Lime spreading is hardwired into MBS Contract Services, the sister company of Murray Brown and Son.
The family has been spreading lime since 1974, initially with a series of 8t and 10t Bedford truck conversions, travelling in a 60-mile radius from its Scarborough base, with a lot of work initially coming from the drive to reclaim moorland.
“When we started, most of the lime had to be shovelled into the spreader by hand,” explains Melvyn, who worked with his father, Murray. “On a really good day, you’d be able to spread 100t.”
As the parent company diversified, and Melvyn’s son James and grandson Harry joined the business, the decision was made to separate the contract lime spreading.
Alongside this, they introduced fertiliser spreading to the business, and set about upgrading the fleet of equipment, which now consisted of trailed units pulled behind a Fastrac 4220 and a Fendt 939 Vario.
James says they looked to KRM Bredal machines, initially purchasing two K105s, with hopper extensions and a Botex crane second-hand to test the potential.
“Straightaway we could see the benefit,” he explains. “Tight weather windows had made the job more difficult, and having a loader on site to fill the spreaders caused unnecessary compaction and mess. The Botex crane eliminates all of this.”
Two-man efficiency
With just James and Harry working full-time, with an owner/operator from local contractor WH Richardson coming on-board at peak times, efficiency was key.
The introduction of the spreader-mounted cranes has been a major part of this. Instead of having to tow an additional trailer with a loader, James and Harry can load and spread with a single machine.
“It’s far quicker as well because we’re not swapping between the tractor and loader constantly,” Harry says. “Not only that, if there isn’t a convenient unloading place for the lime, we can load the spreaders directly from the wagon.”
To further boost efficiency, the pair recently added a K135 model to the fleet, again equipped with a Botex crane and purchased through local dealer Russell’s.
This machine has a base capacity of 12cu m, with extensions taking it up to 14.9cu m, as well as a rear steering axle, which James says means they can easily get into tight gateways.
It is Isobus controlled – which James adds he wouldn’t be without now – and has section control and variable-rate control, meaning they can offer a greater level of accuracy for their customers. Spreading widths across the three machines reach a maximum of 12m for lime, with 36m possible for fertiliser applications, depending on the quality.
“When I look back on what we used to spread in a day with my dad, this just blows it out of the water,” says James.
“It used to take two men and two machines to spread 100t, now we’re easily reaching 900t in a day. It means we can keep our existing customers happy and look to expand the business without significantly increasing staff numbers.”
Keep moving
MBS Contract Services offers a full service to its customers, from soil testing through to sourcing the lime and fertiliser, organising deliveries and spreading, all within tight windows.
“It’s no good having a pile of lime delivered and then letting it sit there in the rain,” James says. “We pride ourselves on being on farm as soon as the product is delivered.”
This means that uptime is vital, and one of the advantages of the KRM Bredal range is the easy maintenance, he adds. “They are robust machines, and while they’re advanced when it comes to spreading, it’s easy to keep them maintained. You don’t need diagnostic computers to figure out what’s wrong.”
More importantly, James says the team at KRM, notably Ted Barker, sales manager for northern England, are always at the end of the phone. “If we have any questions, Ted can normally help us over the phone. It means we’re always ready to spread.”