Mowers cut it for contractor

Operating from Rahotu, their sizeable fleet includes 22 tractors, two harvesters and a total of around 100 machines.

However, it is still very much a family affair: Samantha deals with admin. Father Tom is a full-time driver, sister Jeni helps out in the busy times manning the phones and organising drivers, while brother Chris runs the busy workshop.

Offering a range of services to mainly dairy farming clients, Goodin Ag’s core operations are pit silage and baling. As with any grass-based business, mowers play an important part.

In the Goodin’s case, their association with Krone started back in 2004, having tried multiple brands that failed to handle the harsh local conditions, where rocks and undulations are common.

“The Krones are made of sterner stuff. In fact, we still run one of the original mowers bought back in 2004,” Mark Goodin explains.

Today the business runs three frontand three rear-mounted Krone EasyCut mowers equipped with conditioners, with front and rear both running the same gearboxes and key parts, meaning parts stockholdings are kept to a minimum.

“Triples are too large for the size of the paddocks we work in and the obstacles we have to deal with,” he explains. “So, we run them as front and rear combinations, that work really well. We run conditioners because the weather is really shit around here, meaning we typically cut one day and bale the next, so faster drying times do really matter.”

Mostly making silage from grass, but also encountering some Lucerne, the tine conditioners are not ideal. However, given the small amount being handled, crops are mowed when damp to minimise leaf shatter.

Harvesting 1,500ha of bulk grass silage and mowing about 700ha of that area. The business also covers around 2,500ha for baleage, of which about 1,500ha is mown.

The result is about 2,000ha being knocked over by the three pairs of mowers.

“While we’re not doing huge amounts, the rough terrain and rocks mean it feels like the mowers are doing more,” Goodin says. “But the Krone machines follow the ground well, so we can go just about anywhere with them. I was surprised that our front mowers deal with the rough ground better than the rear trailing mowers we used to operate.”

If an EasyCut rear mower hits a rock, the breakaway system allows the machine to swing safely rearwards and if a solid object is encountered heavily, a shear pin beneath the cutting disc will shear to allow that disc to free-wheel, eliminating any damage to the main gear train.

“The whole mower is designed to be simple,” Goodin adds. “The cutting bed is comprised of multiple modules that if damaged can be quickly removed and replaced in the field, while I can also have the whole conditioner out in about half an hour.”