DARYL Irving’s Post Straightener has won The Land’s Machine of the Year award at the Australian National Field Days at Borenore.
Seven years in development, the machine is selling for $35,000 plus GST per unit.
Mr Irving said he got to know his neighbours pretty well as he was developing the first two prototypes in his shed in Mudgee.
He said there was a fair bit of noisy work going on in his shed most of the time.
“It’s all good, now they rock over with a six-pack and say ‘what are we inventing today?’”
Mr Irving said sales were going pretty well and he sold three units off the back of the Henty Field Days.
“They were all young fellas too,” he said, “every one of them looking to set up their own business.”
He said there was a bit of interest from civil construction firms also, some of whom trashed 20,000 steels a year.
Their accountants must be loving the idea.
