With chemical-free weeding and finding mechanical solutions to reduce labour, on everyone’s minds Kirkland UK is pleased to announce that it is now the UK importer for Italian manufactured, Orizzonti Equipment. 

Ideal for any vineyard looking for a wide variety of robust and reliable pruning and cultivating equipment, Orizzonti’s range of machinery offers specialist equipment for vineyards including pruners and trimmers, leaf removers and pre-pruners, shredders and flails, inter-row cultivators, subsoilers, pruning sweeps and mounted forklifts.

Vineyard manager at Kent-based Simpsons Wine Estate, Darryl Kemp is extremely pleased with his Orizzonti vine trimmer and said: “The design of the trimmer really caught my eye due to its unique telescopic arms which give the operator complete adjustability. Vineyards aren’t always planted on perfect flat fields so the precise independent control of each cutter bar and the self-levelling feature on the Orizzonti trimmers really sets them apart. It allows for perfect cutting all the time while allowing highly productive forward working speeds and reducing operator fatigue on the hill side vineyards here at Simpsons Wine Estate.”    

The Orizzonti range is also known for its other standout features including its low centre of gravity, being built strong in the right places while retaining a weight low enough to be well balanced on the tractor, and it is low in maintenance.

“Year by year Orizzonti is constantly researching and developing equipment to meet the market’s ever-growing needs,” said Riccardo Raneri, head of Orizzonti’s foreign sales. He is excited to see the growth of the specialist vineyard equipment in the UK and said: “We have a high standard of quality control to ensure our machines live up to the consumer’s needs. We are excited to see the growth of Orizzonti machinery being led in the UK by the Kirkland team, who are true specialists in orchard and vineyard machinery.”

Based just outside Maidstone, Kent, Kirkland UK has a full range of demonstration equipment available and has just launched a new vineyard brochure covering their specialist machinery exclusively for viticulture including Antonio Carraro compact tractors, Kioti utility vehicles, sprayers, mowers and chemical-free cultivation equipment.

The Antonio Carraro range has always proved a popular option for vineyard owners and after picking up a TRX 6400 reverse drive tractor from Kirkland UK, Claire Holloway of Moralee Farm and Vineyard said: “I was looking for a “nearly new” compact tractor for my small vineyard and alpaca farm. I had seen the Antonio Carraro at a Kirkland vineyard demonstration day and thought it would fit the bill nicely. It was great value as I had quite a tight budget and I particularly liked the extra stability plus the reverse drive feature that the TRX 6400 has. Both will be really useful for a couple of areas on the farm which are tricky to manage. The team at Kirkland provided a great service, fitting the right cab for vineyard spraying and providing training and telephone support. So far the Carraro has been used for over-seeding and mowing and I’m looking forward to making full use of it over the summer in the vineyard.”