He looked at the brighter side of the sugar industry’s future, advancing some ideas about increasing yield with better in-field practices, and a confirming that it’s possible to increase revenue if the crop’s total value can be realised, particularly by using cane residue to cogenerate electricity.
The Heizohack 6-300 chipper can handle logs up to 300mm in diameter
Cobus Coetzee (check shirt) of Staalmeester put on an impressive demonstration of the German manufactured Heizohack chipper. Mounted on a trailer chassis, it can be transported easily between sites, making it ideal for contractors. The volumeter control continually regulates the feed-in speed relative to the log size and the remote control can adjust the general speed to suit the PTO power of the tractor. The ‘quick reverse’ programme can be used to free the drum. A feed aperture height of 300mm ensures the processing of bushes, branches, poles, saw mill waste and even entire tree trunks into high grade wood chips.
The Junkkari Company celebrates 60 years
Staalmeester, based in Hartbeesfontein, is another machinery importer that supports Mascor. The company distributes a range of chippers from Junkkari Oy, a Finnish supplier of agriculture and forestry machines. This model is equipped with a feeding device that has its own hydraulic tank and pump. The chipper’s massive blade disc works as a flywheel and ensures even wood chips regardless of a load change. The chip size can be adjusted from 5mm to 18mm. A rotating discharge chute and baffle plate allows for discharge directly into a trailer or truck.
The Orlov Vario-Disc can be combined with a seeder unit
Imported by Inttrac Trading from the Netherlands, this versatile implement has a rigid frame with individually suspended 510mm discs, each with a wide variety of angle adjustment. The four rows of discs are spaced at 425mm and the maximum working depth is 120mm. This tool can create a perfect seedbed, making it practical to combine it with the versatile Evers VXL-drill. The drill has a 310â„“ seed box and is ideal for the direct planting of small seeds such as oats and rye grass. The cage roller supplies the necessary compaction.
Kverneland rotary tillers can be fitted with bed formers
Kverneland rotary tillers have a gear-driven lateral transmission. This is the Model GS80-200, which is suitable for tractors up to 60kW. The unique Kverneland rotor system has more blades, producing a more uniform finish. The helical blade positioning means that the blades enter the soil one by one for smoother running with less vibration. It creates a perfect seedbed with one pass, which means farmers can prepare the land for bed planting of vegetables or potatoes by fitting bed formers to a rear toolbar.
The competitively priced Strautmann 8m3 manure spreader
Inttrac Trading showed the Strautmann BE 4 manure spreader with four vertical shredder units. This put down a very even spread of the full eight cubes of milo – the residue from the extraction of sugar at the mill, which cane farmers favour as a fertiliser and soil humus enhancer.
Radium Engineering’s Transpread lime spreader
The 10t Radium RSS 073-10 Transpread has a capacity of 9,5m3 with a three speed gearbox with a ground drive. This allows for a wide variation in application rates relative to the material being spread. For example, low gear is for light spreading of slug pellets and high gear for heavy lime applications. The Transpread is also available with a hydraulic drive. This lets you adjust application rates on the move to apply variable amounts of material on different parts of the field. This can be computer controlled, linked to a GPS system which follows the instructions generated from a field map showing the different areas’ requirements.
The Treerex shear fells trees up to 400mm in diameter
Imported by Inttrac Trading from Canada, this shear cuts trees in a few seconds. Rotated to vertical it can also chop them to log lengths. The single blade eliminates the centre-cut splinters that double-blade designs leave behind, and the wedge effect of the massive single blade design makes the tree fall predictable (usually to the right). The deeper cutting pocket reduces the power required and the concave jaw has a natural gripping action. The shear can cut trees at ground level or, by rotating the head, it can be used to cut up the limbs.
