Young Irish engineer creates his own tedder rake combination

by Chris McCullough

An Irish agricultural machinery engineer has created his very own tedder rake combination, thought to be the only such machine on the market and hopes to make it commercially available by 2024

Based in Ballindine in County Mayo Michael Clarke, 27, has made a prototype of his Dualstar 6000E 20ft tedder rake combo that he says will save farmers and contractors significant costs

Michael, who works full-time as a mechanical design engineer for a machinery company, has always had desires to become self-employed and has formed Clarke Agri Engineering

While he also manufactures grass harrows it is the tedder rake combo that he hopes will be popular on the already bulging silage machinery market

Michael explained: “The Dualstar 6000E is a 20ft machine that works as a tedder spreading out the grass and then as a rake raking it into rows again

“This machine saves farmers and contractors from buying two separate machines and running them individually on two tractors The cost saving here will be significant as there is only one machine to maintain,” he said

The Dualstar 6000E is hydraulically operated and is manufactured with a steel chassis and four steel rotors with a working width of 20ft

Michael advises the machine needs a tractor with at least 80hp to operate it. The machine has its own independent hydraulic system and can be easily switched between rake and tedder from the tractor cab

When the machine is in tedder mode, the axle folds up and the four rotors operate against each other Then they work with each other when rowing up

While the prototype machine has been completed Michael says he needs to make a few tweaks to it to produce a demo machine running in next year ’ s silage season

“I need to alter a few angles on the machine when tedding to make the grass shake out a bit better,” Michael said “I also may need to look at adding two bigger hydraulic motors to make it work faster when tedding.

“I’m only working on this at nights and weekends but I need to get the changes made and have a machine fully operational for trials next season

“It’s only when I get a few operational hours on the machine next season that I can think about launching it commercially by 2024 A commercial launch fully depends on the price of steel and how that may change over the next couple of years, ” he added.

When finalised, Michael says he can easily add a rotor to either end of the machine to make it six rotors with a working width of 30ft or even up to eight rotors covering 40ft

The 20ft machine is mounted on the two-point linkage, weighs 2200kgs, is 5m long and has a transport height of 4m

While there is no exact price for the machine currently, Michael is confident it will cost less than if buying a tedder and rake individually

“I need to sit down and think about how I can manufacture and distribute the machine commercially,” said Michael. “I have a few meetings set up to discuss these details soon. ”

DESIGNED for compactness and power Bobcat has added three new loaders to its already bulky R-Series range of equipment

Up first is the smallest loader in the range, the TL25 60, designed for those tight spaces and powered by a 75hp Bobcat Stage V engine The machine has a rated operating capacity of 2500kgs, offers a maximum lift height of 5 91m and a maximum reach of 3 31m

For adaptability, this machines uses the Bob-Tach carriage allowing it to utilise attachments designed for the Bobcat loader range

Florian Hilbert, telescopics product manager EMEA at Bobcat, said: “On top of this super compact format, the cab in the TL25.60 is the same as Bobcat’s top-of-the-range R-Series 18m model, so customers can be certain they have the most spacious cab in the compact telehandler market A complementary version of the TL25 60 aimed at the agricultural market will be launched in 2023 ”

Like all Bobcat telehandlers, the new engine hood has been designed to maximise visibility on the right hand side of the machine Together with the new dashboard design in the cab and strong but slim cabin pillars, this provides excellent unobstructed visibility for the operator

The TL25 60 has an extra tough design with a robust frame and boom for working in every possible environment The shielded design provides protection for hydraulic and electrical components, including the pipes, harness and transmission, and a steel plate protects the base of the machine Like all Bobcat telehandlers, the TL25 60 has a box section layout and significant ground clearance for peace of mind.

New S86 and T86 compact loaders

Delivering a higher engine and hydraulic output, the Bobcat S86 and T86 are the most powerful compact loaders the company has ever built

Both machines use a well-proven Stage V compliant 3 4l Bobcat engine, producing 105hp at 2600rpm Just like all R-Series loaders, the engine is mounted in-line with direct drive, which improves the cooling capacity of the engine and hydraulic components

John Chattaway, loaders product manager at Bobcat, said: “The S86/T86 follow on from the very successful introduction of the smaller S66/T66 and S76/T76 loaders