A great team of staff, a quality fleet of machines and backup from a dependable local dealership are the fundamentals to a reliable customer base and subsequently, a dynamic family-owned contracting business, says Mike Gibbons, who manages DB Gibbons with his father, David.
“It’s all down to providing a good service with the right equipment. If we do a good job, then farmers invariably will have us back, particularly for the more challenging jobs. Most of our farm work is on dairy units, which continue to get bigger, and we’re called in for the specialist jobs, especially by those focused on managing their livestock,” he explains.
Mike returned home to his family’s West Harptree, Bristol base in 2008 after studying agricultural engineering at Lackham College, followed by a spell self-employed. “Dad established the business going on 50 years ago and continues to work, filling in the gaps. Mum, Maxine and my wife, Amy, are involved full time, while nowadays I’m spending virtually 100% of my time managing the operational day-to-day running and the team that’s grown to 40 full time employees.
“Agriculture amounts to 50% of the workload as we’ve introduced construction, slurry store installation and haulage to the portfolio – there can be some overlap,” he says. “We’ve had no master plan; the business has evolved according to demand.
“For example, tighter waste spreading windows have accelerated dairy farmers’ requirement for our services. I initially invested in one of Shelbourne Reynolds’ side discharge machines 16 years ago – it was brilliant. Next, I upgraded to two Powerspread Pro 3200s, one goes back to 2018, and the other 2021, and each is getting better and better.
“Shelbourne Reynolds manufactures big commercial machines that can quickly move large volumes. They’re robust and designed to do the job. They’re not the cheapest; however, you get what you pay for. Once I like a brand, then why change it?
“Last year, both Powerspread Pro 3200s completed a total of five months’ work, and they have proved to be versatile; while 90% of the time we use them for spreading slurry, including lagoon slurry with sand content, they’re capable of spreading solid muck too.”
Mike says he rates the machines’ spreading action. Powerspread Pro’s full-length auger rotates at 13rpm, bringing material from the front and rear of the machine to the centrally mounted discharge rotor working at 700 rpm in an overshot direction. This allows the hydraulically operated sealed door to vertically open; it utilises the complete width of the discharge rotor and acts as a shear bar to fragment the material before evenly spreading in a wide arc pattern up to 20m from the right-hand side of the machine.
“The machine’s right-hand discharge is practical since looking over your right-hand side comes naturally,” he says.
The Powerspread Pro’s safety features are also among the top benefits. “It’s amazing what you can frequently find in a slurry lagoon,” he comments. If a foreign object hits a shear bolt on the auger, auger paddles or rotor PTO, then the shear bolt can be easily changed. If the object is still lodged, then the machine’s discharge rotor floor can be hydraulically lowered, and the slurry door opened, which then allows access to remove.
The machines can frequently be found travelling on the road between farm steading and field, so the sealed hardox door is an important guarantee of no leaks or spillage, he says. Also, the wooden extension sides are part of the practical design; in the event the loader catches the spreader edge, then it’s cheaper to replace a damaged piece of 6’ x 2’ of wood than repair the machine.
“Both our machines are single axle, long wheelbase format. Manoeuvrability has never been an issue, and we like the fact they’ve got good ground clearance; that’s particularly useful when we’re emptying lagoons; it makes it easier to drive out of a steep ramp.
“Maintenance is straightforward; either the drivers or one of the maintenance team grease the chains and nipples daily, while the beaters with reversible hardox rotor plates are changed or new ones introduced every couple of years – it’s not a massive job, takes two men half a day.”
Mike adds: “Finally, it’s down to our local dealership, Reads Agri Service, who provide the business with that essential backup service, when necessary. It was the company that recommended me to invest in Shelbourne Reynolds’ Powerspread range, saying there was nothing better – and I have to agree.”