Increased cotton plantings as a result of sustained high prices and water availability will see some farmers pull cotton mulchers out of the shed for the first time in several years.
There has been renewed inquiry in new and second hand products as well, with a four-year-old TTQ mulcher sold in the South Callandoon, Goondiwindi, clearing sale for $96,000.
TTQ director G Hudson said while he didn't currently have that machine in stock, it would normally retail new for $92,000.
Mr Hudson said his Toowoomba-based manufacturing business had received inquiries about cotton mulchers much earlier this season.
The business doesn't usually receive calls for mulchers and root cutters until after the plant has come up.
However, difficulty sourcing parts from overseas is holding up TTQ's ability to manufacture extra machines.
"We get the gearboxes imported from Italy and we ran out back in September," Mr Hudson said.
"I've been working frantically with suppliers and importers and there's a possibility we might be able to get another 10 or 20 on a plane in March."
Mr Hudson said if they were able to get it done, the gearboxes would be flown into Toowoomba and joked that it was like "flying them business class over here".
"We're going to pay a fortune, each gearbox is $5000 'a seat'," he said.
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Mr Hudson said this year's pick would be smaller than expected because of the weather but predicted the next two years would be big ones.
He said in the last two big cotton seasons of 2017 and 2018, TTQ had sold about 25 cotton mulchers each year.
If the gear boxes from Italy arrive, Mr Hudson will have five spare machines, taking them to a total of 26 for the 2022 season.
Mr Hudson said when his Italian supplier told him it would only make 30 gear boxes in 2023, he said he would 'take the lot'.
"The challenge with stock is not that the Italians cant be bothered making gear boxes, it is that they haven't recovered from their COVID troubles," he said.
"Staff are down 10 to 15 per cent at some of these factories; labour shortages are a global thing, so therefore they have changed their capacity to construct things."
Woods Equipment Australia business manager Ellie O'Hara said they hadn't seen an increase in demand for cotton mulchers yet.
However, Ms O'Hara said in the last financial year they had sold all their cotton mulchers.
"We're definitely keeping an eye on it, we've got a fair way to go in the season," she said.
"If we haven't got an order in for it now, it won't be something that will be able to be filled for that May picking time."
Ms O'Hara said where they were seeing an increase in demand was for large flex-wing folding slashers.
Woods Equipment offers the heavy-duty Batwing in 15-foot and 20-foot lengths for mulching stubble in cropping applications.
The Batwings are ordered in from America and Ms O'Hara cautioned production times were getting worse.
"We've got plenty of orders in the system and we have plenty in stock," she said.
"We moved over 60 Batwings in the second half of last year."
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