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The before (right) and after (left) shots of the horse paddock after Lady Muck has done its magic.
As anyone will attest to – if they’re married to someone with horses, have kids with ponies or are foolish enough to own these animals themselves – a big downside is the large, regular mess they leave behind.
This is on top of the huge vet bills, costly feeds and never-ending expensive array of ‘must have’ equine accessories!
Years of trudging around paddocks and stables picking up horse pooh has made this self-confessed non-horse fan even more anti the equine beasts. Whether the job is done by pushing around a wheelbarrow or with a trailer behind the four-wheeler, cleaning up horse deposits is a tedious, laborious and smelly job. In fact, it really sucks!
However, there is one way to make this task not (actually, this is what it does) suck.
Enter the Rotovacuum outdoor vacuum—dubbed the Lady Muck – made by Ashburton-based manufacturers Rotowiper.
This bright orange miracle machine has turned one of the most unsatisfying and painful chores of this horse widower’s life into a something to actually look forward to. Unbelievable, but true!
The Lady Muck is a robust, quality-made machine that is light enough to push around by hand, but also has an adjustable tow bar making it ideal to hitch behind the ATV or even a ride-on lawn mower. The chassis is shot-blasted plastic and painted in the aforementioned bright orange livery.
The surprisingly powerful suction part of the machine is powered by a Stihl blower motor. This can be easily removed and used as a leaf blower, as all the attachments come with the Rotovacuum.
But back to the real action, once the two-stroke motor on the blower motor is up and running, it creates the suction that quickly slurps up all the offending horse droppings via a hand-held tube. This is then deposited into a 350-litre holding tank. Once the tank is full, the Lady Muck is easily unloaded by detaching the four clips securing the holding tank lid at the rear and tipping the contents out by lifting it up at the front end, near the tow bar.
As mentioned, the Rotovacuum’s powerful suction ability makes light work of all types of horse pooh – both fresh and dry – and will soon have your paddocks cleaner than Ron Brierley’s computer browser history (nowadays)!
However, cleaning up after horses is not the only use for this multi-functional piece of kit. With autumn upon us and all those messy leaves lying around, throw away the rake and simply suck them all up with the Lady Muck. It can also be used to clean out troughs, vacuum gutters, clear out under shearing sheds and even pick up hazelnuts and olives.
Priced at $3,950 – plus GST, the Lady Muck Rotovacuum is worth every penny.
Global tyre manufacturer Michelin has extended its agricultural trailer tyre range, with the introduction of its new WorkxBib series, designed for tipping trailers, slurry tankers and manure spreaders.
Following the record-breaking success of its hydrogen-powered Hydromax, JCB is ramping up its investment in the business, key to the first major change at the executive level of the business, with George Bamford stepping up to the post of joint chairman, alongside his father Lord Bamford.
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Massey Ferguson has announced a strategic supply partnership with International Tractors Limited (ITL), a manufacturer of low-horsepower and compact tractors, with recognised brands such as Sonalika and Sollis, to expand its portfolio with a new tractor range.
With the biannual Italian EIMA machinery Expo less than a month away, Case IH has taken out a Technical Evolution award for the Advanced Vehicle Suspension system available on its Optum 360–440 series tractors.
The Advanced Vehicle Suspension system, available on Optum 360, 390, and 440 models, responds to changing conditions, automatically adjusting how the suspension reacts to absorbs shocks and controlling vehicle movement.
In operation, sensors monitor the vibrations transmitted from the tractor chassis to the operator cabin, allowing the system to adjust suspension damping in real time. The control system incorporates key priorities, such as comfort at lower speeds and stability as speed increases, while also reacting to factors such as lower tyre pressures, where the tyres absorb more of the initial shock.
Case IH said as suspension requirements change throughout the working day, as tractors move between the paddock and road transport, the system manages suspension response in the background as tasks, speeds and conditions change, leaving the operator without the need to make manual adjustments.
Richard Hollins, Optum series tractors global product manager, said: “Pioneering technology must earn its place in the working day. Farmers and contractors will judge an investment by what it delivers, including manageable ownership costs, dependable up-time and the versatility to tackle different jobs. With AVS, we are putting intelligent control to work for comfort and stability, without giving the operator another setting to manage.”
Organised by FederUnacoma, the Italian Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers Federation, the contest has been part of EIMA since 1986, with the Technical Evolution distinction awarded to products that introduce original improvements to solutions already manufactured or patented.
www.caseih.com
Farmlands has reported higher operating earnings and a profit before income tax of $4.5 million, up 118.9%, for the year ended 30 June 2026.
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