Contractor profile: Clark & Son Shelter Trimmers
A father and son team have put their shared expertise into the creation of a one-of-a-kind Fendt 718 with a rotating cab for their shelterbelt trimming business
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Father and son team Malcolm and Lance Clark
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Malcolm and Lance have come a long way since those early days and are the first to admit that it hasn’t all been easy street. However, now armed with a more modern fleet, one core ingredient remains the same – the satisfaction in a job well done and positive customer feedback.
Tools of the trade
Pride of the Clark & Son line-up is a one-of-a-kind Fendt 718 Vario tractor with a rotating cab and customised Palfinger crane and cutting head.
The Fendt is the only one of its kind in New Zealand, and getting it customised and on Kiwi shores was a longer process than the pair first anticipated. The rotating cab turns to 220 degrees and is hugely beneficial in terms of operator safety and comfort. It also allows for vastly improved visibility when operating in tight spaces with high hedges.
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The original Ford tractor the business started with in 1999
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Ironically, it was watching tractor videos online with his two young sons that first bought the Fendt to Lance’s attention. Both boys are ‘machinery mad’ and, when not spending time in the cab with their dad, spend hours pouring through machinery videos on YouTube and finding the latest and greatest in the hedge cutting and forestry machinery world.
"They spotted the Fendt with the rotating cab on a video and made me watch it too. It planted a seed, and after watching some more videos of it operating with a forestry grapple attached, I started searching to find out more," says Lance.
Lance searched the web, emailing the Werner company for more details. A quick chat with the team at Waikato Tractors yielded more detailed information, and Lance and Malcolm made the decision to travel to Germany to take a first-hand look. A contact of Lance’s organised an itinerary for viewing various options.
"We spent some time with both Fendt and the Werner companies in Germany getting to know more about both the tractor and the rotating cab and after many discussions, decided to invest in this one-of-a-kind machine.
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Latest acquisition the Fendt 718 alongside the Massey Ferguson 7475
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"We wanted it set up to allow us to be more efficient and also reach heights of up to 12 to 13 metres flat topping and 15 to 16 metres side trimming while being able to keep the cutting head straight and flat – important for a quality finish."
Having it customised to suit their specific requirements meant additional investment and time delays, and while the eventual project took almost two years to see to fruition and land in New Zealand, both Lance and Malcolm were delighted with the final design.
"While the complete unit with its crane and cutting head now works like a dream, further complications were yet to come, adding another year to the project to get the right balance between the crane and custom-built cutting head working to our desired requirements," says Lance.
Early days
Having grown up around farm machinery as a farmer’s son on the family dairy farm in Patetonga in the Waikato, Lance spent most of his early years working as a dairy farmer, following in his father’s footsteps.
The experience gave the pair a solid ground in being part of a family business. These days, those same core skills remain essential to successfully managing the business, and mum Jill is also crucial to the smooth operating of Clark & Son – taking care of the heavy workload in the office and doing much of the organising behind the scenes.
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Lance with his one-of-a-kind Fendt 718, which boasts a cab that rotates 220 degrees
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"When mum and dad sold the family farm, I got a job milking cows in Pukekohe," says Lance. "I’d also worked over the years driving various gear for ag contractors like Wallings.
"The family farm had got to the stage where we either needed to commit to expanding or make some major changes. One way to resolve it was whether we bought the neighbouring farm or they bought ours, so mum and dad decided to sell and take a break."
With Malcolm and Jill travelling overseas and doing Bible College ministry work for a few years. When they returned home, Malcolm was keen to keep busy, and Lance was ready to leave his role working for someone else and strike out by himself.
Looking to do something different, the shelter trimming business started off with the purchase of an existing business and one tractor, which Malcolm and Lance took turns operating. Before long, the old Ford was upgraded to a Massey Ferguson 6265.
"The upgrade was a definite step up in terms of operator comfort," says Lance, "and the 6265 with its Dyna 4 transmission was well suited to our requirements for hedge cutting."
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Lucky, the rescue dog, was a familiar passenger in the tractor for many years
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In 2008, a second shelter trimming business was purchased. The Iseki tractor from that business was immediately scrapped, and a Massey Ferguson 7475 Vario transmission was purchased, which still remains in the fleet today. The original Massey Ferguson 6265 was replaced with another Massey Ferguson 6265, which also remains in the fleet today.
