Handypiece invented by a farmer for farmers to make shearing easier

Handypiece repair manager Jake Short trialling Handypiece in the Feilding home yards.

Necessity is the mother of invention, or so they say, and one invention, the Handypiece developed by Dave Short, is a classic example of bringing together engineering knowledge with basic needs on the farm.

Short was a sports car enthusiast. After his OE in England in 1985, he imported a Lamborghini Countach mould from the UK and produced 80 replicas from his Feilding property.

An arm injury and having a young family of three to support later sent him into his workshop to build something that could help him, and his father, with the problem of “pulling animals over the boards”.

And so the first Handypiece was born in 2005 - his first portable electric sheep shearer and crutcher, which quickly found favour with many other farmers. Handypiece offers crutching and electric shearing equipment that’s specifically designed to benefit the farmer “out the back” away from the sheds and with no mains power required.

In 2006, the portable sheep-shearing handpiece won the coveted Supreme Innovation Award for prototypes at the National Agriculture Fieldays, Mystery Creek, and in 2009 the award for innovation at the Sheepvention, Australia.

Over the years there have been improvements in technology and Short has applied several modifications to his invention.

The Handypiece is lightweight and slim so users soon notice the relief it brings to hands and farming. The gear can easily deal to flystrike. It’s portable and designed to cope with harsh farming conditions. The further you are from the sheds or a power supply, the more handy this piece of Kiwi ingenuity becomes.

Samantha Rust uses Handypiece while shearing on lifestyle blocks.

The Handypiece is described as the Rolls-Royce version of portable shearing and tail-trimming equipment. Being a traditional handpiece, it takes all standard combs and cutters of any brand the user chooses.

The Handypiece also can be customised for left-hand users or a model made with the cord out of the middle of the motor, which is specially designed for situations where the device will be used by right and left-hand users.

Using the latest technology, the new pro model boasts 1.3Nm of torque, weighs 1.4kg and is speed adjustable from 2600rpm to 3500rpm. The brushless motor means the battery lasts longer and it is possible to crutch up to 400 sheep from one charge.

Handypiece has a multitude of uses, from dagging and crutching to trimming cows’ tails and vets testing deer for TB, and now with the variable speed, it is perfect to shear alpacas.

The Handypiece is quiet when in use, which makes it less stressful for animals and is of benefit all around to animal and operator.

This editorial was first published in the Hawke’s Bay Today Ram Catalogue 2023.