SOUTH Australian manufacturer Bute Engineering is has opened a big market for itself replacing worn chains, typically employed as disc or prickle harrows. The company is selling factory-direct and is supplying disc chains for machines made by five different manufacturers, apart from making its own frames-to-order. According to company director Kent Paterson, who owns the business with his brother Scott, the Bute discs are made from hardened Bisalloy 400 steel to maintain the cutting edge of 6mm, and are supplied in metre lengths. "Our DC72 chain is the 'hook and eye' style, and is a hi-flex chain designed for maximum penetration and excellent performance in heavy soils," he said. "It features a replaceable disc for high acreage users and contractors that are looking for a lower cost replacement chain. "The individual links make service and maintenance extremely easy and each disc is supplied with a locking bolt to ensure the integrity of the chain, so once assembled it stays assembled." One design feature was the weight in the casting to which discs are bolted. "We have a range of casting weights which means you can fit what's appropriate to your soil types," he said. The company manufacturers a Dog Leg Harrow, which is designed to split straw between nodes while leaving the root system anchored in the soil. "The Dog Leg Harrow can break up 5-6 tonne/hectare standing stubble into 100mm (4in) pieces that biodegrade quicker by forcing the stubble underneath the chain, creating bruising of the straw and to break the strength, putting more nitrogen back into the soil," Kent Paterson said. "The Dog Leg Harrow provides superior levelling by creating a unique rotating action of the chain driven by its patented 'dog leg' link. "There is more contact with the soil than any other harrow or tine due to the 125mm (5in) long working surface on each link, which operates along the soil surface. "The action of the links in the chain conditions the soil, breaks up clogs, aerates and gives a firm seed bed." * More information: Kent Paterson 0429 178 741 or www.buteengineering.com