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Pto guards: High costs call farm safety into question

Matilda Bovingdon 21 September 2023
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Tom Martin © Lisa MartinTom Martin © Lisa Martin

Cambridgeshire farmer Tom Martin has called upon agricultural machinery manufacturers to commit to making zero profit on replacement pto guards, and to sell the life and limb saving equipment to farmers at cost price.  

Having recently had to replace a pto guard on his Maschio topper, Mr Martin was astounded by the price of this essential piece of farm safety equipment.

“We went back to the dealer that supplied it to us and I thought I would be paying a small premium, but wanted peace of mind knowing it was from the same dealer and was a genuine part.

See also: Top farming safety tips from Farmers Weekly readers

“I was expecting it to cost in the region of £150-250, which is still quite a lot for a bit of plastic. The shock was that it came to £900.

“That’s 10% of the cost of the whole topper brand new. It’s just outrageous.”

Alternatives

While generic alternatives are available for less, Mr Martin said that, after speaking to another farmer, it became clear that some were faced with prices of up to £1,400 for replacement guards.

“I won’t think twice about replacing the pto guard, and will certainly always be very careful, but I imagine that it would be very easy to think ‘Well, I won’t replace it at that cost’,” he said.

“We’re in a cost of living crisis that affects farmers as well as everyone else. We’ve had input levels spiraling, and our feed prices. How many people can afford to cough up £1,000 to replace a PTO guard?”

After explaining his situation on social media platform X, other farmers have been quick to offer advice.

One suggestion was that, as part of the new government support schemes, the next round of funding should provide provision for safety equipment, and should cover a discounted replacement system.

Cheaper alternatives

Also farming in Cambridgeshire, Luke Abblitt says that a lot of the cheaper pto guard alternatives are not fit for purpose, and have to be replaced regularly. 

“The last time I priced up a pto guard for a similar machine they were talking about £700. Some of the cheaper ones don’t last a season before breaking.

“I’ve got a limited budget to buy stuff. These are challenging times, and the thing that is going to get left behind is safety,” he warned.

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