A new invention by Donegal farmer and engineer James Coyle is impressing attendees at this year’s Ploughing Championships in Carlow.
The ‘Quad Ramp’ by Cloghan-based JC Engineering was launched this week and is the first design of its kind for farms in Europe.
Company MD and part-time farmer James Coyle developed the ‘Quad Ramp’ with support from InterTradeIreland’s FUSION programme.
Quad Ramp by JC Engineering
Like many good ideas, this innovation in farming was borne out of frustration and the need to save time.
James says: “The Quad Ramp is a unique product to the Irish market. It 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 that I was wasting every day and I wanted to speed things up. The time saving on using the Quad Ramp has been calculated at 36 hours per year.”
Quad Ramp by JC Engineering
The patented Quad Ramp is designed in a manner which means livestock cannot escape. The farmer can travel to the feeding area quickly, without having to open a gate while trying to keep livestock at bay.
“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,” says James.
Having an idea and bringing it to life, are two very different things, as James knows only too well. “I contacted InterTradeIreland’s FUSION programme. Through that, we had funding to work with a graduate to develop the product.
“The graduate, Rodger Harkin did all the designs of the product for us. Rodger was also linked in with the Northern Regional College in Ballymena who provided academic and technical support. Without the support of InterTradeIreland’s FUSION programme, we wouldn’t have been able to develop the Quad Ramp as quickly as we did.”
As for the future of the Quad Ramp, James has already secured a retailer “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 Championship launch.”