THERE Are Two Ends to a Tractor But Most Farmers Are Only Using One

THERE are two ends to a tractor but most farmers are only using one. That's a waste, according to Adam Fendyk from Burder Ag Attachments at Wangaratta. It is why he is so keen for more farmers to find out about three-point linkage and power take-off systems that can be attached to the front of tractors. In Europe, the take-up of these is about 50 per cent. They are very common in Holland, especially, but fewer than 5 per cent of tractors in Australia are fitted with them. Mr Fendyk is hoping this will change, and said it made sense for more farmers to consider fitting them. "For a small extra cost, you can double the capacity of your tractor," he said. "An example would be that you could fit a mower on the front of the tractor and another offset to the side. "This set-up would mean you were more fuel-efficient, do the job of mowing quicker and reap the crop faster. "It's all about improving the productivity of your tractor." The ability to retro-fit the system to an existing tractor was a big selling point. "We can fit the system either with a PTO or without (just the three-point linkage)," he said. The system is provided from Zuidberg Frontline Systems, based in the Netherlands. Mr Fendyk said it had created a lot of interest at the recent Henty and Elmore field days. "At Elmore, we had it set up on a tractor so people get a clear idea of how it all works and how it looks," he said. "The first system like this was done in 1982 and there are 200,000 tractors worldwide with them. "But the take-up rate in Australia is still less than 5 per cent. "We are hoping that this will increase very soon." Source: weeklytimes now