DAIRY NEWS JUNE 25, 2019
34 // MACHINERY & PRODUCTS
Revamped feeders carry more bales MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz
SPORTING THE new
Hustler mint green paintwork, the Hastings company’s new RX feeders result from six years of development leading to a five-model range with capacities of 11 to 28cu.m. Much of the redesign was to optimise the capacity of the main body to allow maximum use of space particularly for round or square bales. The RX 138 (13.5cu.m) will hold six, rather than
five, 4 x 6 foot round bales -- a 20% increase. Or carrying a square bale 4 x 4 x 8 foot long the capacity increases from two to three bales -- an increase of 50%. The machine is also said to be much more manoeuvrable than its predecessor, with a tighter turning radius achieved by shortening and sculpting the drawbar and repositioning the axles. Within the body, a heavy duty polyethylene flat floor design combines with a hydraulic pusher, running on grease-less
slides, to move the load forwards to the cross conveyor. Attention to detail shows in two points: the main floor delivers the load to the cross-conveyor with only a minimal difference in heights, giving a seamless transition of material; and the hydraulically adjusted discharge elevator originates from well under the machine to avoid feed spillages. The discharge elevator has also been changed to a 12,000lb rating roller chain design fitted with box-section bars to deliver
feed to the required destination. In operation, the twospeed main floor feed is controlled automatically by the feed control system that takes load sensing signals from the cross conveyor to bring the load forward as required. Much of the redesign has been aimed at reducing the number of moving parts within the machine and upgrading to better technology for a longer service life. This involved replacing bushes with bearings or grease-less
Hustler’s new RX feeder.
components in key areas. The combination of changes is said to have reduced the number of greasing points by up to 39%, and maintenance times are reduced by up to ten hours a month. And there are other
changes to engineering detail, e.g. the cross-conveyor is driven by a gearbox and a direct drive to the discharge elevator. Standard equipment includes mudguards, access ladders, a heavyduty parking jack and rear
opening tailgate. Add to that an integral weighing system with load cells on the drawbar and axles, a choice of options such as a FeedLink wireless weighing and feed management system, braked axles and a road ready kit.
CLEVER TRAILER KEEPS CALVES ABOARD MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz
THREE FARMERS’ sons have
devised a quad trailer rear gate that prevents newborn calves escaping seconds after they’re loaded. The lads, all students at St. Pauls Collegiate School in Hamilton, had seen such loading struggles first-hand. Their resulting Gate+ was an entry in the Fieldays Young Innovator of the Year competition. Daniel Pearse, Douwe de Boer and Sanraj Dhaliwal, all aged 17 and in year 13, created a clever saloon style split gate that allows
calves to be lifted and pushed into a trailer in one movement before the spring-loaded gates snap shut to secure the animals. Unlike other gates, the Gate+ has no catches or spring bolts to unlock, ideal for farmers wearing gloves or mitts on cold mornings. A modular centre section incorporates the spring gates and external ‘wings’ can be customised to fit any length of trailer. The next stage of the project is to build several units and fine tune the spring rates on the gates for a more controlled closing action. Then dairy farmers can line up to buy one.
Sanraj Dhaliwal, Daniel Pearse and Douwe de Boer , St Pauls Collegiate School, with their quad trailer rear gate.
INCREASE PRODUCTION AND PERFORMANCE Hundreds of users of HerdHomes® shelters agree, an investment in HerdHomes® Shelters is an investment in the on going productivity of your farm The future of productive farming www.herdhomes.co.nz M + 64 27 499 0123 P + 64 7 857 0528
NZ Patent Numbers: 521150, 544190, 550635, 545042. Further patents pending. International Patent Numbers: 2003267874, 03748807.9. Further patents pending