John Shearer
John Shearer is an Australian family-owned farm machinery manufacturer, founded in 1877 and based in South Australia, that designs and builds heavy-duty seeding and tillage equipment for Australian livestock and broadacre crop farmers, sold via a national dealer network.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1877
- HeadquartersWoodville, Australia
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What John Shearer does
John Shearer (legal entity: John Shearer Pty Ltd) is an Australian farm machinery manufacturer founded in 1877 and headquartered at 34 Burleigh Avenue, Woodville North, South Australia. The company designs, engineers, and builds heavy-duty seeding and tillage equipment specifically for Australian broadacre conditions, with its core product line comprising direct drill seeders — the 3.0 Metre Pasture Drill, 3.5 Metre Pasture Drill, the new electric-drive AS2400LT Airdrill (6.0m sowing width, 2,400L hopper, folding wings), and the tablet-controlled Pasture Renovation Drill — supplemented by the Folding Wing Trashworker for tillage and a modular accessories ecosystem (Press Wheel Assemblies, Double Disc Openers, Precision Tyne Openers with Active-Pack, 800HL Hydraulic Tynes, and 630/580 Spring Release Tynes). Technical differentiation centers on heavy-duty construction, infinitely adjustable gearboxes for small-seed calibration, parallelogram double-disc openers with sealed bearings and up to 182kg packing force, and hydraulic press-wheel systems with 18-step depth adjustment, rather than software or AI capability.
The company's business model is straightforward industrial OEM hardware sales with a recurring spare-parts revenue stream. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; sales are fulfilled through a national dealer network covering all Australian states and territories (SA, WA, NT, TAS, VIC, NSW, QLD), backed by dedicated regional phone lines and a dedicated spares contact ([email protected], 08 8468 4094). GTM is sales-led through this dealer channel, with a website used for top-of-funnel product information, specifications, brochures, and direct enquiry forms, including a dealer-enquiry toggle. Customer segments are entirely within Australian agriculture — primarily livestock farmers undertaking pasture renovation and broadacre crop farmers running trash-farming and stubble-mulch operations — and are served almost exclusively through SMB relationships. The company is privately held with no disclosed parent, institutional investors, funding rounds, subsidiaries, leadership changes, or M&A activity; revenue, headcount, and ownership composition are not publicly disclosed.
John Shearer firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- John Shearer
- Legal name
- John Shearer Pty Ltd
- Website
- https://johnshearer.com.au
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1877
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- John Shearer is an Australian family-owned farm machinery manufacturer, founded in 1877 and based in South Australia, that designs and builds heavy-duty seeding and tillage equipment for Australian livestock and broadacre crop farmers, sold via a national dealer network.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
John Shearer industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Agricultural Seeding and Tillage Equipment
- NAICS
- Farm Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing (333111), Agricultural Implement Manufacturing (33311)
- SIC
- Farm Machinery & Equipment (3523)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Seed Drills & Air Seeders (AFAAABAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- No-Till & Conservation Planting Equipment (AFAAABAI), Tillage & Soil Preparation Equipment (Plows, Harrows, Cultivators, Subsoilers) (AFAAAAAB), Row Crop Planters (Vacuum/Mechanical) (AFAAABAA)
Keywords
Where John Shearer is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Woodville
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices2 records
Markets served
John Shearer business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Farm Machinery Sales: Direct sale of agricultural seeding and tillage equipment including pasture drills, airdrills, trashworkers, and associated attachments. Machines are sold through dealer network with quote-based pricing.
- Spare Parts and Accessories: Sale of replacement parts, press wheel assemblies, tyne assemblies, coulter bars, and accessories through national dealer network. Contact: [email protected] or 08 8468 4094.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
John Shearer product offering
Product offeringCore offering
John Shearer designs, engineers, and manufactures heavy-duty agricultural seeding and tillage equipment in South Australia, including direct drill pasture seeders, airdrills, and trashworker cultivators. The product line spans pasture drills, mounted airdrills, folding-wing trashworkers, and a range of configurable openers, tynes, and press wheel assemblies, sold to Australian farmers through a national dealer network with spare parts support.
