Fertilizer and Seed Tenders: Manufacturers Focus on Improving Equipment Safety, Practicality

The manufacturers of tenders are focused on making sure retailers don’t get hurt — physically or financially.

Safety continues to be a primary concern, according to multiple companies. “The single most-pressing issue to the industry these days is safety — hands down,” Hays LTI General Manager Matt Hays says. “We enjoy this competitive market that drives us all to improve on the safety features of our equipment, and we are constantly adding updates on the drawing table and in the field.”

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Along those lines, Doyle Equipment Manufacturing, for one, has been working with other manufacturers to supply safety alarms on tenders that alert operators when tender augers are either in the up or out position.

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Shawn Hudspeth, General Manager with Adams Fertilizer Equipment, cites safety ports and electric roll tarps in addition to the auger warning alarms.

The port inspection holes, Juette says, allow operators to see inside hoppers without having to climb the ladder. In tandem, optional vibrators help with hopper cleanout. Doyle also offers its Safety Stick, which is a telescoping camera system that allows operators to see the inside of the tender from the ground.

Value Statements

Practicality is a must for tender buyers, according to several tender manufacturers.

440 Roll Top 2019 Conveyor Facing Toward Side

Patriot Equipment’s 440 Conveyor Seed Tender.

“In lean financial periods such as the present, buyers want a high-quality, fully functioning seed tender for a low price,” Patriot Equipment Marketing Director Kevin Hervert says. “They’re not as interested in equipment that has all of the extra bells and whistles, or options, that are now seen as a luxury. A seed tender that is reliable, affordable, and built to last has much more appeal now than a seed tender with fancy options that are nice but unnecessary.”

Shan Kruse, General Manager with Peterson Motors Co./Quickveyor, says his company strives to create the best value statement for its customers.

“Customers now require that their tenders not only provide value through speed, payload, and efficiency during the fertilizer season; they must also provide value to the customer over the rest of the year by being flexible enough to do other things — like efficiently hauling commodities to the terminal and returning with fertilizer and seed,” Kruse says.

Last year was an “incredibly challenging year for farmers,” Larry Myers, Marketing Manager with Strobel Manufacturing, says. “We feel that efficiency and innovation continue to be the most critical issues for agriculture moving into 2020.”

Adds Denny Stahl, Regional Sales Manager, Norwood Sales: “I’m not sure there are any real pressing issues. An important factor is reliability, simplicity, and speed of tenders. The faster you move the product out, the more work you can get done in a day’s time.”

Trends to Watch

Tender manufacturers suggest a variety of developments that could occur as early as this year.

“In 2020 users should expect to see a major shift in the ease of use and reliability of their tenders,” Hays says. “Newer and better parts and components, more-focused engineering changes, and overall updated manufacturing are our main goals each year to update the older and newer tender models.”

Norwood Tender

Norwood Sales’ 933 Tender.

Companies, according to Doyle’s Juette, are making more components out of stainless steel rather than carbon steel, which increases longevity of tender life.

Increased capacity is also on the horizon.

“One change in seed tenders is that farming operations have a need for larger seed tenders,” Patriot’s Hervert says. “To save time and money, large seed tenders help deliver large amounts of seed to planters while reducing the number of trips back and forth from the farm to the field.”

Strobel Manufacturing, Myers says, has noticed an increase in bulk tenders for those producers treating and moving large amounts of seed.

Norwood Sales is offering a new remote engine for use without hydraulics. In place of a “big gas-hungry diesel engine,” Stahl says, it is small enough to leave room on the tender trailer for storage and such.

Adams’ Hudspeth says he expects to see standardization of steeper-sloped hoppers to handle the ever-increasing impregnated or “wet” products in conjunction with safety ports for ease of discharge.

Returning to the topic of safety, Juette concludes, “I think new ways to make tenders safer will still come about with retailers and manufacturers working together.”

