Beyond the Bale - Issue 25 - The ShearEzy gets the thumbs-up and its first order
'It looks as easy as ironing.' The smaller, faster new version of the innovative Upright Posture Shearing Platform is being welcomed by growers and shearers
The wool industry has taken an important step towards addressing the challenges facing wool harvesting with the first sale of an innovative Upright Posture Shearing Platform (UPSP).
Bill Byrne of Peak Hill Industries, who designed and created the ShearEzy concept with co-funding from AWI, will deliver the first of the new improved ShearEzy shearing platforms to a NSW woolgrower in 2007.
This latest version is smaller, faster and less expensive version of the earlier model displayed at the 2005 AWI AGM in Adelaide and in July 2006 at the Seventh AWI World Merino Conference in Perth.
The ShearEzy platform is currently in field trials and has also been demonstrated at several recent field days and at the 2006 AWI AGM to very positive feedback from woolgrowers, contractors and shearers.
Comments from people viewing the ShearEzy in action include:
- "A great outcome for the R&D dollars invested."
- "Looks like I won't need to build that new shearing shed."
- "I'll be able to keep shearing forever."
- "Finally something that provides a positive change to the way we shear."
- "It looks as easy as ironing!"
Ben Swain, AWI's project manager for the UPSP field trials, says the UPSP development program is demonstrating the potential to meet the tough targets AWI has set and the innovation will soon be delivered to wool producers.
"The single-stand ShearEzy is now in commercial production and the next stage will be to take that even further into a two or four-machine mobile unit that could replace a traditional shearing shed set up," Mr Swain says. "In field trials, the ShearEzy is showing excellent productivity, while in Western Australia Peter Black and Darryl Cole have designed a machine that also looks promising and will be starting large-scale field trials very soon.
"The SLAMP machine in Victoria is coming to the end of its field trials, at which stage a full analysis will be carried out. AWI is also working with two companies in New Zealand who appear to have innovative designs for shearing platforms, but it is early days there and we are quite a way from trials."
Via displays and field trials, AWI has identified three key markets for UPSPs:
- contractors who would own a UPSP and run a mobile service or lease out the machine to growers – Mr Swain suggests this could suit all types of shearers, especially those who enjoy shearing but want to avoid the wear-and-tear on their bodies, or contractors in areas with larger, difficult-to-shear sheep;
- woolgrowers who would like to shear their own sheep at their own pace using their own labour; and
- grower groups – where growers pool-in to buy one or more machines to be used by all members of the group, with the contractor supplying shearer labour in a similar way to conventional shearing.
"The beauty of an UPSP is it creates a shearing shed out of any shed or yard area. It suits woolgrowers who don't have the infrastructure or, equally, someone who might move in and out of wool production as opportunities dictate."
More information: ShearEzy or contact Ben Swain, 02 6743 2306
Return to Beyond the Bale issue 25 index page.