Product overview
John Shearer is an Australian farm machinery manufacturer offering a portfolio of seeding and tillage equipment engineered and manufactured in South Australia since 1877. The core product line consists of direct drill seeders including the 3.0 Metre and 3.5 Metre Pasture Drills, the AS2400LT Airdrill, and the Pasture Renovation Drill, all designed for accurate seed placement across various farming conditions. These are complemented by the Folding Wing Trashworker for tillage operations. The product ecosystem is supported by a comprehensive range of options and accessories including Press Wheel Assemblies, Precision Tyne Openers, Double Disc Openers, and various tyne assemblies (800HL Hydraulic, 630 Spring Release, 580 Spring Release) that allow farmers to configure machines for specific soil types and seeding requirements.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- 3.0 Metre Pasture Drill A 3.0-metre transport width pasture drill with 19 sowing rows at 155mm or 23 rows at 127mm spacing, featuring double disc openers, infinitely adjustable gearbox, and 1,163L combined hopper capacity for seed and fertilizer. Designed for pasture renovation applications for Australian farmers.
- 3.5 Metre Pasture Drill A 3.5-metre pasture drill with 23 sowing rows at 155mm or 27 rows at 127mm spacing, featuring double disc openers, 1,356L combined hopper capacity, and robust construction for extended service life. Built for accurate, even seed placement across big paddocks for Australian farmers.
- AS2400LT Airdrill An electric drive mounted airdrill with 6.0m sowing width, 2,400L two-compartment hopper, folding wings for 3.0m transport width, and optional GPS, ISOBUS, and multiple opener configurations. Designed for broadacre cropping operations.
- Pasture Renovation Drill A tablet-controlled electric drive drill available in 2.0m to 3.3m widths, featuring separate seed and fertilizer hoppers, multiple opener options (coil tyne, 580 tyne, single disc), and bin level sensors. Designed for pasture renovation for Australian livestock producers.
- Folding Wing Trashworker A trailing cultivator with 19 to 41 tyne models, designed for primary and secondary tillage in trash farming, stubble mulch cultivation, and chisel ploughing, featuring adjustable tyne breakout force from 0.4kN to 4.4kN. Built for broadacre crop residue management.
- Press Wheel Assemblies Press wheel parts and assemblies for repair and upgrade, available as complete kits or individual components including solid, semi-solid, and semi-pneumatic tyre options for various John Shearer drills. Sold through the national dealer network as spare parts.
- Precision Tyne Opener A hydraulic press wheel opener with Active-Pack variable pressure packing system, offering 18 seeding depth adjustments at 6mm increments (6mm to 70mm), and 620kg front tyne breakout force. Configurable for John Shearer drills.
- Double Disc Opener A compact parallelogram double disc opener with 380mm coulters, 254mm vertical ground following capability, adjustable packing force up to 182kg, and available with plain or scalloped coulters and single or double shoot options. Configurable for John Shearer drills.
- 800HL Hydraulic Tyne Hydraulic tyne assembly with on-the-go breakout pressure adjustment up to 205kg (450lb), featuring clamp-on design for 100x100mm beams, 800mm under-frame clearance, and hydraulic transport position capability. Configurable for John Shearer trashworkers.
- 630 Spring Release Tyne Clamp-on spring tyne with adjustable breakout pressure greater than 158kg (350lb), featuring dual springs, edge-on 25mm x 50mm spring steel shank, 614mm under-frame clearance, and 2-bolt foot mounting. Configurable for John Shearer trashworkers.
- 580 Spring Release Tyne Clamp-on spring tyne with standard 70kg breakout pressure (upgradable to 113kg with double spring), featuring replaceable hardened pivot pins and bushes, compatible with super seeder points, T-boots, and lucerne points. Configurable for John Shearer trashworkers.
Companies that use John Shearer
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
John Shearer technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature5 records
John Shearer partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
John Shearer competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Morris Equipment: Canadian-based manufacturer of air seeders, rod weeders, and tillage equipment sold into Australian broadacre markets. Direct competitor in the air seeder and tillage categories where John Shearer competes, with comparable customer base of large-acreage grain and livestock producers.
