The Erth Engineering PanBuster is a mounted machine available in 2.5 or 3m working widths and equipped with four or five legs accordingly. The legs are made from Hardox steel for high wear resistance, and fitted with replaceable shins and low disturbance points for grassland work.
In a shear-bolt set-up those legs can operate down to about 500mm, while the more popular hydraulic auto-reset version allows working depths of 350-400mm.
The auto-reset system is designed to protect the machine and the tractor from unseen objects, and to lift if an object is encountered; it can also deflect sideways by up to 150mm to bypass that same object.
The design includes high-specification Nikrom rams which have a small internal volume and large ports to allow quick reaction to objects, and marine-grade plating on the ram spears to resist pitting. Depth control is via a full-width smooth roller assembly at the rear of the machine which incorporates a hydraulic-nitrogen accumulator to allow smooth movement over undulating terrain.
Additionally, the roller can be controlled by the driver to achieve clean ‘ins’ and ‘outs’ to maintain a good finish in the paddock. Up front, a disc assembly provides a clean entry for the discs in hard or trashy conditions, and uses a unique geometry to maintain constant but adjustable disc pressure from 150 to 250kg per disc.
David McCubrey, owner of Erth Engineeering, says using a PanBuster when ground conditions are suitable can have a marked effect on annual production of dry matter “preventing roots from becoming waterlogged in a wet spring, but free to move through the ‘eased’ soil profile in a dry summer”.
