Grass Tech Grazer

Why Zero Graze?

Reduce Costs – Fact Not Fiction

Dairy Farmers throughout Ireland and the UK who have converted to a Zero Grazing system during the spring, summer and autumn using a Grass Technology Grazer, have found that they have been able to considerably reduce their production costs and improve productivity.

By changing to a Zero Grazing system from the early Spring through until late Autumn instead of a grazing based system or feeding housed cattle silage all-year round, some of the main cost benefits users of the Grazer have been able to achieve are:

• Reduced concentrate use
Cows are designed to eat grass. By feeding fresh, high quality young grass in place of silage, milk yields of 20 litres are easily achievable. By achieving a higher milk yield over maintenance and increased protein and butterfat levels, concentrate usage is reduced.

• Reduced silage harvesting cost

• Reduced wear and tear on your TMR mixer

• Improved grass utilisation

• Improved land utilisation

• Reduced fertiliser cost

IT’S ALL ABOUT STRENGTH
Because it is designed and manufactured in Ireland, the Grass Tech Grazer is designed specifically to cope with the high fresh weight of grass typically found in the UK and Ireland.
Our relationship with our customers is two-way. By working closely with them and listening to them, this allows us to look at specific needs and adapt the design accordingly, so ensuring we can better meet their needs.
The whole concept behind the Grazer was to design a Zero Grazer that was robust, but also easy to use and could be operated with lower powered tractors typically found on livestock farms.
The Grazer is designed so that the weight is evenly spread so as to reduce soil damage and compaction. Another important feature is that all the hydraulics are powered using the tractor’s hydraulic system. By not having a self-contained pump and oil tank, this saves a considerable amount of weight, which has allowed us instead to use thicker steel throughout the machine and add strength to areas such as the bogey and pivot pins and use heavier duty bushes for greater reliability.
The Grass Tech Grazer is available in four model sizes, making it ideal for use with herds both large and small.

THE MOWER
The Grass Tech Grazer is fitted with a Galfre twin drum mower. The mower drums are carried on a 60mm pivoting pin with spring suspension for accurate ground contour following. This reduces the load on the drums to less than 130kg, and the mower bed is also fitted with Hardox pans so ensuring a long working life. Drum speed is 1,575 rpm and the cutting height is fully adjustable down to as low as 35mm.

GRASS ELEVATOR
From the mower unit, the grass is lifted into the Grazer via a high capacity elevator that rotates at just 70rpm to avoid damaging the young grass, so ensuring maximum nutritional value is maintained.

TRAILER BODY
The Grazer features a robust, high strength double lined body, which is carried on a high strength frame. The hydraulics are operated using a simple cable control, and just require a single set of flow and return valves. This not only keeps the hydraulic system simple, but saves about 400kg of unnecessary weight. The rear door incorporates a full load sensor and a rear view camera with night vision.

RUNNING GEAR
As standard, the Grazer is carried on segmented double bogie axles to ensure even weight distribution and contour following. The axle is fitted with bronze greasable bushes for a long life.
The largest GT160 can be fitted with a tri-axle and a Wetland Kit, in which the wheels can be offset to reduce compaction, is available for the GT120.

ROBUST BUILD
To ensure a long working life, all the main carrier beams in the chassis and the main frame are fabricated using high grade 12mm wall box steel. The axle and main pivot point use 60mm solid pins that are supported on 20mm thick bushes with 4mm bronze greasable inserts.
The standard specification also includes an auto oiler and centralised greasing for ease of maintenance.

CROSS CONVEYOR
To make feeding out easier, a hydraulically driven Cross Conveyor is available as an option for all Grazer models. This is suitable for use for feeding out against barriers or into troughs.