Less racket thanks to insulation
Less racket thanks to insulation
MOBILE mill-and-mixing machines have never been renown for their quiet operation. Indeed, most farmsteads are treated to an ear-shattering tumult when such machines are fired up.
But now Dorset-based B&W Feeds believes it can offer a more harmonious service following the introduction by the company of a new German sourced mobile mill and mixer.
Manufactured by Buschhoff, the AFM 993A is equipped with a significant degree of sound insulation designed to reduce operating noise to tolerable levels.
There are, however, more features which could appeal to the contractor. The machines mixer tank can hold up to 3t and its hammer mill and roller mill units can each process up to 12t/hour. Mixed feed can be discharged to store eitherby an auger or pneumatically.
Power for the AFM 993A is provided by a 258hp turbocharged Merc engine pulling diesel from a 330-litre (67gal) tank.
Operating controls, which are confined to a compact lockable cabin, include a programmable weighing system with digital readout, engine speed indicator and other engine management indicators, and pressure gauges for suction and pressure lines.
Included in the standard specification is a hydraulic lift for bags of admixture and, if required, an 1800-litre (396gal) molasses tank and a bag storage area.
Price of the AFM 993A starts at about £75,000. There is of course, also the cost of the truck to be taken into account.
• The mobile mill-and-mix industry is on a roll, according to Jim Farquharson, managing director of B&W Feeds.
"This is down to a number of reasons," he says. "First, there is the matter of low grain prices making home mixing attractive.
"Transport costs are also reduced; why pay transport to take grain away and then pay for it to be delivered back after it has been processed?
"And then there is the advantage of being able to formulate specific rations from available foodstuffs and meet specific feeding requirements."
A high degree of sound insulation is said to reduce the noise of B&W Feeds latest mill-and-mix unit to a tolerable level.
Operating controls for the Buschhoff mill-and-mix unit are confined to a lockable cabinet.