The quad ramp, a new tool and the first of its kind for farms across Europe, made its debut at the National Ploughing Championships this week.

James Coyle, who is based in Cloghan, Co Donegal, said: "The quad ramp is the fastest and safest way to get around the farm.

"It allows farmers to enter and exit their fields without having to dismount their quad to physically open and close gates.

"I could see the amount of time I was wasting. The time saving on using the quad ramp has been calculated at 36 hours per year.”

Development

Coyle added: “I contacted InterTradeIreland’s FUSION programme through which we got funding to develop the product with a graduate called Rodger Harkin, who completed the designs and provided academic/technical support."

The patented quad ramp is uniquely designed so that livestock can’t escape, but allows the farmer to travel into the feeding area quickly without having to worry about livestock or gates.

“Safety was an issue for us. It can be dangerous with cattle at gates, and that was on my mind too when I thought about developing the ramp,” commented Coyle.

Durability

He said: “We’ve put a lot of work into this. The ramp is fully galvanised, so it will last in all weathers.

"It can withstand the weight of various ATVs up to 500kg and it’s easy to install. The ramp comes flat-packed and only requires a spanner to put together.”

Future of the product

Coyle concluded: “We have made contact and arranged for Gibson Farm Services in Donegal to stock the quad ramp and sell it.

"The plan is to further expand into the rest of Ireland and the UK after the Ploughing Championships."

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