By Johan Coetsee
Which farmer hasn’t struggled to loosen an old oil filter in an engine – whether in a car, bakkie, truck, or tractor? Overberg farmer Attie du Toit has made a filter chain that can quickly, cleanly, and effortlessly unscrew any vehicle’s old, partially seized oil filter when it is for a new one.
Attie du Toit from Nooitgedacht, Bredasdorp, has a toolbox full of ideas for making his life on the farm easier. He is also known as #BoerJa on social media and was one of Landbou.com’s finalists in a competition for influencers in the industry last year.
The 28-year-old Du Toit doesn’t like struggling. “So, I devised a plan to remove an oil filter from a farm vehicle because it can be a tricky business. Usually, there’s little room to manoeuvre under the hood, and the filter can also get stuck due to the engine head. And it’s always a dirty job.
“What often happens when an oil filter is stuck is that people simply push a long screwdriver right through the filter to create a leverage point to turn the filter loose,” he says. “But then the oil leaks badly through the holes, and the filter becomes unusable.”
Attie completed a diploma course in mechanical engineering at Northlink College in Bellville in 2015. “There, a lecturer, Prof Visser (I can’t remember his name or initials), who taught me that when you remove a diesel engine’s oil filter, you shouldn’t damage it so much that it can’t be used again in an emergency.
“It can happen that the new filter you bought isn’t exactly the right one – there are many different types of filters, and each has its precise number and use – and if you need to put the old oil filter back temporarily, it’s shredded and unusable.”
Old combine chain gets ‘handle’
That lesson stayed with Attie because there had been times when he had to reuse an old filter temporarily. He stewed over some ideas to make this easier, then devised a plan.
“I wanted some kind of chain that I could use to unscrew any oil filter, no matter how tightly it was stuck. A type of filter strap is available commercially, but an oil filter can get so stuck that the strap slips, and you can’t get it loose.
“I then welded the two ends of an old piece of combine chain that was about 400mm long on either side of a large nut into which a grooved bolt of about 300mm long screws. At the top of the bolt, I welded a 19mm nut head over which an electrically powered head of an impact tool fits like a wrench. The impact tool then works almost like an electric drill.
“All I do now is lower the piece of chain over the filter and tighten it by using the bolt as leverage. Then, I put the screwhead, which works like a wrench, over the nut at the end of the bolt. Now I have a sturdy ‘handle’.
“I switch on the electric screwhead, and voila: The chain quickly wraps very tightly around the oil filter, and it’s child’s play to loosen the tightest oil filter with minimal effort. The chain presses firmly against the filter and doesn’t crush it.”
Popular farming blog
What did it cost Attie to make? “Nothing,” he says, laughing. The old piece of combine chain, the bolt, and the nut were on the farm, and the impact tool is part of the equipment used daily on the farm for many purposes.
With his filter chain, Attie won a prize at this year’s Nampo Cape in the “Farmer Plans” competition, sponsored by Grain SA and Omnia Nutriology, in the category for all types of tools.
Attie is very proud of his farming blog, “BoerJa,” where he shares all sorts of interesting things regarding farming and agriculture.
“I have about 28,000 followers on TikTok and Instagram combined. In the past year, I had 4.7 million views and readers on TikTok. I like to show everyday things here on the farm to give the average person insight into what happens on farms and sometimes to tell anecdotes.”
Inquiries: Attie du Toit, 072 607 0900, email: Boerja101@gmail.com
