WHEN Boodua district farming family the Bullocks established an on-site engineering venture the aim of the initiative was to insulate them from the worst of the drought.
Today, with seasonal conditions still proving a challenge, a hive of activity on their property located on the outskirts of Kingsthorpe, demonstrates how the 10-year-old Ruralfab venture has proved a boon not only to their business operations but also in offering local employment opportunities.
It’s a ‘win-win’ for Michelle and Kent Bullock, also their son Braden who has capitalised on his engineering credentials by augmenting the family’s thriving steel fabrications outlet with a separate division specialising on chaser bins equipped with a novel rubber track arrangement.
The 486ha (1200 acre) property began its diversification program some 10 years ago after the effects of the drought began to impact on the surrounding district.
“We started up making slashers, ute bodies, anything we could put our hands to,” Michelle and Kent explained.
Succeeding in generating cash flow, the business is now going well according to Kent Bullock, who makes the point the workshop manages to stay busy even when the season is below expectations.
Evidence lies in a sales footprint that extends from southern Queensland to as far north as Cooktown, achieved on the back of a small summer crop which this year sees only 24ha (60 acres) of White French millet being grown under heavily-restricted irrigation.
To date, two waterings have been carried out, applying 10mm, then a further 25mm on each pass of the irrigator. The Bullocks estimate another two waterings will be needed before the header will be called in.
While prices could be in the order of $500/t, the family knows this could change at the whim of the market, underscoring the point it was “too late” for sorghum.
All eyes will be on this year’s autumn rains if a winter crop is to be established with, for the present, many producers in the district anxiously assessing current soil moisture levels.
Planting equipment centres on 11m (36ft) wide Flex-Coil outfit that is pulled behind a 150kW (200hp) model 8160 Massey Ferguson tractor.
That aside, Bullock Engineering offers a tidy-looking 30t capacity chaser bin with plans to offer a wider range in the years ahead.
The point to make here is that the company believes the way ahead lies in offering producers tracked rather than conventional tyres.
“Tyres all to often can ‘blow,’ their axles can break and then there’s the issue of soil damage due to ‘scrubbing’ at the headland,” Braden Bullock said.
“We estimate that tracks can reduce soil compaction by as much as 70 percent,” he added.
Each non-powered rubber track measures 63cm (25in) wide and is some 2.6m (9ft) long. Neither has a steering capability with their main point-of-difference from other designs is the ability of track width to be hydraulically-extended from 2.7m to 4m, according to requirement.
The leading tension idler wheel is augmented by a series of load sharing idlers positioned mid-way between the rear idler which has an alignment role.
“We are the Australian distributor for these Landluvr tracks, building them under their design and paying royalties to the company which is based in Illinois,” Braden Bullock said.
"The interesting design point about these tracks is that wheel track width can be altered on-the-go, although the chaser bin needs to be empty at the time,” he added.
Fixed axle options also are available from Bullock Engineering and while they are cheaper they do not offer the flexibility a contractor might need when travelling to farms operating different tramline widths.
The key to the success of the design lies in a sturdy main cross axle which rises only minimally when each Landluvr track rides over an obstacle in a range of paddock conditions, according to Braden Bullock.
Meanwhile, the Mackay-based Grech family already has ordered a set of Landluvr tracks which, when fitted to a cane haul-out bin, will earn their keep at its Noonberet enterprise.
Having proved the worth of the tracks in a range of farming scenarios, the Bullock family now is fine-tuning its soon-to-be-extended chaser bin line-up.
Key features include a horizontal auger under the hopper and a load-out speed of between 5t and 6t/minute.
Also available, as an optional extra, is a remote controlled electrically-operated rollover tarp. As well, there is a ‘deflector beak’ at the top of out-load auger which has the potential to be varied to make for even loading of grain into delivery trucks.
Harvest trials at Boodua earlier this year confirmed a 5.5m turning radius, something which would have resulted in tyre blow-outs using conventionally-shod chaser bins.
“We noted less down time, less compaction, plus travel speeds up to 25kph after pulling away from the header to fill trucks parked at the headland,” Braden Bullock said.
Interestingly, used belts can be utilised by Bullock Engineering who will modify their undercarriage assembly to accommodate a property who may have a second-hand pair of rubber belts.
“The US Manufacturer (Landuvr) told me they had sold 500 sets of track assemblies in the last eight years to farmers who use them on air-seeders, sprayers, and anything that lowers compaction compared to wheels,” Braden Bullock said.
* For more details contact (07) 4696 7665.
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