Throughout this period the Keenan feeder wagon series has remained the Carlow firm’s core product. The Keenan Omni-spreader, a dung spreader, and Keenan beet washer chopper were successful but not as much as its feeder-mixer wagon ranges.

The firm even built a number of prototype trailed silage harvesters in its early days which, it is reputed, John Deere were anxious for Keenan’s to build for them. Again, Keenan’s focused on its core product range of mixer-feeder wagons.

James Dowling, Irish operations and service manager based at Keenan’s HQ, Borris, Co Carlow, estimates that there are in the region of 50,000 to 60,000 Keenan mixer-feeder wagons still operating on farms around the world.

So, with that in mind, James provides some maintenance advice for those that are operating out there. The basic mechanical principles of the Keenan feeder design have not changed in its 30-year period. It is a paddle-based mixer with feed-out auger. The mixing paddles and feed-out auger are isolated from each other by a guillotine door, which is only opened when ready to feed out the mix. Perhaps the biggest change has been in relation the dietary advice offered by the firm, the Keenan Mech-fibre System, which is sold as part of package with the feeder. Keenan’s has developed its dietary know-how over decades and this knowledge is sent directly to the feeder through a mobile phone link. PACE is Keenan’s ration or diet mixing instruction displayed on the machine’s weigh box and incorporates feeder control. The tractor’s pto automatically switches off to prevent over-mixing. Mech-fibre and PACE are now standard across the Keenan feeder series.

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