Tag: Reefinating

Reefinator a rock star

Rocks Gone Reefinator turns unusable rocky land into profitable crops As a third-generation farmer from Chapman Valley WA, Rocks Gone founder and inventor Tim Pannell knew all too well the problems that rocky land poses for farmers The hydraulic Reefinator H4 can crush rock layers while it deep rips and prepares once useless ground for crop growing with access to deeper soil moisture and nutrients When Rocks Gone debuted its Reefinator rock crusher in 2015 it was an instant hit with Western Australian farmers looking to renovate rock-encrusted land that could not be used for cropping. “Farmers now have the very real option of increasing soil depth, which has a range of agronomic benefits including greater water and nutrient holding capacity, and greater rooting depth which also then helps with crop and pasture resilience in times of crop stress,” Tim Pannell said. The latest Reefinator has been dubbed the H4 with the H designating that it’s a hydraulically operated machine and as such, there are no shear pins on the tines.

Rocks Gone founder Tim Pannell with the new Reefinator H4. Credit: Angie Roe Cally Dupe, Countryman, 23 Aug 2019 Four years after releasing his groundbreaking product the Reefinator, Rocks Gone owner Tim Pannell is readying to release an upgraded version. The WA company launched its first rock-crushing machine to free up crop and pasture potential […]

Reefinator a cut above for growth

Reefinator a cut above for growth Rocks Gone founder Tim Pannell (right) and Ballidu farmer Phil Mincherton stand with a Reefinator. Credit: Lauren Calvin The burgeoning company behind the rock-crushing Reefinator machine has won the growth category of the WA Innovator of the Year Awards. Judges assessed Mr Pannell’s flagstone Reefinator machine, a hybrid design between a rock ripper and a rock roller released in 2014, and has been designed to be towed behind a tractor. After travelling to look at the existing machines, Mr Pannell eventually purchased a rotary rock crusher and started a contracting business crushing rocks on farms and gravel roads for local councils. But he found the rotary crusher had its problems, so decided to develop his own concept — the Reefinator. Innovation and ICT Minister Dave Kelly congratulated Mr Pannell on his achievement. The innovation award was another feather in the cap for Mr Pannell, whose business also scooped best new release at Newdegate Farm Machinery Field Days.

Rocks Gone founder Tim Pannell (right) and Ballidu farmer Phil Mincherton stand with a Reefinator. Credit: Lauren Calvin Cally Dupe, The West Australian, 9 Nov 2017 The burgeoning company behind the rock-crushing Reefinator machine has won the growth category of the WA Innovator of the Year Awards. Rocks Gone, founded by former Chapman Valley farmer Tim Pannell, […]

Rocks Gone Reefinator wins Mitsubishi Innovation Growth Award

Rocks Gone Reefinator wins Mitsubishi Innovation Growth Award Ballidu farmer Phil Mincherton and Rocks Gone founder Tim Pannell discussing the size of the rocks the Reefinator crushed. Photo: Lauren Calvin GROWTH category winner at the Western Australian innovator of the year awards went to the Rocks Gone Reefinator. Sponsored by Mitsubishi Corporation the annual award is facilitated by the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation. Mr Pannell said rocky land in Australia is often regarded as unproductive or too costly to turn into productive soil. Mr Pannell said the multi pass machine crushes rock more efficiently and faster than any other machine on the market. “Farmers now have the very real option of increasing soil depth,” he said. Previous awards received by the Reefinator include “Best Australian Made Machine” at the Yorke Peninsula Field Days in 2015 and the “2015 New Release” at the Newdegate Machinery Field Days

Ballidu farmer Phil Mincherton and Rocks Gone founder Tim Pannell discussing the size of the rocks the Reefinator crushed. Photo: Lauren Calvin Sharon O’Keeffe, Farmonline National, 9 Nov 2017 GROWTH category winner at the Western Australian innovator of the year awards went to the Rocks Gone Reefinator. Sponsored by Mitsubishi Corporation the annual award is […]

Rock on: Reefinator aids paddock transformation

John and Shane Rathjen with a hunk of limestone rock, one of the few of its size left in the paddock at Cambrai after being reefinated. A HEALTHY barley crop is standing on a previously non-arable paddock near Cambrai thanks to a bold management decision by Millendella father and son John and Shane Rathjen. The paddocks were littered with limestone rock, some patches worse than others, which caused major headaches in their initial seeding and ploughing attempts. After a couple of years of frustration and not being able to crop the new block, the Rathjens opted to try a Reefinator - a sled with hardened tines mounted in front of a cylindrical ribbed roller that is pulled behind a tractor and designed to rip and shatter surface rock. "We had seen the Reefinator on the internet, went to a field day and spoke to a couple of guys - one who makes them over in WA and another who said we wouldn't look back," Shane said. "It has turned land into productive land because we wouldn't have been able to sow it otherwise. "If you have a wind on the harder ground, the crop blows over, whereas on this, the reefinating has allowed the root systems to go downwards and create a stronger network."

John and Shane Rathjen with a hunk of limestone rock, one of the few of its size left in the paddock at Cambrai after being reefinated. Quinton McCallum, Stock Journal, 8 Nov 2020 A HEALTHY barley crop is standing on a previously non-arable paddock near Cambrai thanks to a bold management decision by Millendella father […]