford Equipment was the only equipment dealer in the area to survive.

In 2003, Bob and Jerry opened an additional location just west of Austin in Marble Falls to serve a growing customer base in Burnet County.

The Merger of Ewald and Lanford

Throughout John’s tenure at Ewald Tractor, he, Bob Lanford, and Jerry Rutledge developed a working friendship between businesses and territories. When Bob and Jerry began considering selling their business John expressed interest because it was a natural fit for the two companies and employees. By 2013 they struck a deal for the Lanfords to sell equipment to John and by mid-summer 2014 John built two new buildings in Austin and Marble Falls which is when the change of ownership took place. John and his employees decided to change the name of the company to Ewald Kubota, Inc. to better reflect the description of the business.

Today, Jerry works as a salesman and comes in to work every day at the Austin store just as he has for forty years and Bob still stops by and shakes hands with his old customers on occasion.

The Taylor Equipment Story

In January of 2016 Ewald Kubota bought the assets and assumed the territory of Taylor Equipment in Taylor, TX. The dealership was founded in 1985 by Raymond Lenz as a Kubota tractor dealership.  By the early 20-teens, Raymond’s son Chad was managing the store but in the summer of 2015 he was killed in an accident that stunned the local community.  He was a well-liked young father and businessman and is sorely missed by friends, family and customers.  The Lenz family has our greatest condolences and will always have our utmost respect and appreciation. 

The Gulf Tractor Co., Corpus Christi

In April, John Ewald bought the assets and assumed the territory of Gulf Tractor Company, a Kubota and John Deere dealership in Corpus Christi. Gulf Tractor was founded in 1954 by John Beach as an Oliver equipment dealer and has continually served the Corpus Christi and surrounding area since that time.  In 1984 Mr. Beach’s son Mike took over operations and was soon joined by his younger brother Bob.  Mike and Bob expanded the business over time by adding John Deere, Kubota and other turf products.  In 1995 they moved the business to South Padre Island Drive, a major highway running through Corpus Christi, and operated there successfully for many years.  In 2015 the Beach brothers decided to sell the business and pursue other activities but, sadly, Mike passed away before his retirement.  Today, Joshua Beach, Mike’s son, is the store manager at the Corpus Christi store and is a well-respected businessman in the community.

Continuation of Business Today

John offices out of his Seguin store but visits each location usually once a week to talk with employees and customers. He’s at work every day to stay close with all of really great people that make Ewald Kubota such a great place to work. John is proud to say that well over half of his employees have either been with Ewald Tractor or their former owners for over 20 years.

In John’s words he realizes that he is the steward of several great businesses with rich histories and he says he does his best to treat all employees, vendors and customers with care and respect.  And if you ask anyone who’s ever worked with John they’d whole heartedly agree.  Not only does he have a rich legacy and big shoes to fill, he has a big and caring heart that he puts into his work each and every day.