About

The SCUD chemical transfer system was developed in 1997 when the first Envirodrums appeared. Envirodrums are fully sealed chemical drums with dry couplings that allow for no-pour chemical transfer. It was clear to me that Envirodrums were the way of the future. What was needed was a foolproof metering system that was simple to install and even easier to use.

And so was born the SCUD chemical transfer system.

I had just returned from an 18-month overseas trip. I was driving a spray rig for Ninghan spraying in Beacon, WA and was looking for something to keep me busy for the other half of the year. I built the first prototype on one of the local contractor’s Spraymaster spray rigs that I was driving. I took the Spraymaster with the SCUD to the Dowerin field day in 1998 and was told that the unit needed a name so it could be marketed properly. I settled on the name SCUD. I got a good response from the farmers and the following year sold over sixty units into the Central Wheatbelt. Time Saver Industries, or TSI Beacon, is the name I gave to my business in 1998.

In 1999, I approached Sonic Boomsprays to see if they would be interested in having the SCUD as an optional extra on their booms. They did and that year invited me to join them on their sites at the Dowerin, Newdegate and Mingenew field days.

In October 1999, an Eastern States company agreed to distribute the SCUD throughout Australia and by January 2000 the SCUD was available to farmers and contractors across the country

I did contract spraying up until 2021, so each time I come up with a new idea, I could put it through a vigorous R&D test on my spray rigs while I was spraying. That way, I could guarantee the quality and endurance of my product.

My main motivation for developing the SCUD chemical transfer system was to make filling the boomspray safer as this is where the boomspray operator is at most risk of chemical contamination. Because I was contract spraying and constantly working with chemicals, I wanted to make the job as safe as I could. The SCUD made the job safer and could fill the boom in half the time.

Over the years I’ve witnessed some pretty ordinary chemical handling from farmers and contractors. Some people don’t wear gloves or glasses and justify it by saying, “I tend to get chemical everywhere, so what’s the point?”. The point is- if you introduce a safe system that doesn’t spill chemical everywhere, that person is more likely to wear gloves or glasses, reducing the risk of receiving chemical burns on their skin.

The SCUD allows the operator to fill the sprayer without spilling either chemical or water on the ground. This is an important point because one of the main sources of in-cab contamination can come from the operator’s boots. However, if the ground remains dry where you fill up, then the chances of in-cab contamination and inhaling dangerous fumes are greatly reduced.