Company News

• Adams Fertilizer Equipment — In 2019 the company introduced the 49- and 65-hp Kubota engines to its tender line, a move that was “very successful,” Hudspeth says. This year Adams will add Isuzu as an optional engine for clients who standardize on Isuzu. The company will also have a standardized auger warning system on all tenders moving forward, he adds.
Doyle Equipment Manufacturing — Last year the company expanded its overhead discharge tender to include the 32-foot model, which allows retailers to haul more to the field while making fewer trips, Juette says. The overhead auger-style tender also allows easier fill of the different compartments of the applicators, he says. In 2020 Doyle Manufacturing will invest in new blending, conveying, tender, and spreading equipment to keep up with demand. It is replacing one of its smaller 4,000-watt laser cutters with a new 8,000-watt fiber optic machine. “This update gives us two 8,000-watt and one 4,000-watt laser in house,” Juette says. “With these three lasers, Doyle’s cutting capacity will average 45,000 pounds per day. Also, we are adding robotic positioners, which will increase production and allow our welders to handle the parts less and put the parts in easier-to-weld positions for them.” Doyle will introduce new items at the Aug. 26-27 MAGIE show in Bloomington, IL.

Hays LTI’s 24T 2-C Tender.

Hays LTI’s 24T 2-C Tender.

Hays LTI — Last year was a “great year” for the company’s manufacturing plant, Matt Hays says. “We shifted our focus to upgrading our tenders in many areas, including lowering the center of gravity of the tenders, redesigning our ladders and handrails with a more safety-oriented approach, and constantly improving the performance of our equipment.” In 2020 Hays will offer new safety system options on its tenders, particularly a discharge auger-lowering alarm to remind users if the discharge auger is not in the lowered or “travel” position when hooking up to their trucks. The company is also offering new options, such as a stainless hopper cradle along with many other performance improvements, Hays says. “We have also made strides to update our new manufacturing plant here in Camilla, GA, to improve lead times and the overall quality of our equipment,” he adds.
• Norwood Sales — The company made few changes in 2019, with the exception of introducing a rear discharge tender to go along with its side discharge tender. “We are one of few tender manufacturers using a belt vs. auger,” Stahl says. “It has proven to be a success and well liked in the marketplace.” Norwood, Stahl says, is also the only manufacturer of tenders to build a uni-body chassis trailer when all others build a tender and mount them on a separately built trailer. “(That’s) a trailer that in a couple of years will have to be completely rebuilt or replaced because of the damage fertilizer does to it,” he says. “With the Norwood tender, all you have is a high-grade 304 stainless-steel uni-body built underneath and no trailer — a clean and neat unit that lasts a long time.”
• Patriot Equipment — The company is releasing its new Patriot 440 Conveyor Seed Tender, which boasts a delivery system that can carry 367 bushels to planters. “It’s especially beneficial to farmers who operate center fill, or commodity, planters that hold much more seed than older, ground-level planters,” Hervert says. “It’s capable of putting out 18 bushels per minute. With the scale option, the Patriot 440 Conveyor Seed Tender can easily be programmed to deliver exact amounts of seed to planters of any size.”
• Peterson Motors Co./Quickveyor — The company designed its relatively new 50-foot triple-axle tender, the QV50, to provide additional capacity across the board (to include off-season commodity hauling). “And when there are load limits put on spring-time roads, it truly excels,” Kruse says. “What we have seen in our customers is a continuing trend toward capacity, simplicity, durability, and flexibility. Customers want the largest capacity tender they can put to use. … Our modern tenders are light-years ahead of those produced even five years ago.”
Strobel Manufacturing — The rollout of the company’s one-piece rubber gaskets and increased stop heights has gone over “very well,” Myers says. “We continue to listen to the producer and respond to the needs in the marketplace.” The manufacturer continues to provide the lowest seed tenders on the market, Myers adds, “allowing farmers to safely and conveniently move seed at a time of the year that can be very stressful.”

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