Joining and suspension solutions manufacturer, Gripple, has launched a new agricultural innovation with the introduction of a wire joiner specifically designed for the European fruit growing market.
The Gripple GP90, a wire joining device which has been in development for more than 12 months, is a faster, easier and more versatile alternative to knots, U-bolts and ratchet strainers in the installation of crop weight support systems.
It quickly joins and tensions line wire to perpendicular boundary bars, ideal for creating wire crop support to enable stronger growth of crops and greater yield by reducing the risk of collapse.
GP90 clamps onto boundary bars before the line wire is fed through the self-locking system and tensioned using the Gripple Tensioning Tool.
Fitting takes seconds and uses a single component system which is lighter and smaller than traditional U-bolts, turn buckles and ratchet strainers, offering significant savings in transportation costs, requires little training to fit and reduces risk of injury and time working at height.
Gripple product manager, Will Anderson, explains: “We became aware of a demand from the European fruit growing market for a new way to join and tension through 90 degrees. It would have been easy to create an adaptation for our existing range but instead we have invested in the development of a new product which offers even greater time and labour savings to our customers.
“GP90 simplifies and speeds up installation, reduces labour costs and provides a strong, reliable and re-tensionable solution which will last for decades”.
Testing replicated the equivalent of 25 years of hail storms and corrosion, through methods such as cyclic load testing, instant load testing and salt spraying.
A range of accessories are also available to complement the GP90 including a robust low-effort wire tensioning tool for contractors and a setting key which allows wire to be removed or repositioned in the GP90 before tensioning.
Gripple, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2019, began making wire joining and tensioning devices for the agricultural industry. It now supplies solutions using ‘grip and pull’ technology from hubs in Europe, North America and India and has sold more than 700 million units.
