‘Unicorn parts’: farmers get creative as harvest tests machinery

Growers are working together and embracing odd innovations to get crops off during a challenging harvest.

Social media channels have been flooded with requests for parts, loans and advice in recent weeks as machinery breaks down amid a race to bring in a challenging harvest.

Kondinen Group research manager and agricultural engineer Ben White said farmers and manufacturers had been forced to get more creative this year to keep machinery running.

“We’ve got guys out there pushing pretty hard. They’re trying to get a harvest done in some pretty rough conditions, and tough threshing conditions. It’s hard on the machine, and things are breaking that maybe haven’t broken before,” he said.

”Farmers are a pretty inventive lot, so they’re coming up with solutions that are a little bit out of the box, particularly where parts aren’t available.”

Some farmers have taken to social media to express frustration about “unicorn parts” and parts “made in Antarctica” for which they were having trouble finding replacements.

I think you’ll find they come from the accounts department

— Adam Williamson (@amwfarming) November 19, 2021

Mr White said many of the issues people were having were with high speed wearing parts.

”We’re talking about parts that typically custom made for a machine. They’re not usually off the shelf items,” he said.

“(The parts can be) typically pretty small, but it will impede a half a million dollar machine (if you don’t have it).”

The situation was exacerbated by supply chain issues, which meant manufacturers had trouble accessing shipping container shortages and were forced to contend with freight costs that had in some cases quadrupled, he said.

Last week’s Productivity Commission report into farmer’s right-to-repair validated some farmers’ concerns about access to spare parts and their ability to repair their own machinery.

Victorian Farmers Federation grains group president Ashley Fraser said it was “a huge relief” to have farmers’ right-to-repair formally acknowledged.

It’s Aussie Storms like these that reinforce how important it is that our farmers are able to repair their tractors if they need to #righttorepair#Ausrighttorepairpic.twitter.com/5xH5xFhTH5

— Leanne Wiseman (@LGWiseman) November 11, 2021

VFF grains councillor and Wimmera farmer Ryan Milgate said dealers in his area had been stepping up to make sure parts were available, with one business holding back a couple of headers from sale so they could pull parts off them for spares.

While many farmers ordered spare parts months in advance of this year’s harvest in preparation for shipping and supply chain delays, some have still been caught short, he said.

The level of exchange and support on social media was busier this year than normal, and it was nice to see people supporting each other to get through the season, Mr Milgate said.

“People are more prepared to help each other out a bit this year. Locals are working together, people who have got the same machines call each other up and say ‘hey have you got this (part)?’”

One of the biggest issues this harvest has been header fronts, Mr Milgate said.

“Lots of people have had issues with header fronts. Some have bought headers and the fronts haven’t turned up or haven’t turned up on time.”