As a farmer, you’ll know all too well how important it is to prepare for the changing seasons and winter is no different. Winter brings wet conditions, cold and potentially a lot of struggles throughout agriculture. Nevertheless, there is still work to be done so ensuring that your farm is well prepared and you have the right measures in place, is the best way forward. It’s never too early to get prepared! 

Here are some easy ways to prepare your farm for winter.

Invest in the right equipment

ATV’s are one vehicle that are very useful in winter as they’re great at operating in wetter conditions. If you’re thinking of investing in new machinery for winter, an ATV is a sensible choice and at Quadcrate® we have a range of practical attachments that will make life a lot easier during this season and beyond. With the right equipment you can maintain efficiency and safety throughout winter.

Keep on top of repairs

Winter can be a long slog, especially for farmers and the last thing you want is unexpected problems with your machinery. It’s always a good idea to keep on top of maintenance before you’re thrown into the depths of winter so you enter the new season as prepared as possible. Protect your machinery from snow, sludge, and ice. Keep any tools stored away in a safe place and allow easy access to anything that you may need during the cold months. Keep your storage areas clean and dry.

Prepare your livestock

As well as preparing your machinery don’t forget about your livestock. Your animals need a little more TLC during winter so ensure that they’re stalls are regularly cleaned, dry and warm enough to survive the cold weather. Stock up on feed and bedding prior to the first frost as this helps animals maintain their body temperature during winter – putting down a layer of saw dust or sand to absorb moisture and straw or wood shavings on top can help!

Ensure that your water supplies dont frost over

Winter in the UK can bring unpredictable weather so it’s always wise to make a contingency plan for worst case scenarios. For example, when the temperature drops below freezing the pipes and therefore the water can freeze if you don’t have an electric system. To avoid putting your livestock at risk, insulate your pipes and seal up any leaks so you’re at less risk of experiencing frozen water supply.

If you have or are investing in an ATV then look at increasing your productivity with individual attachments and custom packages then look no further than Quadcrate®. Nowadays everyone and every business is under pressure to make the most efficient use of their time. The Quadcrate® and associated attachments will save you multiple days over the coming years, by unlocking your ATVs potential. Find out more today.

Agricultural equipment and machinery is the backbone of any efficient farm but it’s important that you have tools that work for your specific farming needs. Quads are a great addition for a number of reasons including productivity and adaptability plus with our practical ATV accessories, it’s clear to see why quads are quickly becoming the new compact tractor.

Read on to learn more…

Wetter seasons require lighter machines

One reason why quads have increased in popularity is their ability to function throughout all seasons including during wet weather. Farms don’t stop running during autumn and winter so you need the right machinery that can adapt to different demands and ensure that you continue running a tight ship! Lighter machines, such as quads, are great for navigating wet land.

Attachments make ATV’s multi-functional

At Quadcrate®️, we recognise that quads are a valuable piece of machinery. In many ways using quads for farming can be seen as the new compact tractor and with a range of attachments available from us, they’re even more practical. Quadcrate attachments are the correct tools needed to do jobs on the go whether that’s using the Transport cage, Toolbox or Front Postholder .

Using Quads for farming is a cost-effective investment

Costs can quickly add up when it comes to buying new machinery and farming tools. However, quads are a solid choice as they provide so many possibilities in terms of attachments which make them more versatile. That means you have a multi-functional machine that can save you money compared to buying entirely different machines for each task, plus Quadcrate®️ attachments gives you the operator, the power to control and manage your day and help you gain higher work rates which equals more profit.

They are ideal for doing quick tasks.

Getting from A to B around your farm can be made easier by using a quad. These nippy vehicles are ideal for moving around your farm, doing small maintenance jobs and generally covering a lot of ground fast. Despite their size, quads can be a very useful vehicle as your go-to machine. Paired with a number of attachments, compact tractors have a strong competitor in ATV’s. If you’re looking for a more nimble option then a quad is the perfect choice!

Get your farm ready for winter with our range of Quadcrate®️ products. Designed to make your quad multi-functional you can get the most out of your vehicle. Utilise your ATV in a new way with our innovative range including the Quadcrate, Transport cage, wire unroller Front Postholder , Lambox and more. Plus, all products are CE Approved, fully galvanised and user friendly. Find out more today.

So there was nothing else for it, Quadcrate was a business and the Balmoral Agricultural Show was to be hit. I remember sweating at the thought “what if we do rubbish or nobody likes it?”

These were questions going through my mind…

I needed to put on a good show and forget about the negativity. Getting things ready for your first show was stressful, trying to remember everything.

