Company Profile.

A new face to this years Ploughing Championships Machinery section is Running Gear Ltd., of Ballyhaunis, Co. Mayo. This company may be a newcomer but comes with a strong pedigree as Mark Murphy co-founder is a former Director and Co-founder of Major Ltd., of pasture topper and slurry tanker fame.

The firm is run by Mark and his sons, Marcus and David who themselves have backgrounds in manufacturing and production planning. They operate from a purpose built factory unit which boasts the latest in cutting, bending, welding and spraying technology.

This new departure comes with a host of expertise and experience and this is evident in the product range which Running Gear presents at this years show. Apart from a range of tractor mounted and electric log-splitters the company also provides a range of post drivers, which to date, have been marketed under the MAJOR brand name.

A range of trailers is also available from the company. These vary from the light and general utility tipping bodies in single and twin axle format, to the heavy duty twin axle silage models. Water ballast land rollers are also produced by Running Gear in 8, 10 and 12mm plate, as is a range of silage block cutters in 1.3, 1.6 and 2m widths.

In the past year the company has undertaken a Research and Development project to develop a large capacity farm yard manure spreader. This has culminated in the launch at this years’ ploughing championships of the RDS 10000, or the ten tonne rear discharge spreader. This machine has been specifically designed for the Irish and UK market place and comes with:

• A fully welded chassis and body, PTO driven twin vertical rear beaters
• Hydraulically operated conveyor floor and rear door, which, coupled with forward speed, controls the application rates for the different materials being spread
• Hot dip galvanised rear bolt-on assembly for ease of manufacture, assembly and serviceability
• Hi-Floatation 580 x 70 R38 Wheels on a 110mm braked axle
• Parking jack and hand brake as standard

The parts of the machine which are not galvanised have been shot blasted then treated with an etching primer before being finished with 2 coats of paint in the companies’ yellow and green livery.

The RDS 10000 as well as a selection of the companies’ other machines will be on display at Row L, Stand 298 at this year’s show. All are welcome, please pop in and speak to any members of staff.