Down to the sea in barges
Severe damage to the Takaka Hill road from ex-cyclone Gita is forcing Fonterra to barge product by sea from its Takaka factory.
Available in cutting widths from 2.00 - 5.6m, machines carry from three to eight rotors, each with four blades, with horsepower rating from 50 - 150hp.
The mowers are made from Strenx™ 700 MC high-strength steel throughout -- strong and durable. They are designed specifically for clearing forest margins and for scrubland where ‘sensitive’ environmental work is needed.
And they’re good for farm use, easily coping with scrub, saplings, gorse and brush, and ideal for clearing arable stubble such as maize and rape.
The undersole discs are made from Hardox® 450, a wear- and abrasion-resistant steel; these carry the four impact-resistant, shock absorbing, hardened spring steel blades; these have a cutting height range of 40 - 200mm depending on model, with the aid of a heavy-duty rear roller assembly.
Machines can also be optioned with a side shift unit to allow the operator to adjust the mower 30cm left or right.
In Bay of Plenty, Tom Grant, of Grant Farms Ltd, says the Cyclone mower ideally suits his operation’s agricultural and earthmoving operations.
“We’ve done agricultural and earthmoving contracting for the last 37 years. We’re managing an area of 400ha in various states of pasture, from rough stuff to good stuff. We plan on making rough stuff into good stuff.
“Before, we’d generally just do land clearance with a bulldozer – bulldoze it all into a pile and bury it.”
Land management techniques are changing to reduce the impact on surrounding environments. Bulldozing takes lots of time and resources, something farmers and contractors increasingly lack, Grant says.
“We’re doing land clearing mulching: it leaves the root system there and it’s eco-friendlier.
“The Major Cyclone can knock it down and keep pastures in order. And it can chop pretty massive stuff. Prior to that we would get in a bulldozer with a root rake and just root rake it all.”
The Major Cyclone mower range is now available in New Zealand from Case IH dealers.
