Nelson Tractor Company is a three-generation family business founded in 1949 by Cecil Nelson in Blairsville, Georgia. What started as a small tractor shop on Young Harris Street has grown over 75 years into one of Georgia's most trusted equipment dealers, now serving contractors, landowners, farmers, and commercial landscapers from locations in Blairsville, Jasper, and Dalton. Nelson Tractor is the oldest Kubota dealer in Georgia, the fourth-oldest in the country, and also carries Land Pride, Bush Hog, Ferris, and Stihl. Whether you need new equipment, service, or parts, the Nelson family and their team are here to help you keep working.
Cecil Nelson got his start working at a Chevrolet dealership in Blairsville. When a local Ford tractor dealer named Ralph Quick Sr. offered to sell him four tractors, Cecil took the chance. He opened shop on Young Harris Street in 1949, fixing and selling whatever came through the door. Tractors, cars, trucks, bodywork, painting. If it had an engine, Cecil would figure it out.
Cecil passed the business to his son, W.C. Nelson, who made one of the most consequential decisions in company history. In 1970, W.C. began importing Kubota equipment from Japan, two full years before Kubota officially entered the U.S. market. That early bet on Kubota shaped everything that followed. At present, Nelson Tractor is the oldest Kubota dealer in Georgia and the fourth-oldest in the United States.
Today, Will Nelson leads Nelson Tractor Company as CEO and President. Will holds a B.S. in Finance and Economics from Lipscomb University and has served on the board of the Southern Equipment Dealers Association for over 10 years, including a term as president. Under his leadership, NTC has grown to three locations and earned every major award Kubota offers.
Will Nelson puts it simply:
"It isn't about the money—it's about the relationships. My dad always believed in doing things the right way. He used to say, 'If you're gonna take time to do something, do it right. People appreciate that. And it doesn't cost a dime to treat people with kindness.'"
One of the best compliments Will ever received came from a longtime customer who told him:
"Son, I bought a tractor from your granddaddy, then your daddy, and now I've bought one from you, and honestly, I can't tell the difference."
That is what Nelson Tractor Company is built to protect. The feeling that you are doing business with people who know your name, stand behind what they sell, and will be here next time you need them.
Nelson Tractor has been part of North Georgia's communities since before most of the organizations it supports existed. The team sponsors and coaches Union County Panther football, supports the Georgia Cattlemen's Association, 4-H, and FFA programs across the region, and opens the Blairsville community room (seating 150) for local events year-round. For the Nelsons, showing up for the community is the same as showing up for customers. It is all the same people.
The awards on our wall tell a story about how we take care of customers. They reflect years of consistent service, strong parts departments, and a team that takes ownership of the work.