Equipment suited to dry-land farming

Press, 12 March 1985, Page 24

Equipment suited to dry-land farming

Horwood Bagshaw. Ltd. Australia's oldest general engineering and agricul-tural-machinery manufacturing company, specialises in equipment suited to dryland farming. The company emphasises the importance of tillage practices which conserve soil moisture, control erosion and improve the soil for future use. Products specifically designed for conservation purposes include the innovative Stubblemaster Sweep/Chisel Plough range, and the Fieldmaster Cultivator. These products and the company's range of harvesters will be exhibited at the Southern Machinery Show. The company's linkagemounted Stubblemaster Sweep/Chisel Plough is designed as a heavy duty cultivator suited to primary and secondary stubble retention tillage. It is the only chisel plough to receive an Australian design award as well as

many other awards for its energy-saving features. The plough’s innovative tine design gives constant share angle, high 500 mm tine jump height with reducing pressure, high breakaway and re-entry forces and up’ to 40 per cent less draught with a unique narrow edge-on tine. It is available in a two-or three-row frame configuration with four models from five to 11 tines — giving 1.5, 2.1, 2.7 and 3.4 metre width of cut Over-all tine spacing is 350 mm, maximum working depth 300 mm and underframe clearance 720 mm. Depth wheels are standard on three-row models and optional on two-row models. The Horwood Bagshaw linkage-mounted Fieldmaster Cultivator is designed as a versatile four-row secondary cultivator with excellent trash clearance characteristics. The cultivator has good penetrating ability, with a maximum tine breakawav

force of 75 kg. Over-all tine spacing is 150 mm. minimum diagonal spacing 522 mm. underframe clearance 590 mm, and maximum working depth 150 mm. Two models are available: 19 and 31 tines with a 2.85 m and 4.65 m width of cut, both with 2.85 m transport width. .Another product in the company's range is the vacuum' seeds harvester which is designed to harvest sub clovers, tropical legumes. and small seeds which cannot be harvested by traditional methods. The development of this harvester in the late 1950 s made the specialised growing of clovers and medics for seed production more feasible and economical. The machine is now essential for pasture seed producers throughout Australia and many other countries. The machine uses an air flow system to pick up. thresh and clean small seeds in one continous harvesting operation.