Shearers use mobile shearing platform to find solution to back-breaking work

Shearers often pay a heavy health price for handling huge sheep in the sheds, with many suffering from back injuries.

Sheep are getting bigger too, often tipping the scales at more than 100 kilograms, as farmers chase more meat and wool from their animals.

But for some shearers, there’s a limit to how much weight they’re prepared to haul across the boards.

Tasmanian shearer Dave Acheson wants to stay in the industry and preserve his back.

He’s invested in an upright shearing platform with fellow shearer and industry trainer, Jack Monks.

“They get loaded up the race and clamped and spun onto a flat shearing platform, which rotates and the other ram comes up beside it,” Mr Acheson said.

“It takes the catch and drags out of it.

“That’s where a lot of the injuries happen with shearers is trying to catch these big guys in a pen and drag them out — it usually takes two or three blokes to tip these big sheep.”

The mobile shearing units have been growing in popularity in several states, but have yet to develop a following in Tasmania.

The pair purchased the shearing unit from New South Wales and a local manufacturer developed the mobile trailer.

The unit is designed for a shearer to operate it solo if they have to.

The semi-automation also means large rams do not have to be sedated to be handled safely.

“The shearing age group in Australia is getting older,” Mr Acheson said.

“It’s a tough job, these big guys take it out of you.

Mr Monks hopes they can comfortably shear at least 100 heavy rams a day.

He admits it’s a slower process than shearing in a conventional shearing shed.

“It’s a one-man operation, depending on the situation,” he said.

“If they have one person pushing them up, it’s no problem keeping the wool away.”