Ewald Tractor Co. was founded by my grandfather, Herbert John Ewald, Sr., in
November of 1948 along with his oldest son Herbert John Jr. (Red). The company was a Ford Tractor dealership and was originally located in downtown Seguin by the courthouse. In 1952 the business was moved to a brand-new building on Kingsbury Street in Seguin and operated there for the next 20 years.
During the early 1960’s Herbert’s youngest son Henry, my father, worked alongside his brother Red in Seguin and at a satellite location in Karnes City. By the late 1960’s Red managed the Karnes City store while Henry took over operations in Seguin. Eventually Red closed the dealership in Karnes City and began manufacturing fiberglass tanks and other products. In this he became quite successful with his own company, Red Ewald, Inc. 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 Texas 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 closed 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 and equipment 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, I began working at the dealership as a mechanic’s helper and delivery person. In 1996 after graduating from Texas Christian University, I returned to the dealership and began work as a technician, then later as an equipment salesman. By 1999, I earned the title Sales Manager (because no one else wanted to do it) and convinced my dad it was time to expand.
In 2000 my dad retired from the business after almost 40 years and turned management over to me. That same year I (with my father’s co-signing of a bank note), purchased the assets of Greater Southwest Equipment: a Kubota tractor dealer with locations in San Antonio and Floresville. Sadly, on Christmas Day 2002, my dad died in an accident at his home in Seguin. It was devastating to me, my family and our company. He was 66.
Ewald Tractor-Seguin circa 2001
In 2003 we moved the San Antonio location to a new building just south
of Boerne on Interstate 10 and in 2005 we moved the Floresville location to a new building just north of the city on Highway 181.
Lanford Equipment Co.
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 were able to purchase property and construct a building 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 a friend of the Lanford’s, 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, leaving Lanford Equipment 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 my tenure at Ewald Tractor, Bob Lanford, Jerry Rutledge and I developed a working friendship between our businesses and territories. When Bob and Jerry began considering selling their business, I expressed interest because it was a natural fit for our two companies and employees. By 2013 we struck a deal for them to sell Lanford Equipment to me and by mid-summer 2014 I built two new buildings in Austin and Marble Falls. The employees and I also decided to change the name of the company from Ewald Tractor to Ewald Kubota, Inc. to better reflect the description of our 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.
Taylor Equipment
In January of 2016 we 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. Our deepest condolences to the Lenz family.
Gulf Tractor Co., Corpus Christi
In April, we 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. Bob decided to continue in the transaction and now enjoys fishing and hunting in his retirement.
Georgetown
In 2016 we recognized the growth of the North Austin area and decided to open a new store in Georgetown. That facility was completed in October of 2018 and does well selling all the Kubota products.
The Lansdowne-Moody Story
In 1917, George U. Lansdowne established a hardware and appliance firm. In 1937, he acquired the Ford tractor dealership with the financial backing of the Moody family from Galveston. Mr. Ed Erpp was the general manager at the time and ran the dealership for Mr. Lansdowne. Mr. Lansdowne eventually bought out the Moody family, becoming the sole owner. The original Lansdowne-Moody Company dealership was in downtown Houston on Texas Avenue.
In 1953, Ed Harris Sr. was hired as a general manager. After one year, Lansdowne-Moody Company grew to five employees with $200,000 in total sales - just the beginning of many years of growth. George Lansdowne remained in ownership until his death in 1959. At that time, Ed Harris Sr. purchased the company from the Lansdowne family. In 1962, Lansdowne-Moody Company outgrew the Texas Avenue location, so land was purchased on Lockwood and the business moved to that location in 1962.
After serving in the US Marines, Eddie Harris Jr. began to work for the company in 1964 and quickly moved up to general manager. As Houston began to grow on the southwest side, the decision was made to open a second location. Land was purchased on Fondren, and Lansdowne-Moody Company now had two locations once that store opened in 1969. Houston continued to grow, and Lansdowne-Moody Company grew along with the city. In 1978, Lansdowne-Moody once again outgrew its Lockwood location. The decision was made to move that location to one that would allow for future growth. That’s when the company moved to its current location at 8445 East Freeway, the current east Houston location. Then, Houston began to expand to the south, so to serve those who were moving to that area the Webster location opened in 1983.
Two years later, Lansdowne-Moody Company became a Kubota tractor dealer with the opening of the northwest location in Cypress. Then, in May of 1992, the third generation of the Harris family began working with the company - Hunter Harris began in sales.
Lansdowne-Moody Company was consistently a company eager to change as Houston changed. In 2000, after serving the southwest side for 33 years, the Fondren store was sold and relocated to Beltway 8 and Hwy 59 south, still on the southwest side of town. In 2002, Hunter Harris became Lansdowne-Moody Company’s general manager nearly 50 years after his grandfather took that position.
Lansdowne-Moody eventually grew to nine locations in and around Houston and thrived with the growing city.
The Merger with Lansdowne-Moody and Ewald Kubota
Around 1998, I visited with Ed Harris Jr. to get business advice. Shortly after, I met his son Hunter who was a few years older than I, and we became fast friends. Over the years, Hunter and I spent time attending 20-Group meetings together, as well as serving on the Kubota Dealer Advisory Board. We also went fishing and hunting over the years, and always enjoyed each other’s company.
In 2024, when Hunter needed to exit the business, we made a deal for Ewald Kubota to take Lansdowne-Moody into the future.
I can’t tell you enough of what an upstanding man Hunter Harris is. During his tenure as the leader of Lansdowne-Moody, I saw how he cared for his employees as if they were his own family members. He treated his co-workers not only with dignity and respect, but as a friend to all. I’ve learned so much from Hunter over the years, I can only hope to someday be as good a guy as he is. I wish him and his family the best of luck into the future.
Continuation of Business Today
Today, I office out of our store in Selma, TX, but I visit each store often to talk with employees and customers. I come to work every day and stay close with our people as best I can. I realize I am the steward of several great businesses with rich history, and I do my best to treat all our employees, vendors and customers with the care and respect they deserve.
Thank you for stopping by our website.
-John Ewald
