Profiの March 2022 の目次

Flicking through Twitter, there are lots of farmers and contractors making the most of the dry conditions across the UK and Ireland. Proving the point, It’s certainly not every year that you'll see dust rising off the rings when rolling spring-sown crops. Locally, there also isn't the usual amount of mud on the road from the start of the slurry spreading season. But then, with the recent increase in fertiliser prices, the consensus is that many farmers are holding off on applying the large tonnages of muck and slurry that would normally be spread at the start of the season. Throughout the year, farming equipment trade bodies the Agricultural Engineers Association (UK) and the Farm Tractor and Machinery Trade Association (Ireland) send out their monthly bulletins on tractor registrations, giving…

… to understand the different cleaning systems on offer and what can be changed … that a picking off table can be retrofitted to an unmanned model … camaras are not an over costly retrofit … Standen can rebuild/refurbish any model but need time to do the work … it may be possible to upgrade certain parts of an older model to enhance its dependability … to read the operators manual for basic setting advice and daily servicing needs … to seek help and advice before committing to buying a harvester from a non-specialist supplier…

Drop rate control in easy reach Timo Sauer has also tweaked his 5140. He used the first two stages of the six-position hitch switch when raising and lowering pto-powered mounted kit. This allows him to limit the lift height and lower the attachment completely. Since there is no drop rate function on the first lowering position, Timo has installed an adjustable throttle in the hydraulic line to the linkage so he can alter the drop rate. Additional grease points Claudia Schenkel installed additional grease points to the track rod ends on her Maxxum 5140. The tie rods can now be lubricated occasionally to minimise wear and extend service life.…

Oxy-fuel gases have warmed up steel on farms since Adam were a lad. With good reason: if the equipment is properly maintained and if the operator follows well-defined procedures, oxy-acetylene in particular is a safe and effective way to heat a wide range of material thicknesses. And you can cut and weld with it. But while the equipment itself is relatively cheap, cylinder rental and gas isn’t. Moreover, the two safety-related ‘ifs’ above generate enough concern that, in these risk-averse days, some companies have banished gas from their workshops. Yet things still seize up and get bent. So what’s the alternative? Induction heating heads a very short list. While it’s much more of a single-trick pony – at least at farm level – that trick is a pretty neat one:…

The cancellation of Agritechnica has put a spanner in the works for several machinery manufacturers that were planning to launch new product at the biannual show. While some of the concept machines will undoubtedly be tucked away until the next big machinery event of 2022, namely SIMA in November, there are lots of other tractors, telehandlers and other kit getting ready to leave the production line for their first season. But it is not just new for 2022 machines that have missed out on Agritechnica, the German show would have provided visitors with the first opportunity to see many recently launched tractors and machines under numerous very large roofs. Typical examples include New Holland’s updated HD cab, Deutz-Fahr’s new Stage V 7 TTV and the recent flurry of new Case…

Holmer ups the power With 652hp on tap from the six-pot Mercedes-Benz Stage V engine, the 650 is the most powerful Terra Variant so far. It is also the first to use the LV3000 CVT, which drives 100% hydrostatically from 0-5km/hr and changes to mechanical drive in the main working range (12-15km/hr). The 650 is currently available with a 21m³ capacity Zunhammer slurry tank (Harvest Special 2021, page 8). Holmer plans to show it at EuroTier 2022 in November. Vredo slurry machines The Dutch company planned to bring one of its new 15.0m or 18.0m Profi XL injectors (October 2021, page 8) to Agritechnica, plus, the linkage mounted SSU umbilical hose unit (May 2021, page 8). SIP merger and tedders Previewed at the French Space show last September, the working…

We’ve made eight changes to this picture of a Deutz-Fahr Agrotron 6180P tractor cab. Simply locate our changes and then mark them on the gridline picture at the bottom of the page. Submit your answers (A1, B2, C3, for example) via our website profi.co.uk by the 22nd February 2022 and we’ll pick one correct entry at random. Don’t get too competitive — it’s just for fun! The differences spotted in last issue’s picture of a Bergmann TSW 2120 muckspreader were correctly identified by: Karolina and Tom Jefferson, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire. Congratulations! THE DIFFERENCES WERE IN THE FOLLOWING SQUARES: B7, B/C2/3/4, C5/6, C8, D3/4, E5, E8, F2 ORIGINAL NEW To submit your answers, please visit profi.co.uk and look for the Competition tab. YOUR ANSWERS…

As part of last month’s practical test looking at different tanker-mounted cultivators incorporating slurry, we wanted to assess what impact the different systems had on yield. So we followed the crop through to harvest. The host farm’s test field had been sprayed with glyphosate to kill off the cover crop mix and volunteer beans. Afterwards, in mid-April, the farmer applied 120kg Nges (72kg NH4, 53kg P2O5, 109kg K2O). The NIRS sensor on the Kotte slurry tanker consistently controlled the application rate in line with the target nitrogen rate on a per hectare basis. Slurry was applied in several bouts using a Meyer MixF disc harrow and GG tine cultivator as well as a Kuhn Striger strip-till cultivator. A month later, in May, the maize was planted with a variable-rate drill.…

With its patented double plunger arrangement, French firm Kuhn has a unique selling point for its 120x90cm big square baler. And in our 2019 comparison test, the design proved how well it can work. However, there was still room to boost output even more, by making some subtle changes. New intake The pick-up on the latest generation SB1290 ID still has five rows of tines. Kuhn sticks with cam track control, as it allows the pick-up tines to rotate slower for a gentler handling of the crop. At the same time, the firm’s engineers have widened the pick-up by 130mm, so that it now measures 2.05m tine-to-tine. The tines themselves have also now changed, with five instead of four coils, and they are made from 5.5mm steel rather than 5.2mm.…

