Crary Wind System available to order

A wind system designed to help harvest shatter-prone crops is now being sold commercially in WA for the first time — with two farmers who used it last harvest saying it paid itself off in its first year.

WA-based harvester parts manufacturer and supplier Harvestaire tested the Crary Wind System at two WA farmers’ properties last harvest, after testing it at one farm in 2018.

The system, which is available for attachment on most Macdon and John Deere headers, sits in front of the tyne reel and is designed to boost yields, reduce shatter losses and create higher ground speeds.

It is most successful with shatter-prone crops including lupins and barley.

Doodlakine farmer Matthew Steber gave the CWS the tick of approval, after successfully using the system for the past two harvests.

“The results from the first harvest of lupins were impressive and included even feeding of crop materials, less shatter loss and higher ground speeds,” he said.

“The additional yield also meant less volunteer crop germination during the 2020 preparation for seeding.

“By my estimate, the additional kilograms per hectare meant the CWS would pay for itself after 1500 hectares, based on yielding an additional 60kg/ha.”

Miling farmer Paul White used the CWS for the first time in 2019 to harvest lupins and barley.

“The results were immediate with noticeably improved yield,” he said.

“Engaging the air system meant it blew grain off the knife, kept it clean and allowed the knife to cut better — improving ground speed and moving more grain onto the belt.

“The CWS paid for itself in its first year.”

The Crary Wind System works by using the existing tyne reel and adding a manifold in front of the reel to produce a curtain of high velocity air over the cutter bar.

It is designed to feed more crop over the knife, more crop in the grain bin and more money in farmers’ pockets.

The system attachment sits on the header front with the aim of keeping crop heads and pods flowing onto the draper belt or back into the auger.

It retains the reel for the handling of the cropbulk, while air is supplied by an eight-inch, shaft and gearbox-driven bower for uniform crop feeding.

Long lead times from the US means Harvestaire, the exclusive seller of the system, is seeking expressions of interest now so Australian farmers can benefit from what is shaping up to be a good 2020 harvest.

Harvestaire created the air system in 1980 before selling the intellectual property to Crary in the 1990s, with the US company ramping up the capabilities and scale.

While the Crary Wind System is available for most Macdon and John Deere fronts, Harvestaire is working with Crary to increase the available range.

While Harvestaire is best known for its flagship products, the Blower Front Kit and the Quicktrip Lamb Marking Cradle, it supplies high-quality harvester parts across Australia.

The company was developed in 1980 and has since developed a range of replacement parts for grain harvesters.

This includes chaff spreading equipment using air, extended fronts to reduce harvest losses in legumes, and twin cutter bars to cut straw trice at harvest, among other inven-tions.