The first ever vineyard machinery demonstration day organised by Kirkland has proved to be a huge success.
Hosted on Tuesday 21 August 2018 at Simpsons Wine Estate near Canterbury, the day offered vineyard owners, managers and workers an ideal opportunity to discover a diverse array of specialist viticultural machinery in one place.
The Kirkland team were on hand to discuss growers’ varying needs and, unlike attending a trade show, visitors to the event were able to test the equipment on show, which ranged from tractors and telehandlers to cultivators and mowers, sprayers and vine trimmers. In the afternoon, Simpsons Estate kindly put on a wine tasting which proved popular with those attending the open day.
“The open day went very well and we are delighted to have been able to raise awareness among growers of what we can offer as well as being able to display our new machines,” said Scott Worsley, managing director of Kirkland.
One of the most popular machines on show was the Antonio Carraro Mach 4R. The articulated four-wheel drive quadtrack tractor is ideal for vineyards thanks to its narrow build, even weight distribution (which significantly helps to reduced ground compaction) and tracks which provide stability on steep slopes, even in extremely wet conditions. The Mach 4R also has reverse drive functionality which makes it possible to spin the seat 180° to make working with rear mounted implements much easier.
The Orvin ‘wine’ vineyard mower, which is manufactured by Niubo, also drew a lot of attention as the 1.5 metre mower benefits from a unique blade system which has been designed to effectively mulch vine prunings in the rows.
