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When a Panhandle farmer invented a new way to change oil in his irrigation engines more than a decade ago, he never dreamed it would lead to a global business.
Today, however, Gary Sage's oil vac system —invented on his farm near Dalhart—is used in shops, factories, construction sites, and military bases around the world.
Sage received a great vote of confidence in 1994 when his oil vac invention won the Pollution Prevention category in American Farm Bureau Federation's Farmer Idea Exchange.
"The Farmer Idea Exchange bolstered my confidence," said Sage, who served on his county FB board for a number of years.
A native of Iowa who moved to Texas in the 1980s, Sage said he got tired of changing oil on his 17 irrigation pump engines that ran nonstop for five months of the year. His idea was to make a large vacuum powered oil changer that would speed up the process. An air compressor is used to vacuum hot oil out of the oil pan as fast as 10 gpm and then pump fresh oil back in.
Once his neighbors saw the oil vac system, orders started coming in two and three at a time.
"I got my first patent on the OIL VAC in 1993 and started manufacturing them on the farm during winter months," recalled Sage.
A write-up in FARM SHOW magazine 11 years ago helped boost sales, he said.
In 2001, Sage and his wife, Helen, made the difficult decision to quit farming and moved their operation into Amarillo's Rural Business Incubator, to help avoid some of the risks associated with new start-up companies, and to take advantage of advisers just down the hall. At the end of the three-year incubation, Sage plans to construct a building for his company, which has become a family operation.
Sage Oil Vac, Inc. now markets 21different machines with tanks ranging in size from 5 gal. to 250 gal. Trailers that hold more than 1,000 gal. can be custom ordered. Systems can be set up with separate tanks for used and new oil, multiple fluid tanks and even air-powered grease guns.
By using Sage's oil vac for five years, a farmer can not only prevent harmful oil spills, he can reclaim and recycle 7,200 gallons of waste oil. The environmentally-friendly invention earned Sage the 2003 Texas Environmental Excellence Award for Small Business.
Jim Porterfield, director of special research projects for the American Farm Bureau Federation, said the Farmer Idea Exchange is a good way to share ideas with other farmers and a great venue for encouraging products to be put on the market as well.
"In many cases, this is a kick-start to market ideas. Numerous participants have said the Farmer Idea Exchange was a big step for them," he said.
Sage's obscure invention, which made its debut a little over 10 years ago, yielded sales of $2.3 million in 2004.
"That's proof that a good idea with the right motivation can go a long way," said Porterfield.
For more information about the Farmer Idea Exchange (which has a September deadline), and an entry form, visit www.fb.org/programs/farmerx/.
For more information on Sage Oil Vac Systems, call 806/372-7559 or 877/645-8227; or visit Sage Oil Vac, Inc.'s website: www.sageoilvac.com.
