CANADIAN INNOVATOR
FEATURE
Root and Branch
Ontario-based Thiessen Tillage’s tractor-mounted tool reduces the costs of vineyard upkeep. BY THOMAS RENNER All across Canada, farmers are facing higher costs for doing business. Costs on Quebec farms rose by an average of 17.3 percent in 2022, according to a report. Every aspect of the industry – land, fertilizer, machinery, livestock and feed – saw double digit increases. Even something as simple as twine – which is used for wrapping hay bales – increased by more than 15 percent. Like all Canadians, farmers are paying much more for fuel. Farmers paid more than 78 percent more for fuel in the second quarter of 2022 than the previous year and consumers are feeling the cost. Grocery prices rose 9.0 percent year over year, according to a report in May. A new cultivation product – developed by St. Catharines, ONbased Thiessen Tillage – aims to help farmers curb some costs. Designed by Thiessen’s owner and operator, Ryan Thiessen, the product is a hydraulically-actuated toolbar that mounts on either the front or rear of a tractor to pull vines or small trees out of vineyards and orchards.
Photo credit:De Havilland Canada
A Better Option
Intermittent vine pulling is common in vineyards due to damage or disease. And, in more northern climates, like southern Ontario, individual vines may not survive a cold winter. As a result, farmers often need to pull individual vines so they can be replaced with new ones. In most instances, farmers have used skid steer loaders for this task. However, skid steers are far more expensive – as in mid five figures expensive – and require @design_eng_mag
Designed and developed by St. Catharines-based Thiessen Tillage, this tool simplifies the common task of up-rooting vines that have died due to damage, disease or a cold winter.
some lateral movement instead of direct pulling of the vine, which slows down the process. While skid steers might be faster than the 3-point hitch for removing many vines, Thiessen says not every farmer will have the resources to have a skid steer. Tractors, on the other hand, are a must-have for any farmer. “For farmers without skid steers and who pull dead vines annually, having a tool like our vine puller is a better option than always hiring the job out and is still fairly quick,” Thiessen says. Customers have embraced the product, Thiessen says, and enjoy having a solution for a frequent problem that can be used on standard equipment.
“They’ve been very happy with the vine puller and the ease of use on standard tractors,” he said. “It’s something a lot of farmers encounter, and this is a solution that doesn’t require additional equipment and greatly reduces the use of grease.”
Nesting Cylinders
Thiessen designed the toolbar with nesting cylinders inside telescopic tubing with narrow profile pins. The liner allows the telescoping elements of the vine puller, which are made with steel, to slide against each other while reducing wear and friction. “We solved that challenge by nesting the cylinders inside of the telescopic tubing with narrow
November/December 2023 DESIGN ENGINEERING 15