- Seed Hawk (Väderstad): Originally Canadian, now part of Väderstad, Seed Hawk manufactures high-precision no-till air seeders for broadacre farming. Directly comparable to John Shearer's pasture drills and airdrills on product function (seed and fertilizer placement in a single pass) and target market (large-acreage farmers adopting conservation tillage).
- Bourgault Industries: Canadian manufacturer specializing in air seeders, planters, and tillage equipment with deep focus on broadacre farming. Highly comparable to John Shearer in product category (air drills/seeders and tillage), target customer (large-acreage broadacre farmers), and engineering emphasis on durable, high-capacity seeding machinery.
- Ausplow: Australian manufacturer of multi-bin air seeders and seeding systems for broadacre and pasture applications. The closest direct domestic peer to John Shearer, competing head-to-head in Australian broadacre and pasture seeding with overlapping product positioning and dealer channels.
Broad incumbents
- Lemken: European-based manufacturer of tillage, seeding, and crop care equipment with global distribution. Overlaps with John Shearer's trashworker and tillage product categories and competes for the same broadacre farmer equipment budgets, though primarily as an imported premium alternative rather than a domestic specialist.
- Deere & Company (John Deere): World's largest agricultural equipment manufacturer with extensive seeding, planting, and tillage product lines and a significant Australian dealer presence. Competes with John Shearer across most product categories in the same Australian customer segments, with far greater scale, software, and autonomy investments.
- AGCO Corporation: Global agricultural equipment manufacturer (Massey Ferguson, Fendt, Valtra) with a broad portfolio of tractors, seeding, and tillage equipment sold into Australian broadacre farming through a dealer network. Comparable to John Shearer on product category (seeding and tillage) and customer base (broadacre and livestock farmers), though it operates globally with far greater scale and R&D resources.
- CNH Industrial (Case IH / New Holland): Major global farm machinery group whose Case IH and New Holland brands sell air seeders, planters, and tillage equipment directly competitive with John Shearer's Pasture Drills and Folding Wing Trashworker into Australian broadacre customers. A broad incumbent with substantially larger resources but overlapping core product categories.
- Amazone: European manufacturer of soil tillage, seeding, and crop protection equipment with growing Australian distribution. Competes with John Shearer in the seeding and tillage categories through imported product lines targeting similar broadacre and pasture farmers.
Regional players
- K-Line Industries: Australian manufacturer of Speedtiller and other tillage equipment sold nationally to broadacre farmers. Comparable regional competitor focused on Australian soil conditions and tillage, overlapping with John Shearer's Folding Wing Trashworker category though specializing in different tillage implement styles.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
John Shearer social profiles
Digital presenceJohn Shearer financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
John Shearer leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
John Shearer funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
John Shearer M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about John Shearer
What does John Shearer do?
John Shearer designs, engineers, and manufactures heavy-duty agricultural seeding and tillage equipment in South Australia, including direct drill pasture seeders, airdrills, and trashworker cultivators. The product line spans pasture drills, mounted airdrills, folding-wing trashworkers, and a range of configurable openers, tynes, and press wheel assemblies, sold to Australian farmers through a national dealer network with spare parts support.
Is John Shearer a public or private company?
John Shearer is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was John Shearer founded?
John Shearer was founded in 1877. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is John Shearer based?
John Shearer is headquartered in Woodville, Australia, in the Oceania region.
How does John Shearer make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Farm Machinery Sales are the primary driver. The others are spare Parts and Accessories.
Who are John Shearer's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Morris Equipment, Seed Hawk (Väderstad), Bourgault Industries and Ausplow. Broad incumbents are Lemken, Deere & Company (John Deere), AGCO Corporation, CNH Industrial (Case IH / New Holland) and Amazone. K-Line Industries is listed as a regional player.
Does John Shearer have an API?
No public API is recorded for John Shearer.
What industry is John Shearer in?
John Shearer's product category is Agricultural Seeding and Tillage Equipment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAAABAB, Seed Drills & Air Seeders, with a secondary code of AFAAABAI, No-Till & Conservation Planting Equipment. Its NAICS code is 333111 and its SIC code is 3523.