Two John Deere dealerships have merged, creating a company with four locations in Vermont and New York.

Hendy Bros. and Giroux Bros. have merged to create a new company, Mountain View Equipment.

Hendy Bros. has locations on 101 Route 4 East, just across the line in Rutland and on Route 7 in Middlebury; Giroux Bros. operates stores in Plattsburgh and Malone, N.Y.

Mike Hendy called it a merger of equals, driven by changes in the industry with John Deere leading the way.

“Within the equipment industry, there is a tremendous push of consolidation that’s been going on over the last five to 10 years,” Hendy said. “A lot of that comes with the encouragement of the manufacturers to consolidate dealerships.”

He said the trend started in the Midwest and South and has now made its way to the Northeast.

“I have no doubt that dealing with one entity versus two entities is more economical for Deere,” he said.

Hendy Bros. and Giroux Bros., both third-generation family businesses, started merger discussions a couple of years ago, Hendy said.

The Hendy family felt that “if we wanted to maintain a presence in this industry and be a player, a move such as this was one that was going to be required,” he said.

Mountain View Equipment carries other equipment lines, including Husqvarna, Claas, Stihl, Anderson, Jamesway and Oxbox.

The company serves two different customer bases: the agricultural community, from dairy farmers to loggers; and the turf and utility sector, with its commercial mowers and smaller tractors.

Mountain View Equipment has a total of 50 employees at four locations.

“There is no significant changes in how people do business with us,” Hendy said