Mallee field days: Harrington Seed Destructor inventor to explain machine

VISITORS to this week’s Mallee field days will have the chance to hear the story of the Integrated Harrington Seed Destructor from the ­inventor.

Weed killer: Ray Harrington, WA farmer (below) and inventor of the Harrington Seed Destructor, will attend the Mallee Field Days to explain his machine.

VISITORS to this week’s Mallee field days will have the chance to hear the story of the Integrated Harrington Seed Destructor from the ­inventor.

Farmer Ray Harrington, from Darkan, in Western Australia, will be at Speed today and tomorrow to tell how the machine came about and what it has become.

Originally a tug-along, the iHSD has evolved into a ­harvester-integrated model.

It is the result of research and development by the University of South Australia (which hosts the Australian herbicide resistance initiative), backed by Grains ­Research and Development Corporation funding.

A licence to develop and commercialise the on-­harvester version was granted to Mt Gambier’s de Bruin ­Engineering, with the machines handled nationally by McIntosh Distribution.

Switching to cropping from sheep 20 years ago, Mr Harrington foresaw problems with herbicide-resistant weeds.

His quest led him and subsequent partners to develop the tow-behind Harrington Seed Destructor in 2012 and, now, this integrated version.

The iHSD has two ­hydraulically driven cage mills mounted within the rear of the harvester that pulverise chaff and weed seeds in one pass, spreading fine particles of ­organic matter in its wake.

Its effectiveness has now been tested with 25 weed seed species and the machine is proven to destroy up to 99 per cent of weed seeds that enter it.

O’Connors is displaying an iHSD this week at Speed, fitted to a working combine ready for this year’s harvest, along with a static display.

“The machines are manufactured in Mt Gambier, then sent on to our national dealership,” McIntosh marketing co-­ordinator Renata Rignall said.

McIntosh sales representative Darryl Verburg said the machine could be fitted to Case IH, New Holland and John Deere harvesters, with Claas to be added this year.

“The recommended price for Case IH and New Holland equipment is $165,000, plus GST, delivered and fitted, and for the John Deere, $175,000,” Mr Verburg said.

Key features include simplified user interface on the in-cab control, display and monitoring system, with an option to fit a rotary screen on the external oil cooler.

For details, visit the McIntosh Distribution website.