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A Success Story From Glenbrook Machinery

Tuesday 30 May 2017, 2:01PM

By Beckie Wright

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Farmers throughout our great country are well known for their matter-of-fact point of view and commentary, so when the Farm Trader crew took a trip to Rakaia to visit Canterbury pig farmer Paul Davey, they knew they could expect an honest critique of his Schaffer 6680T telescopic loader, recently purchased from Glenbrook Machinery.

 

Paul Davey and his wife Sally have owned and operated Stonewall since 1984 and have an inventory of around 8000 sows and piglets. The farm operates a free-farm system, whereby the sows are farmed in paddocks, and piglets are bred in small huts where they stay until they’re weaned.

 

Driving onto the Stonewall property, the Farm Trader crew passed several stacks of covered straw bales, the largest (similar to a sizeable Auckland apartment block) of which they were told would typically last Stonewall around 35 weeks.

 

Viewing one particularly large stack of straw, it was immediately apparent that the placement and removal of such a large volume requires the input of some serious mechanical equipment.

 

Manoeuvrability was an important factor when deciding which brand of machine to purchase, as was easy access in and out of the cab and the engine compartment for servicing and maintenance. Aside from needing good manoeuvrability to get into tight spots in the barns, any loader considered also needed exceptional traction capability, especially when removing the manure-filled straw from the barns.

 

While researching a loader to fulfil his needs, Paul spoke to Phil Pinker at family-owned Glenbrook Machinery, from whom he’d purchased a smaller Avant machine a year or two earlier. After discussing Paul’s requirements at length, the two men decided a Schaffer pivot-steered 6680T telehandler would be the right fit for the job.

 

Paul was impressed by the Schaffer’s specifications and believes its "good simple German engineering" and Deutz turbocharged diesel engine are in keeping with his philosophy of buying strongly built and reliable equipment.He was also impressed by the fact Glenbrook Machinery were happy to have the mechanical servicing company he uses, AK Tech Services Ltd of Rolleston, carry out all servicing of his new Schaffer loader.

 

The last word on the Shaffer 6680T telescopic wheel loader’s suitability for use on a pig farm goes to owner Paul Davey, who says he’s happy with the machine’s operation and performance and that overall it looks set to be a good machine for his operators. He says he’s confident that it will serve them for the long term, so to find out more about Glenbrook Machinery and their all-terrain handling equipment, please go to http://www.glenbrook.co.nz .