New System For Bulk Buying Of Herbicides

New System For Bulk Buying Of Herbicides SPECIALTY/SERVICES Specialty/Services 4-4-24 Buying pesticides through the new Quantum Systems Club is saving many farmers and custom applicators time and bother. Brayton Chemicals, pesticide distributor from West Burlington, Iowa, now sells a dozen or so farm chemicals in 150, 230, or 250 gal. containers. The company has several hundreds of dealers through 17 supply warehouses in Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Kentucky and Missouri. Quantum System containers are 43 in. square and fit easily into a pickup, or several can be loaded onto bigger trucks. Containers are designed for quick handling with a forklift. Or, you can attach a chain to handy holes in upper corners of the frame and use a front-end loader. Tank height ranges from 28 in. for the 150 gal. size, to 45 in. for the 250 gal. model. Weight (empty) is about 500 lbs. A full container can weight 1-11 tons, depending on size. Frame design permits easy stacking. Bill Fleig, Brayton field sales manager and director of the Quantum System Club operation, says members can choose either a 12 or 110-volt pump especially designed for pesticide use. The pumps, made by Great Plains Industries, Wichita, Kan., have a capacity of 13 gpm and are accurate to ? 0.6-0.8%, says Fleig. In explaining the Quantum System Club program, he cites the following advantages: Accurate pesticide measurement, increased safety because of reduced operator exposure to chemicals, no rinsing or cleanup of container, and no container disposal problems. Fleig adds that chemical prices to Club members are competitive with, or below, those for similar pesticides sold in 5 gal. containers; An initial 5-year $700 membership establishes a customer's files, provides use of one Quantum System container, provides container delivery and pickup by the dealer, and container cleaning. When the first container is used up, or nearly gone, Brayton is notified and another full container is delivered. If the first container is still being used, the customer has three more days to empty and return it. If less than 150 gals. is needed to finish the season, you can fill out the remainder with conventional 5 gal. cans. For an additional $35 "change of product" fee, members may switch to a different product with any new container. But, an additional $500 membership is required if more than one chemical container is used at a time, such as Sutan and atrazine. Fleig points out that Quantum System tanks are sealed and equipped with a one-way valve to prevent opening or contamination in any way. A sump in the bottom permits complete emptying. After materials are pumped out, nothing can be pumped back in. Users are not required or even permitted to rinse the tank before it is returned to Brayton for cleaning and refilling. Fleig estimates that use of bulk chemicals in the Quantum System can cut in half the time needed to load a 50 acre spray-load of chemicals. Some of the units are also being used to meter chemicals into irrigation water. For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Bill Fleig, Brayton Chemicals, Box 437, West Burlington, Iowa 52655 (ph 319 752-6324).

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