A QUEENSLAND innovation from years ago has been tweaked and improved to provide heightened pasture seeding in rough country.
Dubbo-based, Countrywide Industries, has released its 12-metre wide Croc Seeder, developed by business principal, Rodney Carr, and Gary Brown, A&B Contracting, Tottenham.
The croc seeder is suitable for sowing pastures, and it’s built for tough environments, Mr Carr said.
An Existing idea
MR Carr acknowledged that the original design came from Qld but the additional elements had given it increased usability.
“It weighs 25 tonnes, and was custom made for a client, but we also build smaller ones from 10 to 40 foot," Mr Carr said.
“It can be used as a pasture renovator, and is ideal for sowing sub tropical pastures and clovers, oats and forage sorghum, buffel grass, etcetera.
"It can also be used as a water harvester to get moisture deep into your soil by retaining any rainfall and stopping water shedding off ground to soak in.
"It digs a funnelled-shape hole, being wider at the top.
"This has the effect of intensifying or magnifying the rainfall received around the seed.
“It also means the plants are protected from wind as they’re deeper in the soil.”
The implement's frame has been redesigned to allow it to dig more evenly, while replaceable blades give it increased longevity and effectiveness.
The folding ability of the Croc Seeder also allows it to be transported more easily.
Deep impact
OTHER implements from Countrywide Industries are also making their mark around properties across Australia.
"The Countrywide 10-6 Heavy Duty scrub plough has been performing well," Mr Carr said.
Some units have been fitted with air seeders or seed boxes as well.
"Clients have commented that, nothing ploughs like this plough, or it does not miss a thing – it ploughs the scrub clean out," Mr Carr said.
The 10-6HD tandem disc plough weighs 31,750 kilograms.
It can be fitted with a 68-plate 30 centimetre (12 inch) disc spacing fitted with 91cm (36in) discs, and can take up to 101cm (40in) disc.
“There are two disc spacings – a 26.6cm (10.5in) for woody weed regrowth maintenance or 30cm (12in) for heavy irrigation field preparation,” Mr Carr said.
“I could see an opportunity that farmers needed heavy equipment to be truly effected in the paddock and there wasn’t anything in the marketplace.
“This plough has a 10 by 6in (15.2cm) rectangular hollow sections (RHS) frame size with heavy three-quarter plates on each side and machines are available rigid or in folding versions.”
Good listeners
COUNTRYWIDE Industries has a reputation for listening to customers to improve designs.
Countrywide Industries was established in 1982 by Roy and Rodney Carr to manufacture offset disc ploughs for wheat farmers.
The business has since expanded from disc ploughs to include a wide variety of other farm machinery for broadacre and irrigation farmers
The business also provides general engineering and fabrication.
Countrywide Industries make extensive use of its profile cutting machine and 300 tonne press with a 6m long bed in making their machines and general engineering.
The business is 100 per cent Australian owned and it proudly manufactures and distributes from its Dubbo factory.
Other gear
THE Countrywide Industries range of implements is extensive.
It includes tandem disc ploughs, offset disc ploughs, straightline go-devils or triple disc hillers available for rows or beds, cultipackers, rotobucks, rubber and steel rollers, grader sloper blades, bandseeders for sowing pasture, sheep feeders and sheep troughs.