How Duty Metalworks Started
Duty Metalworks was started in October 2012 by Dustin Gibbons. The company was formed to make available an invention for removing fabric from trees.
The weed barrier removal attachment was created to fill the need for an effective and efficient method to remove fabric from trees that no longer require weed protection. As landowners around the country are beginning to realize, if the fabric is not periodically cut to enlarge the hole around the tree or eventually removed, the fabric can severely damage the trees it was meant to help. As the trees grow, the fabric can girdle the trees at the base leading to permanent damage that may kill the trees. A severely girdled tree is vulnerable to high winds, which could cause the tree to snap off at this point of weakness.
The quest for a better method to remove weed control fabric began in the spring of 2009, after our family realized the labor requirements needed to remove fabric by pulling it out with a tractor and a chain. The result was a large pile of fabric with dirt and weeds mixed throughout. It was a mess! That was followed by additional hand labor to shake off the dirt and roll the fabric into more manageable bundles. However these bundles were still relatively loose and unwieldy, and it took several trips with the pickup truck to haul them from the site. In all, it took three people a day and a half to remove one quarter mile of fabric from just one row.
In 2010 we began design and construction of an attachment for a skid steer that would remove the fabric, and at the same time roll it into tight bundles. The initial version was tested in fall 2010 and into 2011 at Cedar Breaks Ranch, and a patent application was filed. In summer 2012, additional design modifications were incorporated, and the fabric removal device was further tested at two additional sites on a range of deciduous and coniferous trees. The key advancements included improving the drive motor and linkage system, and bolstering some structural elements to withstand long-term, intensive use.
The weed barrier removal attachment was created to fill the need for an effective and efficient method to remove fabric from trees that no longer require weed protection. As landowners around the country are beginning to realize, if the fabric is not periodically cut to enlarge the hole around the tree or eventually removed, the fabric can severely damage the trees it was meant to help. As the trees grow, the fabric can girdle the trees at the base leading to permanent damage that may kill the trees. A severely girdled tree is vulnerable to high winds, which could cause the tree to snap off at this point of weakness.
The quest for a better method to remove weed control fabric began in the spring of 2009, after our family realized the labor requirements needed to remove fabric by pulling it out with a tractor and a chain. The result was a large pile of fabric with dirt and weeds mixed throughout. It was a mess! That was followed by additional hand labor to shake off the dirt and roll the fabric into more manageable bundles. However these bundles were still relatively loose and unwieldy, and it took several trips with the pickup truck to haul them from the site. In all, it took three people a day and a half to remove one quarter mile of fabric from just one row.
In 2010 we began design and construction of an attachment for a skid steer that would remove the fabric, and at the same time roll it into tight bundles. The initial version was tested in fall 2010 and into 2011 at Cedar Breaks Ranch, and a patent application was filed. In summer 2012, additional design modifications were incorporated, and the fabric removal device was further tested at two additional sites on a range of deciduous and coniferous trees. The key advancements included improving the drive motor and linkage system, and bolstering some structural elements to withstand long-term, intensive use.