With two tractors enabling to cater for twice as much work, the Fendt 718 was ordered in 2019, as the hours on the Massey Ferguson 7475 were inching up about 14,000.
Adding the Fendt to their fleet wasn’t a decision made lightly.
"Even after travelling to Germany and spending some time in the cab of various Fendts to get a feel for them, we deliberated for three or four months before fully committing. It was a huge investment and undertaking, and while it wasn’t straightforward, we definitely don’t regret it," says Lance.
"Like anything with machinery that’s not ‘standard’, getting something this customised can be time-consuming and frustrating."
As well as delays with the tractor and with getting the rotating cab fitted, there was also a six-month delay with getting the crane component from England.
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Lance has an expert touch when it comes to operating the cutter for finely detailed jobs
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"We had to be pretty patient," says Malcolm. "And if that wasn’t bad enough, the tractor with Palfinger crane arrived in the country shortly before we went into the first lockdown, so after that long wait, it sat there doing nothing for months."
Malcolm’s years of engineering expertise have been a definite asset to the business, particularly when it has come to customising cutter heads and other specifics on their machinery. Over the decades, he has built everything from cowshed rebuilds to farm trailers, stock crates, and more.
"For the cutter head on the Fendt unit, we’ve worked closely with the team at Tirau Welders to perfect the details. We always knew exactly what we wanted but it was a customised build to copy and improve on our existing two cutterheads. Tirau Welders were amazing to work with and understood what we were after perfectly."
Most of the equipment at Clark & Son has been strengthened and modified. Having the balance of the crane and cutters exactly right is essential for strength without being too heavy when extended at trimming height.
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Eight customised levers control the Palfinger crane and cutting head
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"There’s a lot of steel on our machines, and we’ve learned to protect the cab roof, bonnet, and windows against falling debris, etc."
A roof window of 18mm plate glass has been custom added to the machine for operational safety purposes.
For tidy up work after the trimmers have been in, Malcolm and Lance have a Berti 220 heavy-duty fixed tooth mulcher and a Berti ECF/MD220 side shift mulcher. The heavy-duty mulcher is a great tool for some land clearing, regularly being used to mulch out old blueberry rows for replanting, behind a second Massey Ferguson 7475.
"Having the ability to offer a clean-up component to our trimming services is important," says Malcolm.
Of course, given some of the terrain they work on, it isn’t always straightforward.
"We definitely have some challenging properties with uneven terrain and trying to work in confined awkward places. Then there’s the element of the occasional unknown such as sinkholes – never fun to have a wheel drop into those when you have the crane fully extended.
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Leaving a tidy finish with the heavy-duty Berti mulcher behind the Massey Ferguson 7475
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Woofer team member
In 2003, Lance saved a small Labrador/Staffy pup, which had been dumped on the roadside. He named her Lucky.
Lucky quickly became his constant companion, travelled everywhere with him, and had her own seat in the tractor. It didn’t take long for Lance to become known as the ‘man with a dog in his tractor’ – clients would remember that, even if they could not remember his name.
Lucky had many of her own adventures. Ever faithful and needing to be by Lance’s side always, she jumped out the ute window to follow him and was left behind while working at Kumeu. She had a ride in a police car after being frightened by loud bangs, and she has loved eating fallen avocadoes.
Sadly, Lucky died in 2018 and is a much-missed team member.
Always alert
Part of the key to maintaining machinery and nipping potential problems in the bud comes down to the awareness of the operator, which is why Lance and Malcolm continue to be the sole operators of their expensive fleet of machinery.
"When you’re out there cutting, you’re always listening for something that might sound a bit different or keeping an eye out for any potential stress points," says Lance. "The nature of the jobs we’re doing is really hard on the gear, so maintenance and staying aware is hugely important."
A delicate balance
With their joint skillsets, Lance and Malcolm have a reputation for providing quality service. Lance, in particular, has become something of an artist with the cutters, often called upon by clients with specialist projects who want a meticulous arch in the middle of their straight hedge.
"There’s definitely an art to it, and it’s a delicate balance – not only when doing something specific like a curve but also in making sure you’re cutting the right amount from different tree varieties to keep it tidy while not compromising future growth."
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