Co Tyrone dealer trimming the cost of hedge cutting

For cutting neatly around telephone poles or pole cable stays then use crab steer on your Telehandler and as you approach the pole or pole stay, use boom retract and then boom extend this gives you a very nibble and accurate cut. It is also a very useful way to achieve extra reach.

The announcement comes after and as a result of two very successful agricultural shows, namely Clogher valley in end of July and Enniskillen in early August.

The uptake and interest in the Slanetrac product range at these two shows was the motivation behind seeking the franchise for Northern Ireland.

Aaron from McFarland’s told Farming Life: “Simplicity and efficiency are a beautiful blend when it comes to farm machinery.

Demo over and a nice tidy hedge, This hedge had two top passes and two side trims, a final 45 degree angle was done leaving a nine inch taper, traveling speed was 2 - 3 KPH.

“It has been said that necessity is the mother of invention and so with all machines there must be a need and a demand for them in order to make a successful business grow.”

The range of Slanetrac products have been manufactured at their factory in Meath for over 30 years with the finger bar trimmer being introduced in 2009. Since then many of these loader/telehandler swivel trimmers have been sold all across Ireland and mainland UK along with many European countries and sizeable orders have also been sent to Australia and New Zealand.

The simplicity, versatility and price of the swivel trimmer have all been contributing factors in high demand for these trimmers for many farmers in recent days. It can be attached to a loader or telehandler as simple and as quickly as you would attach a shear grab, simply hook up, fit the pipes and plug in the electrical connection for the six port hydraulic change over valve and you’re off.

Once at the field or lane way to be trimmed the telescopic arm can be mechanically pulled out to the desired position and also a left or right hand cut selected.

Aaron McFarland prepares to demonstrate the SA-1000

The hydraulic motor that drives the finger bar only requires approximately 30 litres per minute oil flow, the rotational movement of the motor is converted into a reciprocating linear movement with a working stroke of 75mm. The two pipe flow and return system feeds a 6 port 12 volt 1/2” BSP change over valve, the normally open port operates the blade motion and with the simple flick of a switch the valve closes the blade function and opens the swivel blade angle port, the head angle has a hydraulic working stroke of 140 degrees however the overall mechanical angle can be adjusted at the head angle claw piece.

The length of the cutter bar is 1.8 metres and can cut through branches up to 30 mm in diameter while maintaining a good steady forward speed, a large diameter blade attachment is also available and this can cut through large branches up to 10 inches in diameter. There are also trimmer bars available for mini diggers and a flail head is also an option if required.

The price of £3,250 plus Vat is a big appeal for this unit as you compare the price of any normal hedge trimmer prices generally start at £12,000 upwards, another appeal is the ease and speed to hook on and off, basically as quickly as you would attach a shear grab. For more details on all Slane Trac products visit the website www.slanetrac.ie

For the moment T. McFarland Agri. are mainly focusing on the SA-1000 model as they are a simple and an affordable piece of equipment. For prices, specification and application feel free to contact us on 028 82 841 273 or visit the yard at 24 Cavan Road, Fintona, Co Tyrone, BT78 2DS or the website for all other products www.tmcfarlandagri.co.uk .