Claydon reckons to have developed a mole drainer that combines the benefits of traditional mounted and trailed designs without any of the drawbacks.
Over the years, the Claydon family´s Suffolk arable farm has owned several mole drainers, but none ever did quite what they wanted. So they set to work to design their own.
The oscillating headstock with swivel joint on the linkage mounted result is said to make it easy to manoeuvre and allows it to reach further into headland ditches or over drains.
Extensively tested on the family farm, a key feature of the design is the long, narrow beam. This allows the 75mm-diameter mole bullet and following 100mm ceramic expander to run parallel to it, producing a uniform, stable channel at the correct depth and angle. This design is also said to avoid excessive friction between the beam and soil surface to minimise draft requirement and fuel use.
Locked in place by a steel wedge, the blade pivots on three pins. Bullet angle is controlled by the 200mm-wide front skid. This is said to allow mole draining through standing crops with very little damage.
Blade angle and depth of the mole fixed pin are said to be easy to adjust, and chains linking the oscillating headstock to the beam allow the tractor to turn easily and lift the beam. Claydon says that this enables the mole to ski out of the ground gently with very little soil disturbance (important when working on grassland).
“The key with any mole drainer is to set it correctly,” comments Claydon CEO Jeff Claydon, who adds that the blade, bullet and expander need to travel parallel with the beam. “The mole drainer is very user friendly, simple to set up, easy to use and as the bullet wears you can make small adjustments to keep it performing at optimum efficiency.”
Even on very heavy land, the implement, which is a new addition to the company’s Opti-Till machinery range, can be handled by a well-ballasted 200hp tractor. Mounting hooks for a spare blade and a toolbox are standard. A lighting kit is optional.
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