Big-bag fertiliser made easy with new handler system

John O’Donnell of Anner Agri spotted the handler and opener for big bags of fertiliser in the UK and thought there would be a market for them in Ireland. They are manufactured by Agriweld, a small engineering firm in Yorkshire, manufacturing high-quality implements for specific needs such as potato box tippers.

Loading and emptying fertiliser bags into fertiliser spreaders is a slow and dangerous job carried out on almost every farm.

The ABC big-bag cutter is designed to carry either two or four half-tonne bags of seed or fertiliser and cut the bags open automatically over the spreader/drill by means of two retractable knives. This implement allows the loader driver to load and empty the bags without leaving the cab, avoiding the risk of the operator being trapped under a bag.

Advantages

Having seen the implement working, it appears to have other advantages also, such as allowing the driver to stay out of the way of the dust from the bag of fertiliser and also remove the requirement of the operator to get in and out of the machine to open the bags. This will improve safety, as well as the output of both driver and machine.

The arms can be folded to allow easier and safer transport.

The ABC bag cutter is available in either two- or four-bag models with brackets to suit any loader. The whole operation of the implement is fed using one double-acting valve and the process is sequenced so that the knives retract once the bag has emptied in order for the next bag to slide into position.

Looking at the design of the big-bag cutter, it is certainly built to last and in terms of both safety and output would be a good addition to any farm that is using a lot of bagged fertiliser.