Davy provides different forms of foliage trimming for farmers and semi-State bodies. Assisted by his son, Noel, and wife, Anne, Davy is coming close to completing his fourth decade in the hedge cutting business. Initially, like so many contractors, he provided a range of agricultural services, but quickly began to concentrate on hedge cutting only.

Nearly 40 years ago, Davy bought a new High-Reach McConnel hedgecutter which was fitted on a Massey Ferguson 188. But it was not as simple a job as today, as Davy explained. “There were no hedges at that time; you had to make hedges. Ditches were often out 10 yards in the field and fields were small; two, three or four acres was normal.”

The going was tough for the hedgecutter. The McConnel was fitted with a ‘box’ flail which Davy said was perfect for the job. When combined with a one-metre wide head, it made short work of the far reaching ditches.

The box flails were expensive, costing over £20 each. They were easy to manufacture in-house, so economical, extra-tough versions were fabricated out of lorry springs. It was not just farmers for whom Davy cut hedges in the early days. Winning a contract with the county council when the business was in its infancy sent him in the direction where he now also provides a service to Wexford Co Council, the National Roads Authority, Coillte, Iarnród Éireann and the ESB.

Including Davy and Noel, the workforce usually stands at around eight but rises to approximately 11 during peak periods. Surprisingly, the hedge cutting ban during nesting periods has been good for levelling out the workload throughout the year.

||PIC2||

“The work is spread out over mainly councils and railways during the spring and summer, all safety related work. And then the main workload switches to farmers during autumn and winter,” said Noel.

At any one time there could be up to 10 hedgecutters out working in Davy’s fleet. This could comprise of seven with flail heads and three with saw heads. There are always a few more in the stable ready to go at a moment’s notice.

He also has a Moffett saw machine contracted to the ESB plus an Ursus tractor equipped with an insulated basket for manual sawing at height, again for the ESB. Davy said that they could have a couple of lads out with chainsaws for the ESB or railway as required (as per insulated basket).

Unusual fleet

The O’Connor fleet of tractors is a little unusual. There are 15 tractors in total and almost all, with the exception of a 2012, Fendt 724, could be described as a ‘classic tractor’.

The oldest is from 1984 while the youngest is a 2000. What you will observe, though, is that each of them is in tip-top condition, equipped with a hedgecutter and ready for action at a moment’s notice.

You will not find any oil leaks, water leaks, diesel leaks or hydraulic oil leaks on any of the tractors or hedgecutters. There’s not even a damp four-wheel-drive axle seal on any of the 1984 tractors.

They are all stored under cover in an open fronted but sheltered L-shaped lean-to, like the fire brigade of the hedgecutter world. With the exception of the Moffett saw and Ursus with cherry picker, every tractor is equipped with a McConnel hedgecutter.

Davy has been loyal to the brand since he bought his first one. Both Davy and Noel think they cannot be beaten. “The heads are fantastic,” said Noel, while Davy added that some have been in his fleet for 20 years.

Challenges

Today’s challenges are competition and diesel, according to the farther and son duo. “Nearly everyone (contractors) has a hedgecutter now so competition is fierce,” Davy said. “And diesel is at nearly a euro a litre, while before you wouldn’t even consider the cost of it.”

Finance is not such a big issue for the team as their fleet is comprised largely of ‘classics’. Davy has a keen eye for a bargain, particularly one that needs tidying.

Older Fiats made up a large chunk of the hedgecutting fleet, including old 180-90s. With the higher cost of diesel these have been replaced with 40 Series New Holland tractors.

“The Fiat 180s were slow on the road, only 30kmh, and because they were big they were heavy on diesel. The 7840s are a nice size, light on diesel and fast on the road,” said Davy. Noel added that their 1994 Renault 106-54 with its MWM engine is the lightest of the lot on fuel.

Looking to diversify and offer an edge over the competition, the O’Connors invested in a secondhand, heavy-duty Seppi M Midiforst flail mulcher.

They were so impressed with what it could do and how tough it was – no cracks, welds, loose gearbox – that they decided to invest in a new Seppi M Multiforst above and below ground mulcher.

This unit is fitted with fixed, tungsten tipped hammers. The machine is capable or reclaiming the toughest of ground, according to Davy – rushes, gorse, forestry ground – running above the ground to mulch everything or in the ground to break up roots and even stones.

Davy said that they bought the Seppi M Multiforst first, thinking it would be no problem locating a suitable secondhand high horse power tractor. As it turned out it was.

The problem is that many of the big, old tractors are geared up for 1,000rpm work only and either don’t have a 540rpm pto or are not suitable for handling the load of the Seppi M mulcher, particularly at 540rpm for in-ground work (1,000rpm above ground).

This left them initially looking at a secondhand Fendt and they ended up buying a new Fendt 724 from local dealer Kehoe Brothers in Camolin, Co Wexford.

All operations with the Seppi mulcher are carried out in reverse. At 2.5 metres wide, the 724 Fendt fits within the track created by the mulcher.

Out front, the O’Connors have built their own weight box with removable weights. This provides the correct balance and is also used as a second linkage to carry an hydraulic three-in-one bucket to help clear or level worked ground.

Davy O’Connor Ltd, Gurrawn, Rathnure,

Enniscorthy, Co Wexford

Tel: Davy, 087-2504378 or Noel, 087-2031511

Landline: 053-9255328

Email: oconnordavy@eircom.net