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"B" Level System
US Patent No. 8,534,981
In the fall of 2009 I decided it was time to work on one of those projects that had been on my "to do list" for years. I had wanted to make an insulated calf box for those days when newborns needed assistance. We had always used the back seat of a super or crew cab pickup to warm up and transport those babies to and from the barn. This worked very well, the only problem being that by the end of calving season and an occasional trip to town with a scouring calf, our pickup was a disaster area. That first fecal material that comes out of a baby calf rivals some of the best glue 3M ever came up with. When it dries, you might as well go get the power washer to clean the interior. I am sure most of you can relate. Once I started on the calf box I knew I needed to have the ability to load and unload the box without having to use the loader or forklift and the box had been on my to do list for so long that Carla and I had grown old and were now struggling to throw calves up on the back of a pickup, let alone in a box. In technical terms, we needed to be able to load and unload a live and mobile cargo and maintain the vertical and horizontal axis in planes parallel to their originating positions. In layman terms we needed to be able to put a calf in a box at ground level and load and unload the box with out dumping the baby on his head. The solution was to build an insulated and heated calf box that could be loaded and unloaded using a slightly modified hydraulic bale bed, thus the "B" Level System was born. Once I got the geometry correct, I decided to apply the concept to our electric fence post racks. We had always used chains to swing them on the back of the pickups but seemed to be dumping the posts about every third or fourth time we handled the racks. Then I realized what all could be done with the ability to safely load and unload virtually any cargo that could fit on a pickup regardless of the location of the center of gravity. Our "B" link is what separates our platforms and racks from others on the market that require the load to be centered. Next up was a multi-purpose rack capable of handling ATV's, lumber, welders, toolboxes, generators, cutting torches, pianos, freezers, pumps, sacked feed and seed. An unexpected use was filling the rack with t-posts and barb wire this spring. We could feed bales in the morning and grab the rack in the afternoon to fix fence with then drop the rack and finish our evening chores without handling the fencing supplies twice. Then came the real challenge, could I make an attachment that would convert a hydraulic bale bed into a fork lift using the "B" Level System? Prototype 1 is pictured but had some serious overweight issues so in order to perform liposuction on the patient I started over on version 2. It is off of the drawing board but still going through some modifications. The goal is to be able to handle 2500-3000 pounds of palletized or containerized cargo. Along with the age factor that made loading baby calves difficult came an ever decreasing desire to run our momma cows through a manually operated squeeze chute to preg check or vaccinate. To alleviate this decreased desire, we purchased a new Silencer chute, which I must say is a very nice addition. We just preg checked 173 one day and 182 the next and each time we were done in 2 hours. Had we still been using the old Powder River manual I chute I would of had to rest for 2 weeks between groups and probably worked for 3 1/2 hours each day. In order to make this new chute truly portable and save trips I made a set of "B" Level brackets for the chute and load it on the pickup and pull our double alley behind the pickup so we can go form pasture to pasture and be set up in less than an hour to work the next group. After some encouragement from friends and neighbors Carla and I have decided to patent the "B" Level System. It is officially in "Patent Pending" status, which can be a long drawn out process. We have reached an agreement with Blattner Manufacturing of Rozel, KS to manufacture the attachments. The next modifications will be to a version of the calf box that is divided into two compartments and with an optional door with increased ventilation that would allow it to be used for hunting dogs also. I am also contemplating a longer multi-purpose rack for larger beds that would handle golf carts as well as ATV's and Jet Ski's. Please note that all the pictures are of attachments that I built and use on the farm and are farm tested tuff. So far the only limiting factor we have encountered is the bed's lifting capacity. We have not been able to take anything we made to failure yet. Which probably means they are over engineered and too heavy at this point and time. Versions 2 have more secure attaching pins and sockets instead of just bale spikes in pipe. The attachments fit Cannonball beds, HydraBeds by Triple C and DeWeeze beds.. We can adapt them to fit other brand of beds. I would be interested in hearing your comments, suggestions, and criticism. Please contact us at 620 656-4425 or 620 546-6077 with your comments or to place your orders. Your loading and unloading will "Be safe, Be quick, and Be easy with the "B" Level System".
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