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Tulip - Growing on success


Multidiscs fit quality goals for Maruia contractor.

For a man who never set out to be a contractor, Peter Brooker has a strong appreciation for simple, well designed equipment and a job well done.

While originally a farmer in the Maruia district of Nelson Lakes, Peter had always had a keen interest in machinery and seven years ago found himself helping out a neighbour with silage - it was the beginnings of a business that today occupies a niche in the remote region sitting tightly between the Nelson Lakes National Park and the imposing Victoria Range to the west.

The location brings a number of challenges to the business, including some difficult valley terrain and stony river flats. The weather, always the bane of contractors anywhere, goes to even greater levels to wreck harvest and crop schedules.

In November last year alone the valley had 450mm of rain that pushed drilling and grass harvesting operations back into the new year.

Such conditions have seen Peter build a low cost business that incurs minimal interest or depreciation on easily serviced equipment that includes quality second hand gear kept in top order by Peter and tractor driver-mechanic Scott Gunson.

Key requirements for the occasional piece of quality new equipment include good design and simplicity for an operation that spans drilling, cultivating and grass harvesting.

A piece of equipment that has most recently met this criteria are the Tulip Multidiscs, imported to New Zealand by Lely New Zealand.

''I had seen an advertisement for Multidiscs a couple of years ago and could see the improved cultivation quality such a set up would deliver,'' says Peter.

However he was less than impressed with another brand's complexity, including numerous adjustment points, and a price that seemed too high for that type of gear.

''The Tulip model seemed half as complicated, and coming in under $20,000 it represented excellent value for entry level cultivation equipment.''

The Tulip Multidisc design focuses on simplicity and strength with heavy bearings that struck Peter as being more rugged and durable than other brands.

''The way the discs sit back on their legs also suggests there is more integrity there too, and the torsion bar suspension provides more absorption ability than you would think.''

The big appeal was the ability to adjust the rear packer roller, separate from the discs through a simple pin adjustment.

Peter believes this contributes significantly to the ability of the Multidisc to deliver a finer, more evenly cultivated base, aided by the good soil shattering ability of the 51cm scalloped discs.

''I admit at first I did wonder about the value of a packing roller, but here we are constantly trying to get rid of moisture. The roller seems to smash the clods up well, exposing the soil surface better to aid drying.''

He recalls the day when he took delivery of the Multidiscs from Campbell Clifford of FMR in Blenheim.

''It was later in the evening and I said to Campbell I was keen to try out the discs so we tramped down to the back of the farm to a kale stubble paddock. I thought it may be too wet, but set to adjusting the top link and roller and doing half an acre.''

''I was gob smacked by the result, we very nearly had a power harrow finish. After trying it again on another stony paddock I said I had to have one!''

The Multidisc comes into its own on kale stubble and turnip paddocks or following heavy tandem discs. Weed re-growth is proving to be reduced on disked paddocks with the plants folded back into the soil ''almost like a plough'' with less ''chop and mix'' and better incorporation of soil without going too deeply into the profile.

The discs have helped keep jobs low cost for Peter's clients. Two jobs for summer turnips involved a pass with a six furrow plough, one pass with the Multidiscs and then a harrowing by the client, with no Roundup spray out and no problems with turfing.

''The weight on the packer roller seems to be the secret behind the discs, the roller sits nice and close to the body and you can easily adjust it to get that finish.''

Weighing in at under 2 tonnes, the Multidiscs have not meant Peter has had to fork out for a bigger tractor to pull them.

''They are still rugged, strength has not been compromised, but the design means weight has been kept down, you don't need a lot of traction for forward movement.''

The discs are capable of an excellent finish at speeds up to 15kph with no ridging and a flat finish. Peter has found his productivity is up, and expects demand will be for the Multidiscs by farmer clients this autumn.

Lely New Zealand General Manager Peter Vis says the Tulip range of Multidiscs from Lely have an emphasis on build quality and design integrity which Peter has appreciated in the field.

''The Multidiscs offer excellent penetration and incorporation with minimum weight and power so the need for very high horsepower to achieve a quality job is not so great, and is delivered at very reasonable cost.''

The combination of aggressive penetration, low weight, high speed and low horsepower requirement are possible through the individual suspension of each serrated disc at grip, not possible with conventional discs all sharing the same horizontal axle.

This year Peter Brooker aims to spend some time assessing the future of his contracting business now the farm is in beef and dairy grazers.

With two excellent staff and an established track record this low key operator believes there is plenty of potential in the business yet in a region offering plenty of contracting challenges.