Tilly’s – 35 years on and still moving forward

The Tilly’s Crawler Parts story began in 1924, when Richard Tilly purchased one of the first ever crawler tractors imported into Australia, a Holt 2 Ton. The Holt Manufacturing Company and the Best Tractor Company later amalgamated to form the Caterpillar Tractor Company. In 1965, Richard’s son Hugh used bulldozers for land development at Condamine, and later began reconditioning machines for sale.

After completing a university degree and then a diesel fitter’s apprenticeship, in 1984 Richard’s grandson Andrew visited the Kronk’s Earthmoving Machinery Auction in Toowoomba, and a business was born.

35 years on, and Tilly’s has become an iconic brand in the earthmoving and excavation industry. With a reputation for being one of Australia’s most trusted suppliers of quality new and used parts and used machinery, Tilly’s now stocks over 43,000 new part lines and over 15,000 used parts.

The experienced team at Tilly’s are constantly sourcing quality used machinery, from dozers to excavators, providing their customers with genuine alternatives to purchasing new machines. A fully equipped workshop onsite ensures Tilly’s customers are back on track in the quickest possible time, enabled by the extensive stock of both new and used, genuine and non-genuine parts.

Thanks to Andrew and Helen Tilly’s commitment to visiting the towns and communities where their customers live and work, there are not many places across Queensland where you won’t find a Tilly’s sticker. Whether it’s on a bar in Winton, a water tank in Innaminka or the back of a ute in Mount Isa, you will see the Tilly’s brand. And the support for their customers is what people remember, from the local football club to fundraising golf days and everything in between.

Tilly’s mantra of ‘Right Part, Right Price, Right Now’ still rings true 35 years on. 70 staff, eight hectares of dismantled machinery and a full onsite workshop and service centre means that Tilly’s commitment to continual improvement and growth has enabled the business to stand the test of time.

Andrew and Helen and the entire Tilly’s team thank their customers for their support for the last 35 years and look forward to continuing for many years to come.