Getting brochures sorted, business cards and banners etc it was hectic but the buzz of the thoughts that we could do well spurred me on.

That was it, my brother Stanley and I were on the road to get set up, sunny morning, sun glasses on, food packed, everything packed and teeth washed.

My heart kept pounding at the thought that Quadcrate would soon be launched at its first show.

Approaching Balmoral traffic was busy, lorries and vans with logos on them all setting up. Trying to get parked was a nightmare but found a place. People walking fast with big smiles, the heat of the evening sun was making me sweat. The buzz was infectious and then coming into the hall I found my spot and I remember saying wow.

Off to work we went to get set up. Still sweating, panting, meeting people who I knew, it was all going on. After 4 hours we could sit down and again once I had made us a coffee and look at the stand again I said “wow”.

So here it was first day of the show, again the weather was hot and people everywhere. Interest was good potential customers were intrigued with the Quadcrate innovation. I was so happy they liked it and then my first sale of the show.

A man from Antrim bought a Fencing package delighted I was. Before we knew it, it was the last day and we had received 8 orders, I was so pleased.

People liked what I had designed which took a lot of pressure off my shoulders. Then a few hours before the end of the show my Mum and Dad landed in. They looked proud and were all smiles as I told them about my 12 orders. I felt great ? With the show over and getting ready for home chatting to other exhibitors I had got the drug. The buzz of the show was electric everyone was delighted the show had gone well. The weather played a big part I remember, going home Stan and I were so relieved and we had 12 orders to sort.

The future looked bright for Quadcrate ? To be continued

While working away trying to better the farm in everyway I could, I could see different things happening. With my brother Stanley away in either Oz or New Zealand sheep shearing, I had to become more efficient. Jobs were still needing done but I had less time to do them as with starting my own business, it was full on.

My time needed to be managed more so that I could become more efficient and more productive. This is where my quad and Quadcrate stepped in, its was allowing me to deal with problem as I can across them.

This unique combo was the second pair of hands I needed to become smarter with my time. My ATV was the hub of my farm, I simply could not do without it in order to ensure my cattle and sheep were looked after better.
Efficiency and production were things that were drilled into me while at Harper Adams University in 2000. Here I learned about different tools and methods and better ways to do things. Them were the days ?

With going forward with Quadcrate I didn’t want the farm to suffer due to me spending less time on it. With the quad and Quadcrate I just felt more organised as I could get more done in less time. I could do so much more with my bike, no more leave it behind I will sort it later ethic. It was more like I can sort that now and keep solving the problems saving loads of time.

Working with Quadcrate, I was becoming even more convinced I was doing the right thing setting up in business. Quadcrate was helping me in so many ways so what was stopping it from helping the world ? was my thought. I had to get it more developed and invest in R&D to get it seen for what it was. We had the patents pending, I was seeing more and more productive potential, the sales I had the reports were good.

So there was nothing else for it let’s go to our first ever agricultural show “Balmoral” I was buzzing at the thought, wondering how it would go down so the work started into get the products show ready. 

We are going to Balmoral ?
To be continued…

So they say if you enjoy your work the day goes faster, I know this to be true for me.

When I was a teenager I would work from early morning to late at night as I was single and hungry to work. Which was just as well as my Dad always give me plenty to do, whether I agreed with it or not.

I had the freedom though to put my own twist on things, to make them better and do things quicker.

When I saw how the Quadcrate was helping us do exactly that, in doing tasks quicker and leaving us better equipped to tackle problems head on. Instead of leaving a sick sheep behind us we could bring them with us. Instead of leaving a job off because we didn’t have a trailer, we could do it as we had the Quadcrate on hand.

While working on an out building with a friend, he looked around the Quadcrate and thought it was a great idea. While drinking a cup of tea he said you should look to get that patented, I have never seen anything like it. After a few days I did some research and found nothing resembling it at all so I kept digging.

With limited money but a buzz in my gut, I decided to go for it, to gather more info to see if it was worth patenting. Found a company to do the search’s and they also found nothing, the advice they give me was to act quick and get cover on it. I was hyper at the thought that this bracket I had designed may be the first of its kind, can it be?? I kept asking myself this.

The solution to a problem I had, looked worth pursuing but at a cost, patents cost money but both my gut and my heart said to chance it.

Here was really the start of my adventure into my venture of making Quadcrate a product worth buying. It was going to be hard but I was up for the fight ?

To be continued

Sometimes the simpler things in life are the best, the ones that don’t take a professor with 19 PHDs or a computer technician to figure it out.

Once I saw ATCs or now ATVs as a child growing up, they got me sooo excited, I would nearly wet myself. The buzz of seeing a big Red Honda trike gave me goosebumps all over my body.

