Leading Australian fencing machinery manufacturer, Munro Engineers, is celebrating over half a century of manufacturing its revolutionary posthole driver. Having started in the 1800’s Munro has moved from tobacco presses, chaff cutters and conveyors into Post Drivers and Wire Winders.
Munro first launched their revolutionary post driver in 1964. A world first, Munro combined a fast drilling auger with a powerful post driver. This was at the Australian National Field Days where it won the prestigious invention award.
In the five decades since, the Victorian company has sold thousands of its posthole drivers in Australia and across the world.
Company owner Warren McLean said the original Munro posthole driver was manufactured after a bet between two farmers about who could make the best posthole driver.
“The farmer who won the bet, Alastair Mackenzie, and his friend Max Brooke, an hydraulics engineer, approached my father Max McLean,” Mr McLean said. “We finished the design and manufactured the first model in 1964.
“It was the first machine in the world that combined an auger and a driver for installing posts.”
The popularity of the posthole driver that revolutionised the art of fencing prompted Munro Engineers to specialise in fencing products.
“Our service and spare parts are second to none,” Mr McLean said. “We really look after our customers, many of whom are repeat buyers.”
Mr McLean said feedback from customers over the years showed Munro posthole drivers increased productivity, saved time and were cost effective.
“Single man fencing contractors who have swapped to the AutoDriver say it’s increased their productivity, with some doubling the number of posts they are able to install in an hour.”
Today, the Ballarat factory employs about 30 people, with McLean family patriarch, Max, 86, still very much a part of the business.
Munro Engineers has used its innovation to become a world leader in the design and manufacture of fencing machines, from combining the first digger and driver in the world to the advanced design AutoDriver.
Its suite of fencing products includes the Munro AutoDriver which combines in one machine a fast action rock breaker style hammer and an hydraulic auger for drilling pilot holes, and the Munro Multi-Sett, an all weather system which combines a fast action earth auger for drilling a pilot hole with a powerful post driver for setting a tight post every time.
Munro Engineers has designed its products with the user in mind – safety is of paramount importance. The hydraulics provide inherent fail safe features. If a control lever is released the action it controls stops immediately.
A series of guards prevents the operator from touching moving or dangerous parts of the machine during operation without compromising effective operation.
The recently introduced WireWinder is another great product manufactured by Munro. Allowing users to coil 500 metres of fencing in under a minute the WireWinder is proving popular with both contractors and farmers.
A 121ha (300-acre) dairy farm with a lane system was wound up in just over 2 days. This would take almost three weeks by hand.
For those involved in strip grazing Munro now manufactures the FenceBoss temporary electric fence system. This system is designed to make setting up and pulling down temporary electric fencing quicker, easier and safer. It prevents loss and damage to reels and pegs whilst making transporting them a breeze.
For information on Munro’s fencing products, contact Munro Engineers on tel: 03 5334 2770 or email info@munroeng.com go to the website at: https://www.munroeng.com
