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Largest bale pickup truck in the world unveiled

Apr. 18, 2012, Wichita, KS - Feedstox (a KABB company) and Kelderman Manufacturing are debuting the largest bale picking truck (BPT) in the world at the International Biomass Conference and Expo in Denver, Colorado, April 16-18.

The 600-horsepower, eight-wheel floatation-tired bale picking truck is the first of its kind. It is designed to dramatically reduce the field collection cost of square biomass bales by accumulating nearly three semi-loads of square bales per hour. Without exceeding soil compaction standards, the BPT collects a semi-truck load of 3’ x 4’ x 8’ bales and stacks them in one unit at the side of the field for highway transport by a self-loading trailer (SLT).

The BPT is one of three pieces of a biomass supply system manufactured for KABB by Kelderman Manufacturing of Oskaloosa, Iowa. This equipment joins the Feedstox fleet of advanced harvesting equipment available for lease to interested parties. This state-of-the-art fleet can increase farmer profitability, reduce fuel consumption and related emissions, and improve logistics processes through greater efficiency and speed compared to traditional harvesting equipment.

“The BPT is designed to revolutionize the harvesting of crop residues such as corn stover and wheat straw as well as crops such as switchgrass, miscanthus and alfalfa,” said Gary Kelderman, owner and President of Kelderman Manufacturing .

“The BPT quickly and efficiently accumulates and stacks what we believe is the basic commodity unit of trade in the biomass industry – a semi-truckload of 42 bales,” said Jeff Roskam, CEO of KABB.

“We believe that advanced equipment could reduce supply chain costs as much as thirty cents per gallon on a cellulosic ethanol basis,” Roskam added.

Kelderman is also providing a self-propelled baler (SPB) and self-loading trailers (SLT) as part of the agreement to supply advanced biomass supply chain equipment to Feedstox.

“No one else has this piece of equipment,” said Russ Gottlob, Feedstox Operations Manager. “We can’t wait to see the increase in productivity that will result from the consistent use of the BPT.”

At the conference in Colorado, Feedstox will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony during which attendees can be among the first to view the BPT in person. Representatives will be available to answer questions.

About Feedstox

Feedstox is a subsidiary of KABB (Kansas Alliance for Biorefining and Bioenergy). Through a $4.8 million investment of ARRA funds administered by the Kansas Department of Commerce, Feedstox assembled a fleet of advanced equipment to improve the harvest, storage and transportation efficiency of biomass. Feedstox is dedicated to the advancement of biofuels and the effort to establish a consistent, reliable and renewable source of global bioenergy. For more information, call 316.201.3200.

About Kelderman

Kelderman Manufacturing, Inc., located in Oskaloosa, IA, was founded by Gary Kelderman in 1970. Gary holds over 25 patents and is known throughout the agricultural industry as one of the leading inventors of hay equipment, planter fold kits, and rubber track systems for tractors and combines and light duty truck air ride systems.

April 18, 2012  By PRWeb

The 600-horsepower Feedstox (a KABB company) and Kelderman Manufacturing are debuting the largest bale picking truck in the world at the International Biomass Conference.