Probe-A-Load, Inc. • 319-627-2700 • http://www.probeaload.com
Reprinted from Grain Journal May/June 2019 Issue
History
Probe-A-Load was founded in 1964 by Jim McCrabb, who set up shop in West Liberty, IA under the name McCrabb Brothers Mfg. Inc. The company built farrowing crates, concrete forms, and aeration equipment. McCrabb also manufactured fertilizer toters, fertilizer tenders, fire truck water tenders, and many drying bin and aeration parts.
“Back in the ‘60s and ‘70s, McCrabb Brothers manufactured all types of agricultural equipment," recalls Probe-A-Load President Norm Nicol, who purchased the company in 2011 from McCrabb. "Jim was a huge inventor and liked to tinker with lots of things. When he passed in 2011, he had 27 patents to his name,” says Nicol.
McCrabb’s most notable idea became the company’s flagship product, a remote-controlled mechanical truck probe. Nicol says it was developed after a customer explained how dangerous and inefficient it was to probe trucks by hand. By 1969, the product known as Probe-A-Load was officially introduced to the market, and the company changed its name to McCrabb Probe-A-Load soon after.
Since then, the product has evolved over the years with improvements to the design, a core sampler model for any free-flowing material or grain, and the addition of handheld controls in the 1980s, as well as other accessories. With the advent of laser cutting technology, Nicol says the company made a strategic decision to outsource manufacturing to a company located in Iowa.
“We are now down to half a dozen employees, and 90% of what we do consists of final assembly, electrification, and testing. Then we either ship or deliver the product,” he says.
Today, Probe-A-Load is sold across North America as well as in 28 other countries.
Philosophy
According to Norm Nicol, the company operates by two principles. “I tell my customers all the time, there’s two things we live by: One is service and always answering the phone with a body, not a machine. Secondly, our primary motto in manufacturing is the K.I.S.S. [Keep It Simple, Stupid] principle.”
He explains that because Probe-A-Load is sold and distributed in many countries around the world, the company’s focus when manufacturing is to keep the product as simply designed as possible. A simple design helps with providing technical support down the road. “We can talk on the phone with anyone who has basic mechanical knowledge and help them fix the probe,” he explains.
Additionally, Nicol points out that Probe-A-Load is one of the few manufacturers that still offers delivery, installation, and training as a complete package. "Training customers on how to operate and maintain the equipment is something they find extremely valuable and has been a differentiator for the company in the market."
Perhaps the biggest key to Probe-A-Load’s success over the years is that it continues to build a quality product hand-in-hand with a strong emphasis on customer service. Nicol illustrates his point: “They start harvest in Texas in April, and they finish harvest in Canada in November. We answer the phone promptly no matter the time of year to take care of the customer. When customers call, we're able to solve 90% of service issues over the phone. That’s really what’s built this company, the emphasis we have on customer service.”
Products
The Probe-A-Load is an all-electric grain probe for trucks and rail cars that is designed to use a closed, forced air system to allow no vacuum in the load. According to Nicol, down pressure of the probe forces a core of grain into the inner chamber of the sampler return tube. It consistently provides an exact sample with no chance for excess foreign material.
“The Probe-A-Load features stop-and-go lights on each side, flood lights for night operation, and a signal horn to alert the driver that sampling is complete,” he says. “All of these features are run with a handheld control that is operated from the scale house. Samples are taken pneumatically, then ready for the operator to test.”
Additionally, an optional grain return system lets users return samples back out to trucks, “so at the end of the day, users don’t have dozens of buckets of samples to take out,” he explains.
Nicol notes that the company will be making some major announcements in 2019 regarding new products to help commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Probe-A-Load. Although he can't share specific details, Nicol says a new explosion-proof product being developed to meet demand from the feed and food industry, where probes often are located inside.
Additionally, Probe-A-Load is in the process of developing a portable grain probe using a trailer that houses the equipment for testing and reading the scale. To that end, the company has partnered with Fairbanks Scales, which will be the official dealer for this new portable probe and scale system, “This is pretty big news for the industry,” Nicol concludes.
