Kubota joins forces with Hurricanes
Japanese agricultural equipment maker Kubota will have its stamp on the home jersey for the Hurricanes.
Small likes to keep everything neat and tidy, so two years ago bought a Kubota BX2360 23hp tractor for slashing, topping and rotary hoeing and, using the tractor's frontloader, shifting dung piles left by the alpacas.
Though the tractor has lots of power, Small decided that, with much of the farm sloping, the tractor at times felt a little unstable, a problem to be solved before an accident occurred.
A visit to the 2015 National Fieldays got him a set of Clic SOK dual wheels and tyres that extend the footprint of the rear wheels laterally, promoting stability and improving traction.
The Clic product mimics the duals found on normal farm tractors: there's a spacer ring between the original inner and the new outer wheel, and eyebolts and tensioning rods clamp the two wheels together. Fitting or removal is done by driving the inner wheel up onto a wooden block, fitting the dual and tensioning the tie bars by means of an over-centre clamp which locks everything together.
Since their arrival and fitting last July the duals have stayed on the machine. Small says they give a more comfortable feel on slopes and improve stability and safety.
Their use has opened up areas of the property inaccessible with only a single tyre set-up.
Says Small, "The system wasn't cheap at around $1900 for the wheels and tyres, but you can't put a price on safety or the satisfaction of avoiding that 'oh bugger!' moment."
For more information visit www.clicdualwheels.co.nz
