The PivotTray story…
“What a great idea!” … That’s usually the very first thing people say when they discover PivotTray. Secondly, they want to know the story behind why we had this great idea – so here it is …
Just like the invention of the wheel, the idea that eventually became PivotTray was conceived as a solution to make transportation easier. Hobby inventor Barry Middlebook, was living on a
two acre property on the gentle slopes of Mt Tamborine and it was a perfect, sunny Queensland day. Barry’s task that day was to move a massive amount of dirt and begin landscaping his property. His problem was that he only had his one tonne Ute and a shovel. The Tipping Point
Not loving the idea of a week of shovelling dirt on and off the back of his Ute tray, Barry (like any decent inventor), decided to have a go at making a tipper unit. He began with a converted starter motor, then added a lead thread, U channel and four bearings to create a simple tipping device. He attached his invention to his Ute tray and was able to slip a load of dirt past the balance point and onto the ground. This first prototype could tip a load at 45 degrees. Using his new tipper invention Barry quickly began to get his landscaping handled. However two acres is a lot of land and he decided he needed to borrow a friend’s Dingo machine to make the job quicker. Barry headed over to his mates’ with his trusty Ute and tried to load the Dingo with some ramps, but that soon proved to be too risky to himself and to the Dingo! He realised he needed a safer option for loading and unloading the Dingo – and that’s when the idea for PivotTray first occurred to him.
‘Well, it can’t be that hard to modify the tipper,’ he reasoned and with this thought, Barry returned to his workshop. Here Comes the Twist
After a couple of days, Barry knew why no-one had ever engineered a tilt tray before. It turned out that it was very hard, if not close to impossible to create the device he was imagining. However Barry was now obsessed with the idea of a better way and driven by a vision of achieving the unachievable. He would not, could not, give up. Like Edison with the light bulb, it took thousands of hours over many years and more failed attempts than he likes to think about, before Barry actually got it right. Not only did he invent a tilt tray that actually worked, he also made it safe, reliable and practical for effortless everyday use by a single operator. The spin off was that the device created a better potential for the actual Ute. Barry realised that he had a sound invention of commercial value that could potentially revolutionise small industry transport. He approached brothers Paul and Garry Killgour to form a partnership. Paul, a seasoned entrepreneur with a business development background, could immediately see the potential. Garry as a skilled tradesman with many contacts, felt confident that PivotTray was exactly what Aussie tradies and farmers needed to make their lives safer and easier. A Pivotal Success
Now the PivotTray One Tonne Tilt has a patent pending (2014), as a unique device that can be fitted to any one tonne and two tonne tray back utility. Just like the Hills Hoist rotary clothesline, combine harvester, two-stroke lawn mower and the iconic Ute itself, PivotTray is set to make history as another innovative Australian designed, developed and manufactured invention. PivotTray Pty Ltd is located in Burleigh Heads, Queensland and distributes Australia Wide. Enquire about becoming a PivotTray Dealer
The PivotTray Promise: We promise an Australian made, quality assured, reliable product that safely and smartly delivers you the functionality of an 8 tonne tilt tray at an affordable market price. Our initial goal and philosophy remain unwavering: To deliver a quality, reliable and practical product that will revolutionise small industry transport.
