2021 - Volume #45, Issue #5, Page #11
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He Makes Fence Posts From Scrap Plastic
Farkash says the huge contraption took him 2 1/2 years to perfect, but now he uses it to make 4-in. dia. by 7-ft. long plastic fence posts from many types of scrap plastic, including used grain and silage bags.
To start the process, his old Cockshutt 1850 tractor runs a stripped-down combine and swather to tear apart scrap plastic. Pieces are blown out and fed into a telescoping extruder that extends inside the super-heated burner made from an old anhydrous tank. Various sizes and lengths of used oil pipes extend up and out of the long tank to control heat and provide ventilation.
The “burner” tank heats to 500 degrees F, melting the plastic as the extruder forces the molten liquid into the post molds. Heat is generated by old and broken wood pallets fed into the burners, which make up the legs that support the chamber. Farkash collects a large amount of scrap plastic from Canadian farmers. Because those bags are dirty, they’d typically be buried in a landfill, but his operation can use them all. He’s also burning old pallets that would otherwise go to a landfill.
Farkash is big on recycling and intent on doing it without the help of government subsidies. His invention can kick out two posts a minute. They’re caught in a cradle for cooling, then pushed out and stacked in a bundle for shipping. By early 2021 he had orders for nearly 4,000 posts and expects more as word of his product gets around.
When his machine isn’t running, his crew builds fence line feeders, free standing fence panels, silage feeders, big bale feeders, trailers and other items out of oil field scrap steel.
Farkash says his business is continually evolving and he sees a time when production of the posts might really take off. He says there’s basically an infinite supply of scrap plastic available, and more is generated every year. In addition to collecting from farmers, he’s also working with municipalities to collect junk plastic that’s about to be buried in landfills.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Danny Farkash, Noralta Farms, Ltd., R.R. #3, Vermilion, Alberta T9X 1Y8 Canada (ph 780 853-7637).
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