Santa Day Sensation

WOW! What an awesome time we all had this past Saturday at Coufal-Prater Santa Day. We had a remarkable turn out, and we appreciate everyone that came and partook of this free fun event. It was a joy to see the excitement in the children's faces when Santa arrived! The excitement didn't stop there though, the kids had a blast jumping in the moon jump, pedaling in the tractor races, coloring, eating hot dogs, and so much more. Mom and Dad definitely enjoyed the fact that it was all free, and that they could stock up on some great gift savings. Even the pets that attended in Navasota had a dog-on good time! The smile on everyone's face, and the laughter and cheer in the air made the Christmas spirit come to life. I think Santa's cheeks were hurting at the end of the day from all of the pictures he took, and his elves will definitely be putting in long hours to get all of the toys ready for Christmas.

A Big thanks goes out to the Bryan High School Cheerleaders for helping out at the Bryan store. The girls did a fantastic job interacting with the kids, painting faces, and assisting at the moon jump and coloring table. It was a delight for all of us here at Coufal-Prater to get to meet and work with these young ladies.

We also want to thank Mr. Eugene Mitchan from Cameron, Texas for bringing his famous John Deere Train to the Bryan location. Mr. Mitchan has joined us the past few years at Santa Day, and each year the kiddos are just as excited to see him. He definitely was a hit with the children and the adults.

This years grand prize winners were Stacey Retello from Navasota and Alexis Reagan from Franklin. Congratulations to these ladies! We thank-you for coming and we hope you have a lot of fun on your new ride-on gator.

If you haven't picked up your pictures, they will be available for pickup this week at the Bryan and Navasota stores. We have posted some pictures on Coufal-Prater Equipment Facebook page and the Coufal-Prater Country Store Facebook page so check them out and tag yourself. Also, we would love for you to share you pictures with us, so feel free to post them on our wall.

Once again, thanks to all of you who came out and enjoyed Santa Day with us. We all had a wonderful time and we hope that you will join us next year for this free fun event! All of us here at Coufal-Prater Equipment would like to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Santa Claus is coming to Coufal-Prater!

Santa Claus is coming to Coufal-Prater Equipment in Bryan and in Navasota on Saturday, December 5, 2009! Join us from 10:00am to 1:00pm, at 3110 Hwy 21 West in Bryan or at 9819 Hwy 6 in Navasota! We'll have fun activities for the kids, door prizes every half hour, and register to for a chance to win a 12 volt John Deere ride-on gator. The best part is that it's all FREE!

Want a free picture with Santa Claus? Then, come on over and join the fun! Santa will be arriving shortly after 10:00am, and you don't want to miss him! You can even have your picture emailed to you so you can make your own copies. What a great Christmas card cover it will make!
Let the kiddos release some of their holiday energy jumping in the moon jump, pedaling in the tricycle races and coloring. At our Bryan location, we will also have train rides, face painting, and adorable puppies and kittens from the Brazos Animal Shelter to pet. At our Navasota location, you can bring you pet to have you picture taken with Santa! And, what's a party without balloons! To make sure you have enough energy for all of this great excitement, enjoy free hot dogs, drinks, popcorn, and cookies!

Just in time for Christmas, Coufal-Prater will be offering great toy deals, and we have plenty of toys to choose from. Whether you're looking to purchase a John Deere tractor, a new pink bike, or a ride-on gator, we've got you covered. We even have a huge variety of smaller toys that will be a perfect fit in stockings. We understand sometimes it can be tough shopping with the kids around, so we'll be offering 10% off all toys and 75% off select toys December 5th through 12th. That's a whole week to stock up on great savings!

We even have great gift ideas for adults, including John Deere Liberty safes, STIHL chainsaws and blowers, knives, and so much more! December 5th only, all STIHL products will be 10% off. It's getting cold outside, and what better gift to surprise Dad with than a new STIHL chainsaw, perfect for cutting firewood! If you'll be in the Navasota area stop in and check out their huge selection of clothing, jewelry, plants, boots, hunting supplies, and much more!

We have a large selections of John Deere caps, including ladies, youth, and toddler caps. John Deere beanies are perfect for the cold winter days. Can't decide what to get that last person on your Christmas list? Coufal-Prater gift cards make a great gift, and they are available at all four stores. And, to wrap up all of those great gifts we have John Deere wrapping paper.

We hope you join Coufal-Prater December 5th from 10am to 1pm at either our Bryan or Navasota store for a free fun Christmas time! You don't want to miss it.

Winterize your John Deere equipment now!

Winter is here at Coufal-Prater Equipment, and it looks like, for the second year in a row, we'll get snow in Central Texas. With winter weather on us, it's important that you protect your valuable John Deere investments by winterizing your equipment and vehicles.

The problem we want to avoid at all costs is water freezing in the engine, lines or tank. As you probably know, water expands when it freezes and is strong enough to crack heavy metal, like the engine block of your tractor or car.

We can prevent this one or two ways. First, make sure that water is drained from any equipment that doesn't need it this winter. A good example is our John Deere 4930 sprayer. We recommend not only draining the lines and tank, but flushing them with sprayer winterizing fluid (N305634), available at our four locations. Otherwise we would recommend using RV antifreeze (because it's not toxic) when flushing the system.

As you know, engines require water for cooling, so you can't really drain them for the winter. Instead, you need to make sure that you have enough anti-freeze for temperatures as low as 0°F. You can determine this by using an Antifreeze Tester available at our stores and most auto parts retailers. If the mixture isn't strong enough, it's best to drain and flush the system before adding fresh antifreeze. We carry two types of antifreeze, Cool-Gard 50/50 (TY26573) which is premixed and ready to go, and Cool-Gard II (TY25081) which needs to be mixed with water.

Cold weather is hard on equipment and especially batteries. Take some time to make sure that water levels are correct and the terminals are clean and making good contact. Use distilled water to refresh the levels if needed.

Cold engines are hard to crank and slow to lubricate. This is especially true for diesels. Plan time to let the engine warm up before using it above idle. If it's really cold, give the engine at least five minutes. This gives the oil time to warm and move throughout the engine before the stress of higher rpm's.

Also, check the usual stuff. Make sure your tires are inflated to the recommended pressure and check the wiper blades (if your equipment is so equipped) and replace them if worn or torn. Windshield ice will cause old wiper blades to come apart.

We are always happy to help with advice and parts. Just give us a call at any of our four locations, and ask to speak with a parts, service, or sales representative about winterizing equipment. We'll be happy to come to you or welcome you in one of the stores.

We are running some winter specials that will get you ready for spring and keep your downtime to a minimum. Check out these great inspection programs—Compact & Utility Tractors $134, Combines $199, Round & Square Balers $199. Please contact your local service department for complete details.

On a side note make sure to join us this Saturday, December 5, for our annual Santa Day at either the Bryan or Navasota location. Have a photo taken with Santa and enjoy hot dogs, drinks, train rides, face painting, a moon jump and more. Brazos Animal Shelter will also have puppies and kittens for to view and pet. You can also enter to WIN a FREE Battery Powered Toy John Deere Gator!

Brad Timmerman is a service technician in the Bryan store. He welcomes comments or questions.