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NEWSLETTERNEWSLETTER March/April 2011 New Slasher Safety Standards On the 8th March NSW Workcover released the new Safety Standards for Slashers which will apply in all Australian States. This document was the culmination of at least two(2) years of research into slasher safety and industry conciliation. Therefore we all need to ensure that all slashers sold after this date whether new or used, comply with the new regulations. The link to the web site is detailed below. http://www.workcover.nsw.gov.au/healthsafety/healthsafetytopics/Pages/Industrysolutionsprogram.aspx So what are the major new physical requirements and how do they impact on us:- 1. Safety Chains or Rubber Flap must be mounted front and rear. Full guarding is required down both sides and the skid is to be 25mm below the blade. 2. The body of the slashers must give protection beyond the blades cutting diameter. All areas of the slasher body (including any metal extension ) must extend no less than 200mm out from the blade tip, except between the TPL pickup which is reduced to 150mm. 3. The front chain or rubber flap needs to be level with the bottom of the blade at the front and at least 25mm below the bottom of the blade at the rear. 4. A detailed instruction manual must be supplied with the slasher and this manual must be secured in a permanent, waterproof vessel mounted to the slasher main body. 5. A hook also needs to be supplied to support the driveshaft on the slasher when not in use and this hook must not become a hazard when the slasher is being used in the normal manner. 6. A range of safety stickers will also need to be placed on the slasher to highlight potential safety issues. 7. The cutting blades need to be permanently marked with the batch identification code and the blade specification certified by the blade manufacturer for each batch supplied. The full 24 page statement is available on the web site detailed above. The implication to all machinery dealers is similar to the need for ROPS frames on all second hand tractors. Care needs to be exercised when trading in old units as the responsibility of modifying used slashers to the new standard will be transferred to the tractor or machinery dealer. PRICE INCREASE EFFECTIVE 1/4/2011. A price rise was going to happen and historically we have this rise at the six month mark. The new standards made this latest increase a necessity, as well as the continuous rises in steel, transport, components, wages, power, and local, state and commonwealth charges. We have posted the new price book on our web site and printed copies will be sent out once the printers have finished copies. You will note that a number of machines prices have remained the same. We have made a conscious decision to hold the price of these units to make our machines more competitive in the market. Most of our other machines and spare parts have risen by approximately 10%. When safety chain kits front and rear are taken into account this rise in many machines is only 5% which is about where we expected a standard increase to be. Please phone us to check prices if you are tendering or locking in a price for a fixed period. Fuel prices and thus freight costs continue to be the great unknown and the costs of components sourced locally continue to rise with an almost daily notice. We recently became a large consumer of power which means that our rate per kilowatt should have gone down – not so, we were penalized for moving into the next category – surprise/surprise. Almost every Government department – Workcover, Payroll, EPA, and Council Rates and Taxes are all on the rise. But I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know. The most difficult factor is the shear cost of living which impacts all our employees. All Australian families are finding it more difficult to make ends meet and the push is on for a wage rise. We need to reward our employees with better wages and to keep them from chasing that dream job in the mining or gas industry! New Designs:- The Clean Top. Many of our Slashers are being updated to
the Superior Clean Top Design. You may
have noticed the LXCT (Linkage extreme Clean Top) LCT (Linkage Clean Top) and
many of our EL’s (Easy Linkage) the EL48, EL54 and EL60, have all taken on the
new shape. In the coming months the Twin Rotor models of L180, L210 and L240 will also get the
treatment. Strength and durability are paramount in any design update and
particularly for a The A large Twin Rotor Slasher that offers the operator the wider cutting width without the normal problems inherent in timed machines. Superior offer full overlap without the need for timing. With four blades per cutting head the LNT’s will mulch as well as cut low and fine. If more serious work is required – tree regrowth (light pines and wattle) the top blade can be easily removed and the three clutch packs can be adjusted to suit the application. With the new Slasher Safety regulations the LNT’S will include safety chains front and rear as well as adjustable skids, puncture proof, full castoring wheels and the options of 1000 pto and Cat 111 Quick Hitches for Large Tractors. The Based on our ‘V’ Series Slashers with offset rotors, the OLC240 is our new orchard (vineyard or plantation) slasher offering the following benefits:- Twin rotors without the need for timing (clutch packs between the two cutting head gearboxes and the tractor), a large volume side chute with the ability to limit the distance material is sent out the chute (hydraulic ram to open/close the chute), and to position the machine centrally behind the tractor and then hydraulic side shift the slasher 600mm to the right. Big gearboxes and four plate clutches as well as puncture proof full castoring wheels complete the OLC240 picture. The Macadamia Special – SRM350G Offset. This unit is all shaft drive and has two rotors behind the tractor and then another two rotors on a wing to get under the tree line. The SRM350G Maca Special will hydraulically offset another 600mm to move further to the right. Discharge chutes are installed on the left and the right hand side. The most common setup is discharging to the left. All rotors are spinning anti-clockwise, picking up leaf and grass, mulching all this material up into fine pieces and leaving only the nuts - clear for harvesting. A number of blade styles are available and with only 8 blades to cut 3.5m, the SRM350G is a low cost per acre unit. VEE26 – Flex Wing Broadacre Slasher. A true multipurpose machine the VEE26, can
be set up as an Airport Mower, Crop
Stubble Mulcher, and Wide Area Pasture Improver. The wings will following the
ground contours independent of the centre section – 45 degrees up and 22 ½
degrees down. The wings will also fold vertically without removing the
driveshafts. The transport width once folded is 2.95m so moving the VEE26 from
legally from property to property is very beneficial for contractors and owners
with a number of properties in a general area. The VEE26 can be a 540 machine
or 1000 pto and a variety of cutting heads and blades are available to suit
various applications. TECHNICAL ISSUES:- Bare Co Four Plate Clutches:- The 1 ¾ 20 spline backplate now has a
cotter (taper) pin style bolt and nut for locking the clutch to the input shaft
of the gearbox. Please note this bolt is initially installed by Bare Co Two Plate Clutches:- This clutch is fitted with a 1 3/8” 6 spine backplate. Two bolts are used in a clamp fashion to tighten the backplate onto the input shaft of the gearbox. The ½” diameter bolts need to be re-tightened by the operator at the 8 hour mark and at every 100 hours at 75 ft. lbs. or 103 nm. Failure to retighten the bolts will lead to early wear in the backplate making the clutch loose on the shaft and causing oscillations of the clutch pack and excessive vibration. This result will void any warranty and potentially cause other component failure such as universal joints and driveshaft tubing – inner and outer shaft. Bare Co Clutch Linings in Clutch
Packs. The lining in the clutch pack need to be polished every six months. The nuts that tension the springs need to be backed off two turns from the operator set position (the position where the slasher and clutch pack has performed the best). The discs should be allowed to slip to give them some polish. Further adjustment may be required if no slippage is noted – but don’t burn out the clutch in this testing phase. You may find that the original spring length offers the best safety position. Thank you for taking the time to read this Newsletter and we trust that 2011 continues to be kind to you.
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