P J Stent Ltd are sugar beet contractors based in Beccles, Suffolk. The business harvests beet for about 45 customers throughout Norfolk and Suffolk. In addition, P J Stent carry out precision drilling of vining peas for a local business, as well as growing their own wheat, sugar beet and spring barley. Owner Paul Stent tells us why the business relies on Bailey trailers.
You run Bailey Beeteapers, what was behind your decision to order them?
Bailey has a good reputation. We needed something that was up to the job, Beeteapers are specialist trailers for hauling beet, they fit the bill. We currently run 2 Beeteapers a 20 tonne and an 18 tonne.
Did you specify any options, if so which and why?
A fold down drawbar with hydraulic fittings, which allows us to tow one trailer behind another. Hydraulic brakes, reversing lights on front mudflaps and reversing lights on the tailgate. Greasers on the side arms of the tailgate, this means we don’t have to climb into the trailers to grease.
Is there an option / feature that you couldn’t do without?
I would say the extra lights. We find them invaluable, especially as we’re making most heaps in darkness during wintertime, they make life a lot easier.
What duties are the trailers being used to support?
The trailers are used throughout the winter on sugar beet. During the summer, we hire them out to a couple of local farms for the grain harvest.
What do you look for in a trailer?
Strength, reliability and a good residual value. We can’t find anything that will do the job better than a Bailey Beeteaper.
How do you find the performance of the sprung drawbar in relation to the ride in the tractor?
I think the sprung drawbar on a Bailey is excellent. The balance is spot on. We’re running two different lengths of trailer, they both ride very well.
How does the higher opening door help with heaping, scraping and levelling beet?
You can make a picture-perfect heap. This helps during winter, it stops frost from getting in, the beet will sit in the heap quite comfortably for several weeks.
Do you run any other Bailey trailers; can you tell us what they are?
We run a 15-tonne Low Loader and two 2,000 litre Fuel Bowsers.
How long have you run Bailey trailers?
We’ve run Bailey trailers for over 20 years. Initially, we hired a 12 tonne Agri Dumper, which was an excellent trailer. As the job got bigger, we moved to Beeteapers as we needed bigger trailers.
How would you rate the back-up from Bailey?
We very rarely get a problem with the trailers. On the rare occasion we’ve needed back up, any issues have been sorted out straightaway. Parts are usually here the next day.
Can you sum up what owning Bailey trailers means to your business?
Reliability is key to our job; we need to be productive to keep our customers’ happy. I cannot see where else we would get the reliability in a trailer that we are used to. I’ve never considered anything else. Bailey as a company is a joy to work with.
