Wool-shedding sheep key to remote farm operation
For Marlborough Sounds farmer Noel Moleta, farming hair sheep that need no shearing is one of the keys to running a low-input, low-intervention operation in a difficult and highly remote location.
Fitting a magnet to a mixer wagon auger can help extract these foreign bodies, but bring with them the task of removal, where operators must enter the mixing tub where they are exposed to sharp cutting blades. Additionally, some magnets are so powerful that they run the risk of erasing a chip in a credit card or do damage to a mobile phone. German mixer wagon manufacturer Siloking has developed a heavy-duty magnet concept that allows metal objects to be safely removed from outside the tub.
The company suggests this has made the job safer and easier, which seems to have the backing of judges at the recent Eurotier Show in Europe, who awarded the idea a silver medal.
Compared to existing solutions, the magnet is permanently secured to the base of a mixing auger, then shrouded by a stainless- steel housing.
The magnet is said to be so powerful that nails, mower blades and even tedder tines, adhere to this housing.
In operation, an integrated tool is used to slide out the housing, that when pulled away from the magnet, sees metal objects simply fall off to be collected. When used in a twice-daily feeding regime, the company recommends checking and clearing the magnet once a week.
The option can be fitted to all the firm’s trailed and self-propelled machines, costing around $4,000.
