WHAT’S NEW
Monitoring hardware now included with Frost Fans New Zealand Frost Fans manufacture the FrostBoss® range of frost fans at their factory in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand. The FrostBoss® C49 (4-blade machine) is the best-selling machine in Australasia. Web-based monitoring of frost fans is becoming more popular among large and small growers alike, and the FrostBoss™ controller has been designed with this in mind. The remote monitoring option, known as FrostSmart™, enables growers to access real-time monitoring of fans around the world, together with text alarms and historical data and graphs on temperature, run-hours and machine performance. The hardware required for FrostSmart™ monitoring is now included as standard with all FrostBoss® machines, which incorporate Auto Start™/Stop and wireless radio temperature probes. That means no additional hardware costs, only an annual monitoring fee to access the customer-specific data for your fans. Several other benefits differentiate the Frost Fans companies for both New Zealand and Australian growers, including: • End-to-end service from initial mapping and machine layouts to consent applications (if required) on your behalf, supply and installation and ongoing service and monitoring of the machines. • A growing network of Service Centres with dedicated and specially equipped service trucks, which provide safe access to top gearboxes and fast, environmentally safe oil changes. • Physical stock of machines and parts at all the Service Centres, enabling shorter lead times for installation and highly responsive after-sales service and support. • Dealing directly with the manufacturer – no intermediaries. Committed to finding the best frost mitigation solution for growers, Frost Fans chief executive Steve Haslett says “all we do is frost fans, so we stake our reputation and livelihoods on it.” Together they have a significant research and development programme focused on improving the efficiency and reliability of frost fans. The result of this research has been the development of the FrostBoss® C49 frost fan incorporating the proprietary FrostBoss® clutch, controller and C49 composite blades.
The FrostBoss® C49 composite 4 blade frost fan
The FrostBoss® C49 was developed with help from former Team New Zealand aerodynamics research engineer, Richard Karn, to optimise noise reduction by using a greater blade working area and slower rotational speed than a 2-blade fan. In addition, the much higher blade passage frequency of the 4-blade fan means the noise signature no longer has a low frequency beating sound, similar to an Iroquois helicopter. Along with the FrostBoss® C59 (5-blade machine), the FrostBoss® C49 is the quietest machine on the market. Marketed through its own companies in New Zealand and Australia, FrostBoss® fans are also installed in Argentina, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, France and Turkey through local distributors. As well as supply and installation of FrostBoss® frost fans, the trans-Tasman companies service and upgrade most makes of frost fan. For more information: www.nzfrostfans.com This article was written by Abbie Franklin of New Zealand Frost Fans.
The ORCHARDIST : MAY 2021 75
