Motor trimming and inventing a device to lift and support an unwell cow would seem to have little in common, but Ted Handley of Matamata is skilled at both.

In 1982 Ted won an innovations award at the Mystery Creek Fieldays for the Anlift Cattle Lifter he invented after a farmer friend asked for his help in finding a better way to care for 'downer cows”.

The award-winning Anlift Cattle Lifter designed by Ted Handley of Matamata fully supports a cow until she is able to stand unaided. Supplied Photo.

'The hip clamps some farmers still use to lift cows don't fully support the cow,” says Ted, of Matamata Motor Trimmers, which makes the Anlift Cattle Lifter.

'So we came up with a sling which supports her at four points, between her front legs and between her back legs so the cow can be supported comfortably, and even transported that way.

'We supply the lifters to farmers in UK and USA and just last week sent another shipment overseas.

'The system has even been used to lift a cow by helicopter out of a drain,” he says.

On Wednesday SunLive ran a story about a Gore farmer who used hip clamps to lift a 'downer cow' resulting in a concerned member of the public calling police to report what appeared to be a cow chained to a tractor.

The term ‘downer cow' is used to describe any cow that is sitting or lying on the ground and is unable to get up. There are a number of reasons for this but in most cases it occurs pre or post calving.

Ted says with a new generation of younger farmers on the land, many are unaware of his lifters but he'd like to see them more widely used as he believes they are kinder to the animal.

The New Zealand company TechniPharm which specialises in animal handling and farm automation solutions, is the agent for the Anlift and describes it as 'a proper front to rear support frame and canvas to support the cow for longer periods. It is the very best way to get blood circulating again which is vital to get the animal back on its feet”.

Making the lifters is just a part of the work of Ted and his team at Matamata Motor Trimmers, which has branches in Matamata and Tauranga specialising in upholstery and trimming for vintage, classic and modern cars, for boats, motorhomes and furniture.

A cow can be transported while supported in an Anlift Cattle Lifter. Supplied Photo.