On T2 harvesters, the Double OMEGA cleaning system is the most popular but consider the roll type fitted. These can be varied and swapped to suit salad, seed and main crop potatoes as well as other root crops. The Double OMEGA system is claimed to be gentle but still aggressive enough to provide good cleaning. The trick is to understand how it works and to set it up correctly. Varying the settings to suit prevailing conditions is the key. All the rollers are adjustable for speed, set height and direction, with the whole table adjustable for angle. The odd setting tweak can have a noticeable impact upon cleaning and clod separation performance. The larger chassis of the T2XS harvester enables it to be offered with a ProClean OMEGA cleaning system…

Bobcat updates The seven-model range of R-series agricultural telehandlers covers lift capacities from 2.6t to 4.3t and lift heights from 6.0m to 8.0m. The redesigned cab has a wider door and single access step and the revised interior provides more storage space, a new air suspended and heated seat and new multifunctional joystick (August 2021, page 10). Claas loaders The new range-topping 1913 (222hp) and 2014 (249hp) Liebherr-powered Torion wheel loaders and equally new 1511P (January p10, 2021) would almost certainly have been in Hanover. The Varipower 2 transmission in the small frame Scorpion 635, 732, 736, 741 and 1033 is also new for this season (January 2022, page 8). Manitou MLT The MLT961-160V+L (6.0t/9.0m) is the most powerful Manitou telehandler in the NewAg XL range. The 156hp Stage V…

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The G series is a fine example of the advantages of being part of a larger collective. Launched at the end of 2020, the relatively new addition to the Valtra line-up shares an AGCO platform with the Massey 5S — good company to be associated with. For Valtra, the 105-135hp G series pops in between the small A series (75-135hp) and the larger and heavier N series models (135-165hp). Agile four-cylinder with plenty of power Our test tractor was the top model, the G135 in fully-loaded Versu spec. In contrast to the HiTech and Active versions, this has the full accompaniment of armrest controls, including a joystick and terminal. Since the bodywork paint on some of the test tractors we've had of late were suffering from an ‘orange peel’ finish,…

STANDEN PEARSON T2 Year 2011 Condition Good, but will need preparation Comment: Picking off table. Double Omega. 36mm digger web. 40mm sieving web. Hydraulic sliding axle. Soft drop cart elevator. 560/60 R22.5 left and 420/85 R24 right tyres Price £29,000.00 STANDEN PEARSON T2 Year 2011 Condition Excellent, ready for work Comment: Picking off table can be fitted. Double Omega. 36mm digger web. 45mm sieving web. Hydraulic sliding axle. Soft drop cart elevator. 560/60 R22.5 left and 420/85 R24 right tyres Price £45,000.00 STANDEN PEARSON T2 Year 2013 Condition Good. Fully prepared Comment: Unmanned - Picking off table can be fitted. Double Omega. 36mm digger web. 40mm sieving web. Hydraulic sliding axle. Soft drop cart elevator Price £65,000.00 STANDEN T2 Year 2014 Condition Good. Fully prepared Comment: Unmanned - Picking off…

Of late it has taken a little more persuasion than usual to rouse the mouse on the treadmill within my ageing laptop. Which got me wondering: ‘How old must the poor creature be?’. A quick search has revealed that Mr Mouse, his treadmill and the contraption he powers are 12. Twelve! I’m quite sure, then, that Editor Bailey will have little doubt who to blame when the technical equivalent of a stone tablet lands in his inbox every month. It’s a good job for Mr Mouse thatt my phone handles the pictures, as sending a few big JPEG’s could just about finish him off. So it’s time for an upgrade, then? No, not necessarily. In reality it’s the reliabilitylity of the old computer that has kept its replacement at bay…

Kuhn Espro The latest version of the 6.0m trailed min till seed drill is available with full width front press wheels and track eradicators. An additional hopper can be specified for all models in the range from 3.0m-8.0m. Other new Kuhn machines include the trailed Prolander 6000 (6.0m) and 7500 (7.5m) seedbed cultivators which are now available with harder wearing carbide tips and strengthened tines (November 2021, page10). ROPA Maus and Panther The 30.0m³ bunker on the Ropa Panther 2S can be emptied in 50 seconds. The new 796hp harvester is available for the coming season (November 2021, page 10). The larger and wider cab on the 354hp Maus 6 provides more storage space and room for a passenger seat and cooling box. Production versions will be available for the…

Out on MARCH 11th PRACTICAL TEST New Holland RB125 Combi Keen to know how the Roll Bale 125 Combi tackled massive rows of Irish grass? Then don’t miss our April issue, in which we reveal the results of our season-long test. DRIVING IMPRESSION Cast Loaders 33TLX Carbon We try out a relative newcomer to the UK compact loader market, the Italian-made Cast Loaders 33TLX Carbon. AUCTION Green fleet up for sale Three foragers and 10 tractors appear on the long list of kit going under the Symonds & Sampson hammer as part of M P Bennett’s dispersal sale. We travel to Dorset to see how much used kit is fetching. MACHINE MANAGEMENT Tech for contracting Aiming to provide a premium service to customers, Lancashire-based contractor Mark Conder invested in two…