JCB backhoes - 70 years and still counting
It's remarkable that it is now 70 years since the first JCB backhoe loader was released on an unsuspecting world.
Making a good quality stack or clamp silage is a given for livestock farmers, but feeding out can be a lottery.
So a multi-faceted mixer-feeder bucket that can cut, mix and discharge might prove useful for those looking for better stack/clamp management, or just to mechanise feeding in irregular-shaped or old cattle yards.
This describes the Emily Melodis mixer-feeder, distributed by Ag-Attachments, that comes with a heavy-duty bucket in a range of sizes from 0.9 to 7.5cu.m.
These units suit operation on telescopic handlers or loading shovels, allowing them to be manoeuvred into tight spaces typically inaccessible to tractor/mixer wagon combinations. They suit grass and maize silages, PKE and minerals.
In the base of the bucket a dual-helix mixer screw is driven from either end to reduce dynamic loads. Discharge of the mixed ration is via a guillotine-style gate at one end of the machine.
There’s a choice of upper attachments: either a basic hydraulic grab or a hydraulically driven rotor that cuts upwards and deposits material in the bucket. The resultant stack face is smooth, well-sealed and remains consolidated, so resisting secondary fermentation and spoilage.
In operation, dry materials are loaded first, followed by the grass and maize silages. The bucket is ‘crowded’ back to the vertical position, with a load mixed in two-three minutes. Typically, a 3cu.m bucket has enough capacity to feed 30 to 35 animals dependent on their age and size.
Construction is heavy duty, with high-wear areas done in Hardox steel or optional stainless-steel liners.
Rural banker Rabobank is partnering with Food Rescue Kitchen on a new TV series which airs this weekend that aims to shine a light on the real and growing issues of food waste, food poverty and social isolation in New Zealand.
Telco infrastructure provider Chorus says that it believes all Kiwis – particularly those in the rural areas – need access to high-speed, reliable broadband.
World Veterinary Day falls on Saturday 27 April.
The Director General of MPI, Ray Smith says it's important for his department to celebrate the success of a whole range of groups and people around the country.
A small company which mobilised veterinarians around the country to deal with Mycoplasma bovis was one of the winners in this year's Biosecurity Awards, held at Parliament.
One of the country's top Māori sheep and beef farms is facing a five-year battle to get back to where it was before Cyclone Gabrielle struck just over 14 months ago.
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