Kerry company RT Sales Ltd has claimed the National Ploughing Association (NPA) machine of the year accolade for 2024 with its JA 2122T (22ft telescopic) hedge cutter.
Having only finished its first prototype hedge cutter in 2020, new kid on the block RT Sales Ltd has burst on to the Irish hedge cutting scene.
Based near Castleisland, the company has evolved from RT Hedge & Tree Cutting Ltd, which was set up by Padraig Teahan and his father-in-law Johnny Reidy in 2008.
The duo’s history with hedge-cutting dates back to 1993, when Johnny Reidy bought his first hedge cutter to cut for neighbours, with the business growing steadily over the years.
Today, RT Hedge & Tree Cutting Ltd runs four hedge cutters with flail heads and one machine with a saw head and typically works for 50 weeks of the year.
Designing own machine
“We have always had various niggles with varying brands of hedge cutters, and always said we would like this changed or that tweaked. One day we thought, why don’t we build a machine by contractors for contractors? In 2019, we decided to build our own flail head,” said Padraig.
“First, we decided to build our own head. The biggest problem we had cutting on road sides was picking up wire, which would get into the bearings. We came up with a design to put the bearing housing and grease nipple on the outside of the head, rather than on the inside.
“We then tightened up the spiral, which allowed us to fit two extra flails into the head allowing for more overlaps and a neater finish. We decided to build the industry-standard 1.2m head, which we are still using in our own business today,” he added.
The firm went on to build its first prototype hedge cutter in 2020. Componentry included Italian-built Bizarro gearboxes and the French-built Roquet pumps and motors, which are all tried, tested and proven.
“For our first machine, we put an emphasis on the cooling system. The oil return line on the cutting head runs through the radiator. A thermostat on the return line activates the fan, to keep the system cool.
“We have fitted a three times oversized radiator to ensure proper cooling. In the cab, we fitted an electronic proportional CanBus control system. It runs at a lower pressure compared to servo joysticks. It has two thumb rollers, one for the head tilt and one for the slew. A click diverter allows the head tilt roller to operate the telescopic function,” added Padraig.
Mounting system
“We wanted to create a design that allowed hedge cutters to be easily interchangeable between tractors, rather than needing axle brackets for varying brands of tractors. We decided to brace the hedge cutter on to the tractor’s hitch, which is the tractor’s strongest point,” said Padraig.
By removing the pickup hitch, users can slot in RT’s unique hitch with two cranked plates, which pulls the hedge cutter down to the hitch.
They note that this acts like a stabiliser, and keeps the machine nice and steady.
“With this design, two men would easily put a hedge cutter on a tractor in under 10 minutes.
“When we had the design completed, we secured a patent for this mounting system on all implements, for Ireland, the UK and Europe. We have fabricated the mounting system for several rear side-mounted mowers, which has drastically improved stability,” added Padraig.
Today, the RT ProArm hedge cutter range comes in three models. This includes the RT ProArm JA 2118, RT ProArm JA 2120 and the flagship RT ProArm JA 2122T which was on display at the Ploughing. The JA 2118 and the JA 2120 are fixed-arm hedge cutters with 18ft and 20ft reaches, while the JA 2122T is a telescopic hedge cutter with 18ft to 22ft reach. 