Suffolk Farm Machinery is the newly-appointed UK importer for the New Zealand-made range of a cunningly designed machine – cunning in that it provides the mowing capabilities of a disc mower, the convenience of a topper, and the spreading capabilities of a tedder.
Called the Maxam mower + Wilter spreader and built by Farm Gear, the 2.50 and 3.30m models may be new in the UK and Ireland but they’re already used on thousands of New Zealand farms.
It’s the patented elements – the Wilter spreader and cutting blades – that are the talking point. Claimed to provide all the benefits of a rotary tedder – but on the mower – the Wilter’s tined rotors reside on a separate frame that bolts on the rear of the Maxam mower. These rotors turn at a slow speed to ‘lift’ the crop off the cutting drums and toss it out the back.
Heavier wetter material takes longer to land than drier grass so ends up on the top, which, says the company, results in more even drying. The new UK importer says the Wilter rotors can be quickly removed, allowing the Maxam to mow and swath, and, with its optional skids in place, the outfit can also work as a topper.
Aimed at small- to medium-sized livestock operations, there are no complicated drivelines and the unit is belt-driven from the pto. Prices start from about £8,000 for the 2.50m model, which has a power requirement of around 70hp.
