For example, the arrival of big bags for handling fertiliser did away with back-breaking handling of awkward 25kg bags, thanks to mechanical handling.
But there were challenges: suspending a bag over the fertiliser spreader hopper and reaching under to cut an opening.
Many can tell a tale about using, and sometimes losing, a knife section on a stick, or a favourite penknife, during the task. And who hasn’t muttered “it won’t all fit in the hopper; how do I stop the flow?”
So a neat device from TechniPharm, aptly named Empty-Bag, can make the job easier and safer, at a cost of no more than $400.
Made from high-grade polyethylene, the device comprises a pointed tower to pierce the bag, and four radial serrated blades which enlarge the opening.
With the unit placed on the floor, the big bag is lowered over the point until four barbs -- not dissimilar to those on a fishing hook -- have punctured the outer skin of the bag, ensuring the device can’t drop out.
The bag is then lifted over the spreader hopper, from where the operator has access to a guillotine-style shutter mechanism that can be used to open, regulate or stop the flow at any time, importantly without the operator having to be in a dangerous position under the bag.
