Marlborough Express - Weekend Express
No ruts no glory for problem solver
Marlborough’s bud burst in the vines heralds the busiest season for machinery operators in the wine region.
The explosive spring growth made constant mowing, trimming and spraying a necessity.
A few wet seasons, however, and the many passes the tractors make driving up and down the vineyards very quickly cause issues.
A ‘rut issue’ at a former dairy farmer’s 40ha of vines in Ward saw some cross-pollination of ideas between the two export industries.
Rut buster Andrew Craig said he was ‘too lazy’ to be out shovelling gravel and sprayers, mowers and trimmers were punching ruts in the rows.
His solution was a machine inspired by a similar issue with centre-pivot irrigators used in dairy farming that over the season created massive trenches.
‘‘We’ve repurposed a tip trailer that tips forward and down a chute. It’s kind of like a chook feeder,’’ Craig said.
‘‘We got one for filling centre pivots made smaller. It was built in Canterbury the winter before last.
‘‘The vineyard staff usually load me with a frontend loader, or we can supply a frontend loader, five tonnes of gravel at a time.
‘‘They’re quite surprised at how quickly we can do it.
‘‘They say it’s a whole lot easier than shovelling.’’
Craig said the last couple of years had been damp, the ruts getting deeper and deeper.
He trialled the machine on his vineyard to prove that it would work, now he’s contracting with it.
Plans were to keep the business small at this stage.
‘‘One keeps me busy enough. It’s a bit of a part-time thing at the moment,’’ Craig said.
He said he wasn’t aware of anyone else using a similar system, but it wouldn’t surprise him if people started buying them.
‘‘Guys tell us the stuff they shovel in lasts for years,’’ Craig said.
‘‘We think it should last for years, all going well. I haven’t got stuck yet, but I assume it will happen at some point,’’ he said.