When shopping for grain carts, it’s easy to get confused about who makes what. Especially when it comes to the three Bs: Brandt, Brandt, and Brent. There is the Arkansas-based Brandt, purchased by Pitonyak Machinery Corporation (PMC) nine years ago. (See www.brandtpmc.com.) Eddie Pitonyak, owner of PMC, claims Brandt is one of the oldest grain carts around, built as far back as 1947 by John Henry Brandt (see photo).

“The first carts were made down south in rice country to get the rice out of the fields before it shattered,” Pitonyak says. “It wasn’t until the '80s when most of the other major players entered the market.” He says the grain carts are known for their single, front-mounted auger and fully enclosed adjustable axle system.

The Brandt in Arkansas is not to be confused with Brandt in Canada (www.Brandt.ca), a company long- known for its grain augers. Headquartered in Regina, Saskatchewan, the company entered the grain cart market in June of last year with the launch of the 1020 XR grain cart (http://bit.ly/kvClXV).

Brent (www.brentequip.com), based in Kalida, OH, is an entirely different company, owned by Unverferth. The Brent brand originated in 1976 with a 500-bu., double-auger grain cart, and Unverferth purchased the company in the late '80s, says Jerry Ecklund, marketing manager for Unverferth Manufacturing. The Brent brand is famous for its single corner-mounted auger design, Ecklund adds. Unverferth also owns three other grain cart brands — Parker (www.parkerequip.com), Killbros (www.killbrosequip.com), and its own Unverferth line (www.unverferth.com).

You can read more about who makes what in the August issue of Farm Industry News.