History : Download the 2011 Show Guide - Agri-Expo

Bristling with new ideas
A UK distributor is cleaning up after taking
on the distribution rights for a new brush
that is bristling with improved design
features.
Visitors to the Agri-Expo (SE) show who want
to learn more should visit the Huntsmoor
Park Farm stand, were Bill Lidgate will be
explaining the advantages of the new Broomate
brush, manufactured by bristle and
brush specialists Osborn International.
The Buckinghamshire based distributor
is keen to show Kent, Sussex and Surrey
farmers how the new brush has tackled the
design faults that beset its competitors.
He is also a fan of the whole idea of Agri-
Expo (SE). “This part of the country really
needs an agricultural show like this and I am
looking forward to talking to farmers about
the benefits of this new product,” he said.
The brush is made in the UK and has a 5mm
galvanised steel canopy with 5mm side
bars. It also features bracing bars that have
been fitted between the 11 banks of bristle
hangers both to add strength and to stop
the bristles clogging.
The stronger design means the six feet wide
Midimate and eight feet wide Maximate
brushes are less prone to being damaged by
impact with posts and walls.
The 2.8mm polypropylene bristles and the
hood design makes the Broomate ideal for
grain stores, where Bill said it can sweep a
ventilated floor clean in one push without
creating any dust.
“Sweeping out a grain store normally creates
huge amounts of dust, but this design traps
it under the bristles and the hood,” he said.
The Broomate can be attached to a forklift
or any quick release hitch on something like
a JCB. It can also be fitted with a three-point
linkage and used with a tractor.
Launched at UK Grain in November and
already selling well, Bill said the new
product had been designed to deal with the
design issues that had plagued its competitors
and was quickly finding a niche in the
market.
The Broomate is also ideal for cleaning
slurry because the bristles scrape into the
cracks and grooves in a concrete surface and
clean them properly rather than skimming
over the top. The bristles are easily replaceable
and the brushes are designed to last for
at least four years even under testing conditions.
The larger model costs £1,350, while the six
feet Midimate sells for £1,095. “Not only
are they better than rival brushes, they are
cheaper, too,” said Bill.
2011 29
BiG M 400