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Mobile shearing unit lifts tally as deadline nears
3 Dec 2003
ShearExpress, the mobile shearing shed, is now achieving a throughput of 650 sheep a day, but it's still well short of its daily target of 1,200 sheep despite tallies growing steadily. Australian Wool Innovation has given the $6.9 million mobile wool harvester, designed in Western Australia, until the end of 2003 to prove itself. It's been tested for six weeks now in on-farm trials.
The shortfall in the daily target is one of two problems for AWI in relation to ShearExpress. The other is a blow-out in costs of the unit, which is mounted on a B-double chassis. The original target was to build it for less than $500,000, but on current estimates its cost is nearer to $1.2 million.
The positives to come out of the trial are that the quality of the clip is equal to, if not better than, conventional shearing, and the shearing is also easier. The sheep are restrained and shorn on a conveyor belt, removing the back-breaking work which has injured many shearers.
Weekly Times, 3/12/03, page 3.
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