UAN, 10-34-0, thiosulfate
Grade B industrial is the sweet spot. Stains are cosmetic; what matters is a sound sump and a valve that does not weep in the field.
Industry 01
Agriculture
Ag is the loudest season in our yard. Totes go out full of nutrient in March and come back empty in July — and the good ones go straight back out again.
- Sheet
- 54
- Revision
- 2026-10
- Scale
- 1:1
- Drawn at
- Peoria IL
Mar–OctPeak season routes
6,400Ag totes handled in 2025
Grade BMost common choice
WeeklyUS-24 ag loop
The six jobs a farm tote actually does
Herbicide & fungicide mixes
Dedicated totes per chemistry, colour-tagged so nothing gets cross-loaded. We will not resell a restricted-use container.
Nurse tanks & fill stations
Manifolded banks of two to six totes with a common header make a cheap, movable water point.
Feed supplement & molasses
Hot-caustic washed totes with a cut top, or sealed with a bottom dispensing valve.
Diesel & DEF transfer
Fab-bay fuel stations on Grade A containers with pump, meter and filter. Confirm your local fire code first.
Grain and seed hoppers
Cut-cone conversions on Grade C bottles — cheap, stackable and surprisingly tough.
“The farm economy figured out tote reuse thirty years before anybody called it circular. We just added paperwork and a wash bay.”
— Our ag route driver, fourteen seasons in
Book the spring in the winter
| Window | What we are doing | What to do about it |
|---|---|---|
| Nov – Jan | Reconditioning backlog, cheapest pricing of the year | Buy next season's totes now |
| Feb – Mar | Outbound rush, inventory tightens fast | Confirm orders by early February |
| Apr – Jun | Field season; empties start stacking up | Schedule your first pickup early |
| Jul – Aug | Peak empty pickups on the ag loop | Consolidate to full loads for best price |
| Sep – Oct | Harvest logistics, hopper conversions | Order cut-cone builds in August |
Co-op or dealer with a yard full of empties?
We run consolidated pickups for co-ops across the US-24 and I-74 lanes — often 200+ totes in a single sweep, with one diversion statement for the whole load.
The ag chemistry chart
| Product | Grade needed | Gasket | Vent? | Reusable after? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UAN 28 / 32 | B | EPDM | No | Yes — stains, no structural effect |
| 10-34-0 ammonium polyphosphate | B | EPDM | No | Yes, dedicated |
| Ammonium thiosulfate | B | EPDM | No | Yes, dedicated |
| Potassium acetate | B | EPDM | No | Yes |
| Liquid lime / gypsum suspension | C | EPDM | No | Yes, after hot wash |
| Humic and fulvic products | B | EPDM | No | Yes — heavy staining |
| Glyphosate and common herbicides | B dedicated | EPDM | No | Dedicated only |
| Restricted-use pesticides | Not resold | — | — | Manufacturer take-back |
| Molasses / liquid supplement | Food grade | EPDM | No | Yes, hot caustic |
| Off-road diesel | A | Viton | Yes | Non-potable only |
| Water, nurse tank duty | B or C | EPDM | No | Yes, indefinitely |
- Dedicate containers per chemistry and colour-tag them. Cross-loading crop inputs is the one mistake that ends a season badly.
- Never buy new for nurse tank or water duty. Grade B does the job for a third of the money and a bent cage does not matter in a field.
- Restricted-use pesticide containers go back to the manufacturer's programme, not to us. We will tell you which programme.
- Drain below the sump before the first hard freeze. We take in forty-odd bulged sumps every March and they all came from the same decision.
What comes back off the fields
Nutrient staining looks dramatic and means almost nothing structurally — these are Grade B containers and most of them will be back in a field next spring. What we actually read in a return flow is the valve seats: a wet spring puts grit in them, a compressed planting window puts bulges in sumps from containers stacked full in a hurry.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which grade of tote suits liquid fertiliser?
Grade B industrial is the usual choice for UAN, 10-34-0 and thiosulfate. Stains are cosmetic. What matters is a sound sump and a valve that does not weep in the field.
When should I book totes and pickups for the season?
Book in winter. November to January has the cheapest pricing of the year. Confirm spring orders by early February because inventory tightens fast, and schedule your first pickup early in April to June.
Will you take back restricted-use pesticide containers?
No. Restricted-use pesticide containers are not resold and go back to the manufacturer's take-back programme. We can tell you which programme applies to your product.
Can you pick up empties for a co-op or dealer?
Yes. We run consolidated pickups for co-ops across the US-24 and I-74 lanes, often 200 or more totes in one sweep, with one diversion statement for the whole load.
How should I protect totes from winter damage?
Drain below the sump before the first hard freeze. We take in about forty bulged sumps every March, and they all trace back to totes left holding liquid through freezing weather.