RMI Buckrake
NZ made and built for our conditions
Palmerston North-based engineering company RMI has tested their New Zealand-contractor-inspired heavy-duty buck rake. Â Integrating feedback from local contractors into the design during the silage season has seen a few changes to the standard buck rakes we havetraditionally been imported from the UK and Ireland. The RMI unit has been designed for heavy duty use and is stronger and more user friendly in the areas that matter most. This makes this NZ unit a better design overall and more cost effective to maintain. Our farms and silage pits are generally larger than the overseas ones and we need better fit for purpose equipment.
The bolt-on-tine design allows for them to be easily changed in the event of accidental damage in comparison to the welded design adopted by the competitors.
These Hardox 500 special strength tines can also be easily replaced once they are worn down. It should give the RMI buck rake a much longer life span than any of its competitors.
Changing out the tines can be done on the job rather than outsourced to an engineering workshop. Saving time, hassle and money.
The unique tine design has a much thicker spoon profile towards the end of the tine where most of the operational wear occurs. The slower tine wear will give the machine a much longer operating life before tine replacement is required. Tines are cut from 500-grade Hardox steel for optimal performance.
The class-leading pivot and pin design ensures longevity and trouble-free operation due to the large pin diameter (60mm) and increased length (320mm) between bearings for increased torque strength. This area of the machine takes a lot of the load when pushing and compacting grass/maize – so it is important to have class leading strength here.
The unique wing-locking system provides extra strength to the wing in both folded and unfolded positions. It is important to have additional strength in this critical area so the operator can confidently operate at the capacity of the loader with the buck rake in both folded and unfolded positions.
The Buck rake can be operated in either the foldup position (2975mm), to increase pressure, or with the wings folded out (4200mm) for maximum (approx. 8M3) silage displacement. The unit is fitted with two HD hydraulic rams and an equalizer. The unit is also designed to give the operator much improved visibility from the tractor seat.
