Timaru Ploughman and his KV ES80 take on the world

11/01/2018

National Reversible Ploughing Champion Bob Mehrtens of Timaru has huge faith in his Kverneland ES 80 reversible plough.

Bob says that winning the New Zealand Championship in the Reversible Class for the second year running requires more than just owning the best equipment. After all, 95+ % of ploughmen at the World Ploughing Competitions use Kverneland ploughs.

He says, “The plough is easy to adjust and once it’s set up, it’s mostly down to perseverance, concentration and getting those two ploughs to line up. It’s not easy.”

Bob’s Kverneland ES 80 plough has plastic mould boards. This change came as a result of having lent his plough to Thomas Cochrane, a Northern Ireland competitor at the Methven World Champs in 2010. Thomas said, “Plastic mould boards are going to win this world final, I need the ones you have in the shed!” He then bolted them on. Bob admitted to liking them so much that they have never been removed since.

“They are more user friendly,” he said. “You can twist them, they’re more flexible and they make a superior job. They wear just as well as steel and they don’t rust if you leave them out at night. Besides Kverneland’s general superiority, their share and disc coulter blades are “hard as,” he said.

The Power Farming dealership in Timaru doesn’t make big bucks out of Bob. He said, “We don’t do a lot of business with them on spare parts because Kverneland parts wear so well. I often call in with tractors though and they are a great team. The service and parts departments always provide excellent support.”

Bob began his competition-ploughing career when he was 12 years old. Now at 60 he has reached the pinnacle of New Zealand Ploughing. In 2016 Bob won the New Zealand Reversible Ploughing title, gaining entry to the World Ploughing Competition in Kenya where he recently came second. This year he proved his dominance in New Zealand again by repeating his win gaining entry to the World Champs in Germany in 2018.

Ian Woolley of Blenheim also has impressive credentials and came seventh in the Conventional Class with his Kverneland plough. Ian is a third time New Zealand Representative in Kenya and fourth time winner of the Silver Plough in 2017. He will also plough in Germany in 2018.

Bob’s Ford 7740 tractor and Kverneland ES80 plough was shipped in September for the competition, which was held at Nakuru in The Great Rift Valley, between the 24th November and 3rd December this year.

Power Farming would like to congratulate Bob and Ian for representing New Zealand and for their impressive ploughing on the world stage.

Click here to find more information about the ES 85/100