Feed pad with rubber matting hailed as game changer
For Otago farmers Michelle and Rogan Borrie, a newly constructed feed pad on one of their three farms has been a game changer.
It was set-up in 2004 to provide its members and their customers with high quality farm equipment directly from the manufacturers. Over time, the company has experienced formidable growth and has firmly positioned itself on the NZ farm machinery scene.
Managing director David Donnelly says cooperatives are founded on strong values, and Origin Ag puts these into practice every day.
The company imports its products directly from overseas manufacturers, including well-known names such as Pöttinger, Alpego, Bogballe, Hatzenbichler, Gascon and Joskin.
Its recent annual conference, held at the Mystery Creek Event Centre, used the main building to showcase the existing and new products to an audience of sales teams from throughout NZ. The event also brought together key personnel from overseas suppliers.
This included Jacques Duyckaerts from Joskin, Alex Zaffonato, export area manager of Alpego, Markus Gahleitner of Pöttinger Austria and Ben Mitchell, sales & service manager for Pöttinger in Australia.
European-based personnel explained the difficulties experienced during the Covid-19 and the Ukrainian tensions. They said this had led to short working, reduced production and difficulties in acquiring raw materials and components.
However, they all suggested that in the last six months or so there has been a move back to normality, with major investment in new factories and infrastructure and a host of new products in the pipeline.
With the grass harvest season approaching quickly, Origin took the opportunity to introduce the new Pöttinger TOP 882C twin rotor rake to their range of popular centre-delivery swathers.
Like its predecessor, the TOP 882C, the new machine is said to offer excellent tracking, manoeuvrability and high output. It has a working width of 7.7m – 8.80m and swath width adjustment of 1.3m to 2.6m.
Despite a rotor diameter of 3.7m, the transport height – without removing the tine arms – is still below 4m.
It features suspension control springs, working in conjunction with the MultiTast jockey wheel system and a 5-wheel chassis that delivers the best ground tracking and reduced dirt ingress in the forage.
The MultiTast wheel tracks hit the ground immediately in front of the tines and responds to each undulation. With the new TOP 882C, the new Flowtast glide bar is available as an option, replacing the conventional rotor chassis wheels, with a glide bar for particularly challenging ground conditions.
This system glides over uneven deep plugging, peat, holes and wheel marks, making it suitable for soft and damp soil conditions.
An extended machine life is ensured by using special wear-resistant plastic, with each glide bar consisting of five individually exchangeable 15mm thick plates.
An individual rotor lifting system – with electrical preselect for raking headlands and field borders – is also available as an additional option.
