That depends, say Ian and Elly Brown, t/a Agricultural Contracting Otago Ltd, Mosgiel.
They enthuse about them – that is, the steel variety: Hustler Mega Softhands. The Browns use them to handle 12,000-15,000 bales per year.
Working with them is their son Tim. They work on an 80km radius from Mosgiel, as far out as the Otago Peninsula, Hindon, Middlemarch and south to Waihola.
Their services include ploughing, hedge cutting, hay and baleage plus cultivation.
Their gear includes a McHale Fusion II baler/wrapper combo and a Welger baler. Bales are averaging 800kg. Both balers can run up to 23 knives, though most clients prefer a 4-5 inch finish in the material length.
Tim says pretty much any customer’s request will be met in chop length. But he says research shows that if material is too short, the animals can’t always pick it up and it’s wasted.
Mostly the Softhands are fitted to their JD6420 and occasionally JD6920s.
The Hustler ‘hands’ have ousted other hands that were too cupped, the pivots wore, and the construction seemed too light.
“So we went looking for strength,” Tim says. We looked at a few different hands including some of the imported type. Hustler offered solid construction, good visibility, a slim arm design and easy greasing.”
Tel. 0800 487 853
www.hustlerequipment.co.nz
