A Big Farm In Australia

A Big Farm In Australia AG WORLD 29-3-24 Last issue we told you about a small 15-acre family farm in Germany that earns a substantial income for its owners. We recently heard from another kind of farmer in Australia who does things in a very big way on 1,800 acres. David Trevilyan is a farmer-inventor who became famous "down under" years ago for building one of the world's largest tractors. He called it his D9 simply because it was powered by a D9 Cat engine, with 385 hp and 1,870 ft. lbs. of torque. The tractor is still used today to level land, deep rip, and operate as a crane. In the last few years it has been modified to include a swing-around cab. "It's still one of the world's biggest home-built tractors," says Kris Trevilyan, who recently emailed FARM SHOW about the family's operation. Over the years other farmers became aware of David's talents and started requesting that he make all sorts of other machines. These were all made with a few core principles in mind û cost effectiveness, strength, durability, and minimal maintenance. "His idea was to build a machine that he himself would be happy with and that would last forever. He wasn't interested in spare parts or excessive warranty claims," says Kris. "His philosophy is that if you build the machine properly in the first place, then the farmer won't have any problems." He made components for his various machines to be interchangeable so farmers could make do with what they already had. His line of machinery includes: • No-till Multi-Planter. It can plant into all conditions ranging from conventional tillage to full trash cover, and even virgin soils that have never been touched by machines. It has a unique tine and press wheel system that results in precise seed placement and depth. A 2-in. dia. hydraulic cylinder is fitted onto each tine, pressurized from fluid held within the center frame of the machine. As soil conditions vary, the operator simply increases and decreases the pressure to control planting depth. The press wheel, which is hinged off the center of the tine, can be adjusted to allow pressure from the cylinder to be put on either the point of the tine or the press wheel, as required. The press wheel is controlled by a parallel linkage so constant planting depth is maintained even on hilly ground. "We have a 111-ft. wide machine on our farm, but we can make them to virtually any specification. We've made two 120-ft. units so far, and we recently quoted a 302-ft. Multi-Planter for a customer," says Kris. • Stickrake. The 18-wheel "stickrake" is designed to clear big chunks of land by windrowing rocks, trees and brush. The biggest model the Trevilyans make weighs about 12 tons. There are deep open gaps between the fingers which allow dirt to flow through while still passing trash from one wheel to the next. The frame is hinged every fifth wheel so the rake hugs the ground even on hilly terrain. The machine's rear wheels are steered hydraulically to place the machine where it will work most effectively in relation to the tractor and the previous row. A flame thrower can be fitted to the rear of the machine to facilitate a one pass rake and burn operation. Trevilyan also builds large chisel plows, cultivators, cotton stalk pullers, and cotton multimulchers. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, David Trevilyan, Multi Farming Systems, (ph 011 6 17 4995-7230; email: multifs@tpg.com.au; website: www.multifarmingsystems.com.au).

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