Take An Oil And Grease Shop To The Field

MARKETPLACE NEWS
M16 June 2006
Take an oil and grease shop to the ﬁ eld
By ERIC McMULLIN
Key Points
AS president and owner of Basic ■ Yard Dog was named “Product of the
Industries in Pixley, Calif., Bill
Year” at the 2005 World Ag Expo.
Martin loves to tinker.
■ Basic Lube Rack design isn’t patented,
Each year, he brings an innovative
and Bill Martin says you can copy it.
product to the World Ag Expo. Last
■ One customer moves his Basic Lube Skid
year, his Yard Dog won “Product of the
every six months with a forklift.
Year.” In 2003, he premiered the Basic
Lube Rack, which remains a best-seller.
tomer who’s mounting a frame inside
It consists of a metal frame and founda-
of a horse trailer. Another one is put-
tion on which he places two or three ting everything on the back of a ﬂ atbed
150-gallon oil tanks, depending on the trailer. He’s putting ﬁ ve tanks on it, an
customer’s wishes, and three to ﬁ ve
air compressor, a fuel tank and a pump.
hose reels.
He’s got it all.
“Typically, motor oil and hydraulic
“That’s about a $30,000 job,” Martin
oil go in the big tanks, with a drum of
says proudly.
gear oil and a quarter-drum of grease on
The idea for the Basic Lube Rack
the side,” says Martin. “One of the reels
came from one of those custom jobs.
is usually an air hose, and there are 5-
“We used to design and build oil
gallon buckets for things like transmis-
and grease racks on-site for people,” MOBILE SHOP:
sion ﬂ uid or different-weight motor oil.”
he explains. “But you can’t just mount
Bill Martin
Each rack is a custom item, but av-
those reels on a wall. The wall has to developed the
erage price is around $7,500. Its design
be reinforced and each site is different,
Yard Dog self-
isn’t patented, and Martin doesn’t mind
so we’d end up running back and forth
propelled lube
if others copy it.
between the site and our shop 20 times
system that lets
“I suppose I should at least trademark
or more.”
you take the
the name, but it really doesn’t matter,”
At the same time, once the facility shop to your
equipment.
he says. “It wouldn’t make sense to was built, it couldn’t be moved.
Hydrostatically
transport these very far, so we just sell
“Most times, you would leave it in driven, the Yard
to the local market anyway. Besides, place anyway,” says Martin. “But what if
Dog comes with
our products are primarily pumps and
you wanted to build a new shop, or put
a 45-gallon waste
the reels. The rack is just something to
your oil and grease on another prop-
oil tank. It was
put them on.”
erty? It’s hard to know how things will
named a Top 10
be in 20 years.
New Product at
Shop in a horse trailer
“The rack can be moved with a fork-
2005 World Ag
In 2004, Martin premiered his Basic lift, although you have to be careful. It’s
Expo.
Lube Skid, which is a portable oil and
meant to stay where you ﬁ rst put it, but
grease facility that can be loaded onto a
it can be moved if necessary.”
“That’s a real advantage to him,” eral hose reels. It should be up off the
pickup truck or trailer and transported
Martin has one customer who moves
says Martin.
ﬂ oor a few inches so it can be moved by
to the ﬁ eld or work site. In 2005, he dis-
his Basic Lube Skid about every six
forklift, and it should be large enough to
played the Yard Dog, a self-propelled oil
months. “But that’s just for cleaning. He
Free to copy
accommodate future expansion.
and grease facility.
very carefully lifts the skid and moves
Anyone looking to copy the Basic Lube
McMullin writes from the West Coast.
“A lot of what we do is design and it 6 feet or so. Then he degreases the Rack needs to weld a metal frame to-
build portable transport for oil and ﬂ oor, cleans and washes the area, and
gether that’s sturdy enough to hold two
■ Reach Martin at P.O. Box 255, Pixley,
grease,” he explains. “We have one cus-
puts the skid back in place.
or three 150-gallon tanks, as well as sev-
CA 93256; or call (559) 757-3123.
