Henty Field Days: MacDon FD2 flex draper header takes out best machine award

A draper header built for a wide variety of cropping conditions has won the Henty Field Day’s highly sought-after main award.

A draper header purposely built with extra flex for a variety of cropping conditions in Australia has won the Henty Field Days machine of the year on the event’s return after two years of Covid enforced hibernation.

The MacDon FD2 flex draper emerged victorious on day one of the field days from a big field including some entries carried over from last year when the event fell victim to the pandemic again.

MacDon’s Australian sales manager Kari Sattler in front of the draper header which won the Henty Field Days machine of the year award. Picture: Supplied

MacDon’s Australian sales manager Kari Sattler, who lives at nearby Table Top, said the flex draper was specifically designed to keep working in all conditions.

“We keep things very simple and rely on the mechanics rather than hydraulics and electrics,” he said.

“So working in the field it’s a lot easier for farmers to maintain.

“These harvesters are huge money now and we need to keep them working.

“Farmers are taking on a lot more country every year.”

The flex draper is manufactured in Canada with MacDon operating in Australia for 37 years.

Mr Sattler said its versatility was the standout feature.

“It’s not always easy harvesting and not all our crops are standing,” he said.

“If there is 10 tonnes of barley laying on the ground we need to scoop it up and get it in the bin, which is in the bank.

“This machine will flex over contour banks.

“We’ve also made it a lot deeper to take more material at higher speeds.”

MacDon’s Australian sales manager Kari Sattler, right, and MacDon general manager David Rudolph with the draper header which won the Henty Field Days machine of the year award. Picture: Supplied

Judge Warren Scheetz said the panel had a difficult choice to decide this year’s winner.

“They’ve kept the machine very simple and focused on what farmers are requiring in the field,” he said.

Mr Scheetz’s cousin Nigel is the field days chairman and said the event was roaring back to life with record crowds, a possibility given the public holiday on Thursday.

“All our exhibitors have been hanging in the wind for the last couple of years and they’re all positive,” he said.

“All our community groups, caterers are over the moon that we’re back.

“It’s three years of no income for a lot of them.”

He said the pandemic’s first year was the toughest.

“We didn’t know how we were going to survive as an organisation,” he said.

“We were ready to roll, everything was in place for the second year, but that fell in a heap also.”