19 January 2022
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Reducing downtime and machinery damage
A FAMILY-RUN farm has found a way to reduce its downtime and carry on harvesting even when its machinery parts need replacing.
OW Wortley and Sons has more than 4,500 acres of land growing mainly potatoes, parsnips, cereals and sugar beet.
Workshop Manager, Kevin Barber, said: “Operating 24/7, 365 days a year, we can’t afford any downtime. It limits our yield and our profits. We were tired of our joiner bars damaging our webs and de-stoners. Joiner bars regularly seemed to be the weakest link in the chain. They would often snap, jam up the machine or wear a hole in the side of the machine. It was causing a lot of downtime, and it was expensive to keep replacing the parts.
“We needed something more durable. A joiner able to withstand the high fatigue caused by the persistent ground penetration of our de-stoners.”
KA Agricultural Machinery Importers Ltd Director Karl Arndt said it was a common problem for his company, which connects farmers with manufacturers of agricultural machinery parts.
“Webs were breaking, and joiner clips needed to be repaired and replaced regularly. Our customers were getting fed up with it,” he said. “We were looking for a new supplier, and came across Griff’s EndurolocTM, promising a more durable joiner that reduces downtime for repairing webs. It’s quicker to change than other joiners and can even outlast the lifespan of the web.
“Our customers are very happy with it, and many have come back to buy more.”
Griff is the UK’s market-leading manufacturer of webs for the agricultural sector. Its Enduroloc™ is its latest innovation.
“When we decided to switch suppliers and give Griff’s EndurolocTM web joiner system a go, it was a big decision for us,” says Kevin. “It’s more expensive than other joiners, but it’s quickly outweighed with the improved strength of the web – meaning there’s less hassle and outgoings replacing the web on a regular basis.
“Our de-stoners work on really stony land, and Griff’s system is able to withstand this – even on the parts of the machine where fatigue is very high. Because EndurolocTM is installed with two rods instead of one, the joiner bar doesn’t move, which reduces friction and wear and tear on the machine. Now, we only need to replace the joiner bar when it gets tired. It slides straight out, so downtime is minimal. We don’t even need to stop harvesting to replace it.”
