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Stuart Whitehouse 'Straight Talking' - RB35 Testimonial
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Stuart Whitehouse of GS Whitehouse & Sons farms on the border of South Birmingham, and Worcestershire. A mixed farm, 800 acres being arable, 250 acres of grassland and 150 head of Beef Cattle. Cropping rape, wheat, barley, oats, beans, plus occasional contracting.
What Bateman sprayer do you run?
We run an RB35 with a 4000l tank, 30m VG Boom with BBL, Lighting Pack and Agleader 10 section control.
How long have you been running Bateman sprayers?
For approximately 11 years. Previously we owned an RB26 with a 24 contour boom, which we bought second hand at 3 ½ years old and used for 6 years.
What made you choose Bateman?
Our spraying was previously done by a contractor who ran Bateman sprayers for years. We were using mounted sprayers and got fed up with taking the sprayer off, putting the fert spinner on and so forth. It was a massive jump for us but it made the job so much easier from the get go.
Can you describe the terrain you spray across and the benefits that BBL provides?
We spray across some undulating terrain, the BBL makes a real difference to spraying these fields on difficult days when the wind gets up. The combination of the BBL with the Lighting Pack for spraying at night is phenomenal. The Lighting Pack turns night into day.
How would you rate the back up from Bateman?
When you need them, they get you going. We had an air conditioning pump fail on a Saturday, they put one in a car and got it to us the same day, because we had ground to a halt. The air con engineer fitted it on the night and we were back up and running.
Parts are here quickly when you order them. If an engineer is with us, they seem to carry everything on the van. They are on it because that’s what they do.
How do you find the cost efficiency?
The cost of ownership is cheap enough. The price of the sprayer is a significant part of the job, but when you look at the price of chemicals you run over the year, the sprayer is pretty cost effective. Particularly when you consider the service and parts costs which are very reasonable.
Are you able to sum up what owning a Bateman means to you?
It’s easy to use, you can rattle through the acres. It’s a comfy, nice working environment, when you do a 12-hour day you don’t notice you’ve done it. The back-up is good, cost of ownership is excellent and the residual value is second to none.