Boerepatente Competition 2016

Bertus Goosen is a veteran of the Boerepatente Kompetisie and always scores a few wins, but this year he and his family had a field day, with a win or place in many of the classes. Here is a selection of the entries that caught my eye:

 

READ: New machinery at Nampo 2016

A look at the Boerepatente Competition 2016

The easy way to load a trailer
In this Goosen winner, the winch, powered by the towing vehicle’s electrics, lifts the load on a swivelling gantry onto the trailer. (First in Class A1: Implements and agricultural equipment.)

Solar-powered golf cart
This is not the first time that Bertus has submitted a solar-powered device. Here, a roof-mounted solar panel charges the batteries. (First in Class C2: Modified household or gardening equipment.)

 

Slangbos roller
Slangbos (Seriphium plumosum) can reduce the carrying capacity of productive grassveld by up to 80%. Jannie Myburgh of Ermelo offers an alternative to expensive chemical eradication with his slangbos roller. The top roller, made from heavy forklift tyres, provides sufficient weight to the rolling blade cutter to enable the blades to chop and displace the slangbos crowns.

When inverted, the rubber roller allows the implement to be safely towed on the road. (Second in Class A1: Implements and agricultural equipment.)

Protecting harvester tyres
A single tyre for a combine harvester costs up to R40 000 and these tyres are often damaged by maize stalks. Jannie Myburgh’s roller, constructed from heavy forklift tyres, is mounted ahead of the tyre and rolls down the stalks. (Second in Class A2: Modified implements and agricultural equipment.)

Plastic wind pump
Burgert Terblanche from Verkeerdevlei in the Free State created much interest with his prizewinning wind pump made with plastic, corrosion-proof components. A close-up of the working parts is seen here. (First in Class A2: Modified implements and agricultural equipment.)

 

Pipe clamp
Another Boerepatente regular, Willie Crous of Klerksdorp, specialises in boreholes and the equipment to service them. This year, he won a prize with an ingenious pipe clamp – that really grips! (Second in Class B1: Tools.)

Gerbil trap
The competition would not be complete without a winning entry from Klerksdorp’s Gerrit Smith. This year, Gerrit won
with a neck clamp for cattle and this simple yet effective gerbil trap. Gerbils (springhaasrotte) have become a major pest in the Free State. (First in Class C1: Original household or gardening equipment.)

 

Multipurpose brush
Nicoline Goosen used crown caps to create a multipurpose brush that can serve as a boot cleaner mat or, with a handle attached, as a dog groomer. (First in Class E: Scholars.)

 

Owl’s nest
Samantha, another of Bertus’s daughters, continued the family tradition by making an owl box out of an old container, an item that would normally be thrown away. (Second in Class F: Students.)

 

Self-righting target
Johan Swanepoel won with a self-resetting target for use in the sport of silhouette shooting. (First in Class D: Open section.)

 

Joe Spencer is the mechanisation editor of Farmer’s Weekly. 

This article was originally published in the 17 June 2016 issue of Farmer’s Weekly.