Special feature: Hustler Mutli-Feeder Combo Wagons

Date: 22.03.2023

The Hustler Combi wagon offers a significant advantage in terms of versatility of use

Hustler Combi RX178 feeding out silage bales on a dairy farm operation

There’s no doubt that TMR mixer wagons have their place in operations where a perfectly mixed, high-performance diet is required day in and day out. However, for the typical farm, using a TMR to feed large volumes of bales or a simple combination of silage, bales, and other forages can have drawbacks. A TMR costs a lot of money, consumes time and fuel and requires a significant amount of maintenance, but the good news is other solutions do exist.

Multi-feeder combination wagons can feed any type of livestock feed, whether it’s round or square bales, corn or grass silage, roots, co-products such as vegetable waste or any other feed the user desires. These 100% hydraulic wagons feature a unique design that offers incredible versatility, allowing for trouble-free operation.

Simple and efficient design with no wearing parts

No need for knives or other wearing parts for multi-feeder combination wagons, thanks to a side elevator able to tear apart bales or drive the thinnest silage and that can be titled to the desired angle, depending on the type of feed or if you want to feed into troughs. The load-dividing system developed by Hustler on the Combi wagon ranges reduces the constraints on all the drives, allowing the tractor to operate the wagon on just 50 to 70 litres per minute of oil flow, meaning the machine can operate at not much more than an idle.

Hustler Combi RX218 feeding out round bales of silage

A 15 mm thick puckboard floor and greaseless sides eliminate a substantial amount of maintenance time and brings more reliability. The use of greaseless components can save the operator up to five hours per month in greasing alone.

The Hustler Combi embarks the optional FeedLink, a feed management system providing scales and GPS proof of placement for compliance and management of feed supplies. It can be operated wirelessly from an app on the phone with reporting of targets vs actuals. The new FeedControl system simplifies the operation with a manual control mode making bale feeding easier and a semi-automatic mode, which alongside load-sensing hydraulics automates feeding and makes feeding silage a breeze.

Make the most of your pasture

The ability to feed animals on pasture is limited with TMR wagon due to their sheer weight. Once loaded, the high centre of gravity makes them unstable on undulating terrain, limiting the use of TMR wagons to feed pads or concrete bunks for operator safety. This limits the options and prevents the ability to supplement feeding on pasture, particularly on undulating terrain.

The Hustler Combi is designed with a low centre of gravity and high flotation tires to allow safe operation on rolling country and avoid soil compaction. With approximately 30% less weight than a similarly-sized TMR and more than twice the load capacity of the mixer, the Combi wagon offers a significant advantage in terms of versatility of use.

Fast loading with single tractor operation

A TMR is PTO and hydraulically powered and requires the blades to be powered during loading and feeding. It’s heavy work on the feeding tractor and requires a separate machine to load, chewing through a lot of fuel and causing wear and tear on two pieces of equipment. Loading a TMR with bales can take upward of 30 minutes, as the loader operator waits for each bale to be ground down before loading the next, all while burning fuel.

In contrast, multi-feeder combination machines being only hydraulically driven, a single loader tractor can be used to load and feed, as the wagon is not required to be powered during loading. With quick and simple disconnection of two sets of hydraulic hoses, the total loading time, including hitching and un-hitching can be cut down to around 10 to 15 minutes. The Hustler Combi system breaks bales down as it feeds them out and each bale can be fed in two to three minutes, with other feed types feeding out at a quicker rate.

For more information, contact a local Hustler accredited dealer or reach out to Hustler territory manager, Nigel Holt, at nigel@hustlerequipment.com or 021 406 599, or visit hustlerequipment.com.

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