New shear bucket with plastic retention from ProDig

ProDig from Co Carlow will launch a new range of shear buckets at this year’s Ploughing Championships. The range has been designed with loading diet feeders in mind where the diet mix may contain loose feed materials, pit silage and/or bales. The ProDig shear-bucket is a bucket, shear grab and bale shear all rolled into one and can be seen on stand 135, row 13.

The firm has also developed a plastic retention device for the shear bucket range to retain the plastic and net from a wrapped silage bale. Through sequencing bales a single double-acting third service operates both the shear and plastic retaining device.

Hardened, tempered serrated blades are used in the front of the grab with the aim of leaving a silage pit face with the minimum of secondary fermentation. The blades have an over-bite to ensure a clean cut. Two short outside tines extend beyond the blade and act as stoppers to prevent the blades from coming into contact with the ground or concrete and being damaged.

Currently available are 2.2m and 1.8m wide versions while a smaller 1.5m variant is also being developed. The largest has a bucket capacity of 1.6 cubic metres and weighs in at 800kg while the smaller version has a bucket capacity of 1.3 cubic metres and weighs 650kg.

More unique and inventive ideas for Ploughing

Carlow-based Unique Inventions run by Liam Murphy always has something interesting for the Ploughing. This year, on stand 411, row 26, Liam will have a new silage plastic roller device on show.

This implement, which is attached to a tractor loader or telehandler, can roll back the plastic on a silage pit and can simultaneously place or remove a weight which anchors the plastic in place. The unit can be used in conjunction with Liam’s Tyremats system so that silage pits can be covered and uncovered from the comfort of your tractor seat.

Liam will also be showing a new calf feeder for feeding milk over fences etc. This teat feeder comprises two barrels connected to a frame which is then attached to a tractor loader.

Batches of calves can then be fed at ease by suspending the feeder over a gate or fence, all again from the comfort of your tractor seat.