Once we were able to afford a quad on our farm, I was so shuffed but then the jobs started. The farm become a more enjoyable place to work, more productive and more efficient.

All and all quads have made a great impact on agriculture and the world as a whole. They allow people to move quicker to increase work rates and now Quadcrate®️has been born to make the utility 4 wheeler 100% more useful.

The Quadcrate®️ isnt rocket science, it’s an idea, practically made out of metal. It’s a suite of ATV attachments designed over time, that makes any utility quadbike into a work trojan. A Trojan workhorse never seen or utilised before for what they truly are, until Quadcrate®️ made it possible.

A carrying system like no other, that’s always there when you need it, like a good dog. Like a Swiss knife, available when you need to cut something.

When a Quadcrate system is fitted to an ATV, that ATV has just got its cape, it now has special powers. This machine with the right operator can take on almost any problem that may arise. It becomes a problem solver on wheels.

The future of Utility ATVs has Quadcrate In that mix as both together are like 2 peas in a pod. A quad and Quadcrate are the perfect combination to which will make light work of farming in today’s world.

The world needs Quadcrate®️ in order to become more efficient, more productive and more ready for the day, the week the future.

Unlock you quads full potential, utilise it’s work range, bring it up to speed of today’s world ?

Invest in Quadcrate, Invest in life.

A ewe, freshly lambed had mislaid her new borns and was very stressed. So I jumped on my quad with trailer, with the aim of transporting her back up to the top of the hill and find her lambs.

After a bit of fun catching her, I headed for the hill but due to it being so wet, the quad slipped and slid everywhere and I couldn’t get any traction. I had to give up and ended up carrying the ewe on my back, thankfully I found her lambs and all was reunited.

That night that situation really bugged me, as I was so frustrated I couldn’t reach my destination.

With my head going over and over that situation again and again, I knew the bike was being held back by the drag weight of the trailer.

I decided that if I could get more weight onto the back wheels enough traction would be achieved and would help to keep the quad moving forward.

With this theory in mind a few days later I made a foldable bracket for the back of my quad and tied a sheep onto it.

I set off to the very place that I couldn’t get up with the trailer and decided to test out my new system.

Up I went, straight over the same patch and my bike hardly spun at all, it had enough traction to keep moving. I was amazed at how well it preformed, my idea had worked.

With it working so well I was chuffed, it made me feel I had achieved something great. Over time I saw that the foldable bracket I had designed was being used all the time to carry small loads from A to B on the farm.

I could see that there may be more to this bracket than what meets the eye ? only time would tell 

To be continued… 

The Most Important tool combination on our Farm

Our farm Quad and Quadcrate products are the hub of our business, in doing all sorts of jobs from collecting sticks to feeding animals.

It has become my Dads vehicle in which he can’t do without, as he doesn’t do the big Jobs but does all the little ones and they all add up.
My Father who’s name is Edward is 76 and still going strong as the quad and Quadcrate allow easy lifting which he can manage no problem.

Quadcrate is allowing all its investors young and old to easily do many farm tasks, meaning they can be very useful in completing small tasks safely.

Our Quadcrate Bubble cab is also great for my Dad as it keeps the chill and rain off him in cold wet weather.

Invest in Life, Invest in Quadcrate ?

With growing Quadcrate sales over the years, we thought we should really look at where else our attachments would sell.

We got in touch with Invest NI, who were looking for export potential companies, to represent them over at World Ag Expo in Tulare California this February.

Perfectly timed, we set things up and last week we attended this large event in which Quadcrate got great interest. Several companies have expressed their want to get Quadcrate over to the states.

Over the coming months, we hope to work along with these businesses to try and make selling Quadcrate selling in the USA a reality.
Quadcrate USA ??  

Quadcrate over the years has won several awards, which has allowed us to be seen as a business who design innovate attachments for the ATV industry. These awards have helped us to build a sound foundation on which our profile is built on, to educate potential customers, that we are a company who can hold its head high by suppling high standard implements for utility quadbikes.

Our award achievements has helped label us a market leader in designing small load carrying implements that allow ATV users to be more efficient, more productive and also achieve higher productivity whatever sector they are in. We hope to enter more competitions in the future, to show our steady growth, as now that we feel we have 95% of the R&D completed or Quadcrate range should sell well across Ireland, UK and further afield into Europe.

A list of our awards are below;

• Best new innovation – Tullamore Show
• Best Rural Business – Eircom
• Entrepreneur of the Year – Eircom
• Entrepreneur of the Year – Wales and Northern Ireland Region
• Best new innovation under the price of £10,000 at the Lamma show