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As the owner of RBW Agricultural LLC, I came across this thread yesterday. I would encourage everyone to read the entire response as it is quite long.
Summary: R&R owner and his dealers spread misconceptions about their products and competitor products. Anyone can call my office at 417-422-4521 if you'd like to talk to me about products or business practices.
I will be providing a direct response to Russ's comments in the threads, he has posted multiple different times over the last couple of years of false information and blatant lies about our chutes. Please keep in mind he has personal gain by selling the Ranger XL chutes which is why he is participating and pushing sales of the R&R products.
Below are a list of misconceptions:
1. Scale companies won't mount to RBW chutes because they are too light and flex. Unfortunately we have never experienced this, nor have our customers given us this feedback. We've actually had Gallagher and Rice Lake Weighing Systems reps approach us about carrying their scale kits to sell with our chutes. At this point we aren't looking to add scale sales due to the technical aftersales service requirement. We don't have the manpower to cover this, especially with our retail customers spread all over the U.S.
RBW chutes have a wider frame than many other chutes. Few scale load bars are wide enough to mount to the brackets, but load cells mount without issue.
2. Weight alone equals quality and consumer satisfaction. Many of our chutes actually weigh hundreds of pounds more than the manual Arrow chutes he talked about in another thread. He said they are good chutes but over priced.
3. Our chutes are cheaper because they are lighter built. Unlike Russ I am heavily involved in the design, production, and distribution of our chutes. The main variables in production of a chute include: metal, labor, freight, and distributor/dealer margin. Labor on the chutes will be very similar since they are both built in Mexico (yes, all of R&R chutes are built in Mexico--keep reading). Freight will be very similar as well since me and Russ are located about an hour apart and they are built very close in Mexico.
The part that Russ doesn't know is the percentage of end cost that goes into metal. For example: our Cattle Baron Manual weighs 2,100 lbs and retails for $5,600. Of this $5,600 retail price, raw material cost is only about 21%. To keep numbers round, the material cost is about $1,200. For us to take this chute up to the 2,900 lbs that they advertise the Ranger XL manual at (an 800 lb increase) it would cost us about $460 or a 38% increase in cost. One thing to keep in mind with this calculation is that the Ranger XL is 12ft long and the Cattle Baron is just a touch over 10ft long. Per foot of chute, the Cattle Baron is about 210 lbs and the Ranger XL is 242 lbs. If they were both an equal 10 ft long, that would put the Ranger XL about 320 lbs heavier than the Cattle Baron (again, if both were 10 ft long).
Of this 320 lbs, about 200 lbs would be in the full rebar floor which we can add as an option for $300 (metal and labor). At the end of the day, with all things equal, the Ranger XL (excluding the floor) is less than 12 lbs per ft heavier than the Cattle Baron and actually about the same weight per ft of Rancher Manual with a rebar floor. The additional cost on R&R equipment is due to distributor and dealer margins. Products go from the manufacturer, to R&R, to the Missouri distributor, then to dealers. They all collect a percentage on the product each time it sells to the next person line.
At one point R&R was selling a chute that speced out the same as the Rancher. Our retail cost was $8,175 and their retail cost was $10,500 with all other things being equal other than the middlemen.
4. R&R manufactures his own equipment is a misconception. The only chute R&R manufactures himself is the Big Red stationary chute and he didn't even design it himself. I worked and am still working with the original designer of the Big Red to also build the Legacy hydraulic chute.
This manufacturer still builds all the Big Red Tilt Tables for R&R, which leads into a weight discrepancy in itself on the R&R chutes. The Legacy weighs 4,540 lbs and, per the original designer of both, the Big Red is about 200 lbs lighter than the Legacy. The Big Red is advertised at 4,500 lbs. Unless he has changed the original design, the weight being advertised is likely not accurate.
Many will notice many similarities between the Cattle Baron and M223. These chutes were produced by the same manufacturer and R&R can no longer get that chute because RBW is now the exclusive distributor. R&R dealers have told me that Francisco told them the model was discontinued.
Upon us picking up the Cattle Baron, we redesigned several features and, in turn, increased the overall weight. When R&R was selling it the chute only weighed 1,720 lbs and now it weighs 2,100 lbs.
5. Chutes should be 12 ft long - according to Francisco. He says his chutes are 12 ft long because they will AI or preg check cattle without the cow in the headgate. I have personally never done this or plan on doing it. All the other big brand chutes on the market are around the 10 ft mark. I am personally not a fan of the extra two feet because that's an extra two feet for a cow to travel in the chute before they get to the headgate which can decrease the overall flow of cattle movement. Pushing the idea to work behind a cow that is not held secure in the headgate can put a person in a dangerous situation.
6. Another claim by Russ was that RBW doesn't handle our own warranty claims and refer them to the manufacturer. We have never referred a single customer to the manufacturer. On occasion we receive a warranty claim, and handle it in-house. Unlike many dealers and distributors, we stock a variety of parts for every chute we carry. Parts are available for same day pick up or shipping.
Finally, I currently have a manual Ranger XL I received in on trade for a Rancher Hydraulic if anyone is interested. Please call the office if interested. 417-422-4521
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RBW Ag Chutes
