About Us
Tuttle Motor Company was founded in 1933 by two brothers, Dwight, and George Tuttle. After a few years, George left the company and went to work for the International Harvester district office in San Antonio, Texas. Poteet was close to the San Antonio area and vegetable and strawberry farming was a booming business. Dwight saw this opportunity, and acquired the International Harvester contract for farm equipment, tractors, and trucks in December of 1934. When he sold his first tractor, he traded for a team of mules. This trading continued until local merchants thought he would go broke. They did not know that the way he traded for the mules, he had no money invested in them and was able to sell them at a nice profit. Later in the decade, he expanded Tuttle Motor Company’s offering by taking on Chrysler and Desoto automobiles.
During this time, Eldon Tuttle, Sr., Dwight’s nephew, worked off and on as a tractor mechanic. Eldon eventually opened his own shop next door to Tuttle Motor Company. In 1954, Dwight and Eldon Sr. merged their businesses into Tuttle Motor Company and incorporated it. Dwight Tuttle passed away in 1972 and Eldon Tuttle Sr. purchased the remainder of the business from Dwight’s wife, AEolia. Eldon Tuttle, Jr. began working in the family business at the age of fourteen during summers. He has been involved in the business for over four decades. In 1979, Eldon Tuttle Sr. retired, and Eldon Tuttle Jr. became the owner of Tuttle Motor Company at the age of twenty-seven.
For many years, the area farmers prospered growing peanuts and Tuttle Motor Company shared in their prosperity. But Eldon Tuttle, Jr. sensed a change was coming and acquired Kuhn hay equipment and took on Polaris ATVs. He sold the Chrysler franchise in 1985 and replaced it with a hardware store under the same roof. At this point, he changed the name of the company to Tuttle Motor & Hardware. In the early 1990s, the government peanut program was phased out and almost all area farmers quit growing peanuts. He acquired ranch and feed equipment to cater to cattle feeding and the growing trend of wildlife ranchers buying up the local farms. Over the years, Tuttle Motor & Hardware has acquired an extensive line of equipment suited for its South Texas customers. This includes equipment from Case IH, Kuhn Knight, Rhino, Bush Hog, Aerway, Athens, Westendorf, Haybusters, Great Plains, and Steffen Systems.”
Jump to 2013, Eldon’s Daughter Erinn “Tuttle” Walker and her husband Evan Walker start their roles to take on the future of Tuttle Motor Company. Through these years they both take on various roles to learn the business’s ins and outs from Eldon himself. They also took this time to learn the company for themselves and grow their knowledge to take over the company in the future.
In 2018, Evan & Erinn are starting to have a very extensive role in Tuttle Motor & Hardware. Training eventually to fully take over the reins of the company and pass to the next generation. In 2018 the inventory lineage acquired at Tuttle Motor & Hardware had grown exceptionally picking up Kawasaki, Gravely, Cub Cadet, Echo & Stihl. So, the choice to branch off and have another store that solely focused on Powersports & Lawn Equipment came to be. Tuttle Outdoor Power was born and became the second location. The business blossomed and took off to create a customer base of its own, but just like any business, the space was outgrown quickly as new brands were acquired at each store location.
In 2022, a 35- acre lot located at 110194 IH 37 Pleasanton, TX 78064 was bought, and the goal was to have enough land to be able to conjoin both locations together under one roof. In May 2022, the generational torch was handed over to Evan & Erinn “Tuttle” Walker and they broke ground on the future of Tuttle. This is where the tricky work began, both stores acted and represented the same family name, but housed two different types of equipment. The main idea was to create a place that a customer to come and be able to buy a piece of equipment to finish a job all the way through. As the company decided the “Hardware” Department would not follow and “Motor” represented the Chrysler and Desoto automobiles, then to be able to fit everything under one roof the decision was made for the new store to be, Tuttle Outdoor Power. The company knew the name “Tuttle” could stand on its own, a brand, and history would follow. “Outdoor” encompassed every piece of equipment and experience Tuttle has to offer, especially the Agriculture and Lawn side. “Power” represented the new and future of all lines, Tuttle planned to take on for the Powersport side. The new dealership would represent the new generation of Tuttle and the capability to grow.
In 2023 Evan Walker officially became President and the new dealership, Tuttle Outdoor Power opened its doors in July of 2023. With a 10,000 SQ FT showroom, drive-through service area, multiple parts counters, over twenty lines of Agriculture, Powersports and Lawn equipment, Tuttle is set for the future ahead. As of today, Tuttle Outdoor Power has acquired Case IH, Massey Ferguson, Kuhn, Polaris, Kawasaki, Marcrest- Bale Baron, Bush Hog, Rhino, Gravely, Hustler, Cub Cadet, Scag, Stihl, Echo, Great Plains, Ag-Meier, Elston, Armstrong Ag, and more. Tuttle Outdoor Power plans to be the one stop shop for everything Agriculture, Powersport and Lawn equipment. Rebranded with a new logo and new mottos that are able to describe the business as a whole. Taking the history of a four-generation family business and taking it to the next level.
Two generations are rare, three generations are unheard of, four generations are virtually impossible. As Tuttle’s motto now states, Trust & Tradition Since 1933. Over 90 years, four generations, many changes and Tuttle is still going strong. When you think Sales, Service, or Parts for Agriculture, Powersports or Lawn equipment, think Tuttle.