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RAMUL FARM
Coast & Country
When doing your homework pays off “Like all our units, Tony’s was custom-built in our Te Awamutu factory. We source all our components locally, so parts are always immediately available.” Robin says they design each unit for maximum power efficiency and reliability. “It’s a matter of tailoring to the farmer’s needs, keeping it simple and making it bullet-proof. We make power savings because our units’ efficiency allows us to keep the motor size down – Tony’s got a six horsepower – so the farmer doesn’t have to upgrade his power supply. “The heat recovery unit we supplied Tony also saves him power by preheating water to 55-60 degrees Celsius,” says Robin. “We make, supply and stand by everything, from the stand to the sticker.”
for up to 10 years. The Pitmat’s not the only bright spot in the dairy, but Dairy Wall Coatings Ltd did a pretty good job as well when they applied an Acraflex coating to the pit walls. Ever practical, Tony wanted a long-lasting, hardwearing and attractive finish in the pit – and that’s exactly what he got. Acraflex is specifically designed for the dairy industry to maintain high hygiene standards by both sealing surfaces against bacterial build-up and presenting a hard-wearing and very easily-cleaned surface, and they put a 10-year warranty on all new dairies for added peace of mind.
Ramul Farm
Hillside heavy lifting
Anti-slip pitmats
Tony has added a touch of colour – blue and green – to brighten up the dairy, but it’s not just for appearance that he installed Numat Industries rubber Agrimat Pitmat in the pit. Pitmat provides a cushioning that reduces the stress on the body, especially the feet, legs and back that comes from long hours on hard concrete, and Pitmat’s ergonomically anti-slip properties make for a safer working environment. As well as its health and safety benefits, Pitmat is warmer underfoot and makes a quieter, all round more pleasant working environment. Maintenance is not a problem, AgriMat herringbone pitmats withstand most detergents and chemicals and cleaning is a simple hose down, but if a major clean-up is required they can be easily lifted out. The mats themselves are made out of mostly recycled rubber and are tailored to fit each dairy, from design to installation. According to Numat’s policy: ‘it’s got to be right first time, every time’ – and they’re so confident they get it right they guarantee product and installation
Numat Industries pitmat and Dairy Wall Coating’s paint-job make the pit brighter and user-friendly.
But before builders and painters or anyone else could even begin, an awful lot of earth had to be moved to provide a level site. Tony and Yvonne’s property is not exactly flat by anyone’s standards and finding a level site for the dairy was virtually impossible, so they got local man Bruce Tait and his 12 tonne digger and bulldozer to do the heavy lifting. Bruce had to shift some of a hillside down a bit, then cart in about 3500m3 of fill to build the outside of the site up and raise the race ways to and from the new building. Once the dairy and yard site was ready for the builders Bruce moved down the hill a bit further to excavate an area to install the ‘weeping wall’ effluent pre-treatment ponds, then a little further down he dug out the effluent sump.
Solving water woes
Gibson Rural Builders and Pumpn’s weeping wall effluent treatment pits.
A crush bail is incorporated into the construction.
Shane Phillips from Pumpn worked with Dairyworx to sort out the effluent movement around the complex system. The farm’s contours were a considerable challenge, but one they were well up to.
Your local milking machine and dairy shed specialists
Hayden Aymes 0800 329 679
9 Lawrence Street, Otorohanga hayden@dairyworx.co.nz
We are your local farm refrigeration specialists:
¬ New installations ¬ 24 / 7 on call service ¬ Specialist on farm consultancy advice ¬ Preventative maintenance programme (no contracts) ¬ Digital thermometers fitted to vats ¬ Latest advice on technology advances
Call us to discuss your farm refrigeration needs
0800 868 250 Contact Robin McGregor for on farm consultations and qualified installation service 07 871 8229 Ι 437 Rickit Road Te Awamutu