MULCHING avocado prunings is literally a pain in the neck.
Which is why Jasper Farms general manager Ben Norrish, Capel, invested in a Fendt 882 Vario Profi S4 tractor with a reversible console (180-degree turn), to operate a FAE fixed-hammer forestry mulcher.
And his tractor driver Mick Brown is over the moon.
With a 400 hectare program, growing to 600ha in a few years, mulching is a five month-of-the-year job and it can play havoc on your tractor and operator.
The main reason is that the initial and secondary passes, depending on material bulk, has to be done by reversing the mulcher into each row, to maximise the ability of the mulcher to smash large branches 'throat first'.
According to Mr Brown, operating in a conventional tractor with a conventional transmission, this has entailed constantly craning of the neck to view the mulcher in operation.
"You also had to work the clutch all the time and try to maintain the speed of the tractor, which could only get down to 2.6 kilometres an hour," he said.
"That might seem slow but it causes a lot of lurching of the tractor and it makes it hard to keep the mulcher steady and on track.
"But with the Fendt reversible console, it's a breeze because you're always facing the mulcher and with the IVT (infinitely variable transmission) you can get down to creep speeds of 0.1km/h, which gives you far more control of the mulcher to chip away at the prunings, which can include some pretty big branches.
"If you go too fast the branches can flick over the mulcher so you don't get as good a job done as you would like.
"With the Fendt, the whole operation is easier on the mulcher, the tractor and I feel a helluva lot better, especially with the neck.
"There's no clutch work, you're just feathering the joystick.
"We've clocked up 150 hours so far since we got it from Bunbury Machinery, and I reckon there'll be a lot more hours to come."
Depending on the thickness of the prunings, it can take several passes to produce the desire mulching, to leaves inter-rows smooth and clean, hence the longevity of the mulching program.
Mr Brown has also noticed less noise and less vibrations with the Fendt, which is equipped with a 1000rpm PTO and has a power rating of 166 kilowatts (226 horsepower).
Mr Norrish also opted for a specially-designed outer frame, custom built by Kordt Engineering, Bunbury, for safety and to avoid damaging the tractor from large diameter branches.
According to Australian distributors AGCO, Fendt 800 Vario models offer more interfaces than any other tractor in its performance class - including six electro-hydraulic double-acting valves at the rear, plus two in the front, power beyond and ISOBUS coupling and much more.
Overall, the Fendt 800 Vario has more than 24 connections, which are helpfully located both at the front and rear.
That guarantees versatile operations and trouble-free connection of all implements.
The electro-hydraulic rear linkage, which has a maximum lift capacity of 11 tonnes, guarantees that even heavy rear-mounted implements for this power class can be lifted to the fullest height without any trouble.
With its load-sensing technology, the Fendt 800 Vario is well-equipped for demanding work.
Depending on the area of application, you can equip the Fendt 800 Vario with a load-sensing pump with a delivery capacity of 152 or 205 litres a minute.
The separate hydraulics and transmission oil supplies means the 800 Vario will be compatible for use with bio-oil in the hydraulic circuit.
The PTO can be easily controlled via the multi-function armrest and is designed to work at lower engine speed, which means lower fuel consumption.
Mr Norrish opted for front linkage to allow remote lowering of the steel belly plates for easy cleaning of leaf and dust build-up.
"It certainly will be a very handy unit to have around for general purpose work," he said.
