THE INTEGRATION of the Harrington Seed Destructor (iHSD) into harvesters was a game changer in the war against weeds.
A series of upgrades by distributor McIntosh Distribution are set to further enhance the design and durability of the the tool.
Invented by Western Australian grower Ray Harrington, the iHSD was developed by UniSA with funding and support from the Grains Research Development Corporation (GRDC). It is made up of two hydraulically driven cage mills retro-fitted to the rear of a harvester, just below the sieves.
Used as one-pass weed control, McIntosh Distribution claim the machine records an up to 99 per cent kill rate on targeted weed species.
McIntosh Distribution, agent, Johnny Inferrera said McInstosh enlisted the help of SKF Engineering and DeBruin Engineering to perform the upgrades, including a wider mill, a cooler relocation to assist with oil cooling and a total redesign of the bearings and housing.
“We have been working closely with growers and any issues that have been identified are included in these latest upgrades, which are currently being rolled out to existing clients,” he said.
“Even before these upgrades, we’ve maintained kill rates at up to 99pc and growers using the iHSD have been happy with the kill rates they have been achieving.”
Mr Inferrera said the iHSD had recently been trialled in Europe and while full results were expected next month the feedback so far had been positive.
“What we can say is that there has been 180 hours of harvesting done on European crops using the iHSD, with absolutely no issues,” he said.
“We look forward to getting further results on the trial later this month.”
Grower, Campbell Jones from Wyalkatchem, who farms with his farther Brian, said he runs a total cropping enterprise on their 5000 hectare property, fallowing up to 400ha, and has used iHSD for three years targeting ryegrass and radish.
“Prior to getting the iHSD we were windrowing and burning, and we were finding that it just wasn’t an effective option for us,” he said.
“Most years we weren’t getting a very good burn, so we looked at getting this system as another tool we could use to try and get on top of weeds.”
Mr Jones said a strip comparison on his farm showcased the benefit of the iHSD.
“It was pretty obvious where the iHSD had been on and where it hadn’t. One side was as clean as anything and the other was just dirty with weeds,” he said.
“We don’t expect an instant result with something like this. It’s something we’re using as a long-term tool to reduce the weed seed bank, so that was interesting to see.
“McIntosh Distribution and our local dealer, McIntosh and Son, have been fantastic. I can’t fault their service and any issues we’ve had, they have been straight out to help.
“We’re looking forward to seeing how the system goes this harvest with these latest updates. They look really good and I don’t think we’ll have any dramas.”
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