Model: Aussie Mr T
Fire fighting authorities report a trend towards a larger number of fires being generated by harvesting or slashing activities. With predicted El Nino conditions for this season, farmers must be prepared to act immediately to stop a crop fire in its tracks.
Fires during a crop harvest cause not only major crop damage and loss, but can lead to the destruction of expensive equipment. A number of combines were lost last year as a result of spontaneous combustion. Part of the problem is generated by the build-up of dry material in and around vehicles. This provides potential fuel for a fire generated by a mechanical failure of exhaust sparks.
One company, Australian Pump, has a range of high pressure pumps that offer the performance required to douse a potentially disastrous harvest fire.
Aussie Pumps’ Brad Farrugia points out that effective fire prevention means having the right equipment, in the right place, at the right time. “Farmers are finding that traditional 5hp fire fighters simply aren’t effective when it comes to serious crop protection,” he said. “We have specialised in producing bigger, more serious pumps that provide real fire fighting performance. These pumps are a fraction of the cost of imported, more sophisticated fire fighting equipment,” he said.
Australian Pump Industries has introduced a range of 2” and 3” pumps in super high pressure configuration under the Mr. T banner. Mr. T is a twin impeller pump range that offers significantly improved flow at high pressure.
The Mr. T is offered with either 9hp, 10hp or 13 hp engines. This provides sufficient torque for the pump to be able to reach a maximum 95m head and deliver a maximum flow of 480 litres a minute. The best news for farmers is the pump’s enormous volume at high pressure. For example, the Mr. T in either 2” or 3” configuration can deliver an excess of 200 litres per minute flow at 65 metre heads. A handy roll frame and anti-vibration mounts are supplied as standard equipment.
“An added bonus is the pump’s ability to draught from creeks, dams or wells,” said Farrugia. “It has an unequalled vertical suction lift of 7.6m,” he said.
The pumps maintenance is critical, coming into the fire season. Josh Kingston from Griffith has maintained his pump in good condition over the winter season. “I always check to make sure that our pump is ready,” he said. “Preseason maintenance is so important, because if the big pump doesn’t prime, first time, every time, we could loose the harvest and our equipment,” he said.
Serious cropping operators understand that the need to invest in capability if they’re going to stop a crop fire fast.
Further information on the complete range of Aussie Quik Prime pumps is available from our Fire Fighting Pumps page or download our Aussie Fire Chief PDF (289kb).