Nine ideas for a high-value alfalfa harvest
By DAN
in the region or to use a forage-quality
■ Scout ﬁ elds and spray. Alfalfa
UNDERSANDER
stick. We have found the optimum cut-
weevil in some areas and years, and
Focus on Forages
Focus on Forages
ting date for high-quality alfalfa can vary
potato leaf hopper in most areas and
ALFALFA management can
by as much as two weeks from year to
years, can cause signiﬁ cant yield losses
mean the difference be-
year.
if not controlled. This is particularly
tween 3-ton or 6- to 8-ton to get another year out of a stand, but
■ Cut alfalfa short. We have found true of new seeding alfalfa where this
yields. Since ﬁ xed costs (land, taxes, remember, when stand density falls approximately a half-ton yield increase
pest can stunt the crop so it will never
equipment depreciation, etc.) remain below 55 stems per square foot, the for each inch shorter alfalfa is cut, yield as well in future years — even if
the same and the difference between stand is limiting yield. You would not down to 1.5 inches. The only reason to
the insect is not present.
harvesting a 1-ton and a 2-ton yield is plant corn or soybeans at a low stand cut higher is if smooth bromegrass or
■ Minimize driving on the ﬁ eld.
less than 10%, proﬁ t clearly relates to density — why keep a thin alfalfa stand
timothy is mixed with the alfalfa; then,
While some trafﬁ c is necessary for har-
high yields.
that is low yielding?
cut at 4 inches.
vesting, each trip damages the stand
■ Plant high-yielding varieties.
■ Make a wide swath. Hay in a and reduces the next cutting’s yield.
Management is key
In 20 years of alfalfa variety trials con-
swath covering more than 80% of the First, minimize driving on the ﬁ eld by
Certain management practices can lead
ducted at several sites, we have found
cut area will dry faster. Faster initial eliminating unnecessary trips. Second,
to high yields of high-quality alfalfa, in-
the average range in yield between the
drying will preserve more starches and
reduce the effect of wheel trafﬁ c by
cluding:
top and bottom variety within each sugars through the curing process and
doing the driving on the ﬁ eld as quickly
■ Ensure optimum soil pH and trial is 2.5 tons per acre per year. That increase the total digestible nutrients, as possible after cutting. Each day the
fertility. Yield declines dramatically difference would pay for the seed cost
or TDN, of the harvested forage.
trafﬁ c occurs following cutting causes
as soil pH falls below 6.8. Alfalfa needs several times over for every year of the
■ Minimize ash content. Newer an additional 4% to 6% yield loss from
more potassium than most other crops.
stand. So, it pays to pick a variety that
forage analyses clearly point out the the next cutting.
Potassium must be supplied annually yields well.
loss that additional soil contamination
Alfalfa is a high-value crop that re-
in a single or split application to grow
■ Harvest on time. Since the ﬁ rst causes to hay value. Ash content of al-
quires speciﬁ c management practices
high-quality forages. Other nutrients, cutting of alfalfa equals about 40% of falfa and grasses is 6% to 8%. Each 1%
to produce high yields. High yields
such as phosphorus, boron and sulfur, the total season yield and is often used
additional ash (soil contamination) is result in greater proﬁ t since costs in-
can be supplied by either manure or fer-
to reﬁ ll silos for the milking herd, appro-
1% less TDN. Average ash content of hay
crease only minimally with high-yield
tilizer.
priate harvesttime is crucial. A key tech-
and haylage samples submitted to the
management.
■ Get good stand density. This is nique is to harvest ﬁ rst-cutting alfalfa University of Wisconsin Soil and Forage
Undersander is an agronomist with
often overlooked as farmers are trying based on scissors-clip results reported
Testing Laboratory is 10% to 12%.
University of Wisconsin Extension.