UNITED STATES
Auger Dan Delivers Loader Truck to Kenya by Bill Lavender
The building platform for the Kenya-bound loader rig in Jonesboro, Arkansas.
B 22 | agairupdate.com
There’s a great amount of skill, and even art, to custom building an agricultural aviation aircraft dry loading truck. Probably one of the best known loader truck builders is Dan Whited’s Auger Dan LLC based in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Recently, those skills and most certainly artform by Auger Dan expanded into Kenya Africa. While at an NAAA annual tradeshow in Savannah in 2017, Dan met with Toby Dunn of Farmland Aviation based in Nakuru, Kenya to discuss building an all-stainless steel custom loader unit with folding 12-inch auger and digital scales. Farmland Aviation was formed in 1984 and today operates a fleet of three AT-602s, three 510P Thrushes and one Cessna C-188 Ag Truck for a total of seven ag-aircraft. It is a fullservice aerial application business offering dry and wet applications. CP Products nozzles are used for normal and high volume applications, while Micronair rotary atomizers are used for low volume and ultra low volume applications. A Transland spreader is used for the majority of the dry applications. The primary crop treated by
Farmland Aviation is tea, which requires about 10 dry applications of 600-800 kilograms/hectare (528-700 lbs/ac) that requires a two trips per application. Farmland Aviation operates primarily in three countries; Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. However, the company is currently busy with the recent locust outbreak in the “horn” of Africa that includes Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Ethiopia. Farmland Aviation aircraft are also flying in the Middle East to include Saudi Arabia. Before purchasing the Auger Dan loader truck, Farmland Aviation had to disassemble loading equipment for transport on large trucks to cross country borders. This incurred tariffs going and returning back to the home base in Nakuru. Leaving equipment in a foreign country was not a viable option. With the Auger Dan loader truck, these issues are avoided, as the unit mounted on a truck is considered a complete mobile unit that can be driven across borders. Auger Dan faced multiple challenges to custom build a loader truck for Farmland Aviation.
