Everything you need for opening up new ground to pasture or crops is available right now with the Rocks Gone Reefinator H4
Shown here with inventor Tim Pannell the Reefinator H4 will dig to a depth of 600mm (24-inches) and is equipped with a leading row of four tines and a following row of five – all hydraulically operated
Count your chickens before they hatch with the Reefinator H4 as countless times farmers have bought cheap land and opened up new ground with this resurrection machine
Previous untouchable rocky ground was no match for the Reefinator H4 and this feat is being repeated across farmland that is now sown down to pasture and crops
Sometimes a machine comes along that everybody says, “why didn’t someone think of that before.”
The Rocks Gone Reefinator rock crusher is that machine. And since its release in 2015 it was an instant hit with farmers looking to renovate rock-encrusted land that could not be used for grazing or cropping.
The Reefinator changed all that and now with several hundred models sold and hard at work, we are up to the most recent release, the Reefinator H4.
Invented by Rocks Gone founder and farmer, Tim Pannell, the Reefinator is a multi-pass machine that digs up and crushes rock fast and efficiently.
A towed implement, the Reefinator has a grate, much like a cheese grater, that holds down the rock and rips up manageable lumps that can be crushed by the following roller.
After several passes, the biggest lumps of rock you’ll find are only the size of a fist.
The Reefinator is designed to be simple, durable, and low cost to operate.
The designated wear parts and weak points are quick and easy to replace, while the rest of the implement is tough and ready to withstand thousands of hours of work.
The most recent iteration of Tim Pannell’s machine is the hydraulically assisted heavy-duty Reefinator with a 3m working width.
This well proven machine is able to work deeper in a wider range of rock types and hardpans.
It can also work through stubble, with tines set at 335mm (13-inch) spacings, opening up a way of renovating previously poor performing paddocks for pasture and cropping.
The latest Reefinator has been dubbed the H4 with the H designating that it’s a hydraulically operated machine and as such, there are no shear pins on the tines.
There are four leading tines and five at the rear coupled with a cable-suspended levelling blade that levels out already crushed soil and rock before the tines get to it.
The Reefinator H4 hydraulic system incorporates a 32-litre accumulator designed to handle up to 3000psi pressure, while prescribed working pressure is between 1000 to 1500psi.
Hoses running off the cylinders are 25mm (1-inch) in diameter to accommodate high speed flow out of the cylinders on impact.
All rams and pivot points are on spherical, mostly greasable bearings, specifically designed to be maintenance-free working so close to the ground.
The Reefinator H4 will dig to a depth of 600mm (24-inches), as opposed to 200mm (8-inches) maximum depth for the original Reefinator, with the ability to raise the leading rank of tines out of work to go deeper and quicker.
Weighing 28 tonnes with 6000-litres of water ballast on board, you’ll need a four-wheel drive tractor with a power rating in excess of 331kW (450hp) to tow the H4, or you can get away with about 294kW (400hp) with a track machine.
According to Tim, wheels are better on rocky country, with working speeds between 8 and 12kph, depending on conditions.
Tyre pressure varies between 8 and 13psi while a big advantage is the heavy duty industrial” cushion hitch, designed to absorb harsh forces.
According to Tim, the H4 will drag over anything because of the hydraulics and operators won’t usually need to ease pressure.
Tree roots are easily smashed and even if you hit a blue granite rock, for example, the tines will just float over it as long as the pressure isn’t set too high, and you can just keep going.
“This makes a big difference in productivity because it’s less jerky with almost no catching or dragging,” Tim said.
To talk to inventor Tim Pannell about opening up cleaner cropping ground, call on tel: 08 9288 2993 or email: sales@rocksgone.com.au or see the H4 Reefinator video at: ag.rocksgone.com.au
For growers in South Australia and Victoria talk direct to WSB Distributors on tel: 08 8842 2177, on mobile: 0419 828 802, or send an email: admin@wsb.com.au
https://afdj.com.au/rocks-gone-offers-the-reefinator-as-a-rocky-ground-terminator-that-opens-up-an-income/