Fastparts, a division of Farmhand, has recently launched a new Hayknife on the Irish market to take the hardship out of opening silage bales, hay bales and fertiliser bags.

Since its release, the Hayknife has made a big impact due to the number of benefits associated with the product.

The Hayknife is equipped with a blade, that folds in for safety, which cuts through silage plastic and netting with ease for the operator.

To reduce the need to handle silage plastic and netting, the Hayknife also features a hook to keep the user’s contact with silage netting or plastic to a minimum.

The long-handle design of the Hayknife also helps to reduce the likelihood of the user coming in contact with silage effluent.

This design also limits the user’s need to bend down or to reach underneath when opening either bales or fertiliser bags.

This is beneficial from both an ease of use and health and safety point of view, as farmers will no longer have to reach underneath lifted bales or fertiliser bags, currently common practice on many farms.

Along with being ideal for opening silage bales, the Hayknife is also an ideal solution for opening either fertiliser bags or hay bales on the farm.

Video: Hayknife in action

The size and colour of the Hayknife is also a major plus, as it can be easily stored in the tractor, while its yellow colour makes it ease to spot if it is mislaid.

Stephen Scrivener, Marketing Manager with Farmhand, the company behind Fastparts, said that the popularity of the Hayknife is down to a number of factors.

“Not only does the Hayknife prevent the need for bending down under bales and bags, which is an obvious hazard, it allows the user to put a few feet between them and the effluent pouring out of the wrapped bale.

This is something everybody who opens wrapped bales can appreciate!

Scrivener also said the Hayknife is unlikely to go missing:

“It’s not like a blade that you can put in your pocket and forget about, the big yellow handle is likely going to sit in the tractor where it belongs,” he said. The Hayknife is available from Fastparts.ie