Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2021 i Profi

Lemken’s IQblue connect module, a device that allows soil-engaging implements to automatically control a tractor, has received AEF (Agricultural Industry Electronics Foundation) certification for Tractor Implement Management (TIM). Allowing the implement to control certain tractor functions, such as spools and forward speed, the first step with ploughs is GPS-based working width control where implement data on the position and working width are transmitted to the TIM to enable the hydraulic control unit on the tractor to automatically control the vari-width cylinder. Connected to the tractor via ISObus, the mobile unit can be transferred between implements. IQblue will be available from the autumn on ploughs and semi-mounted Karat cultivators.…

The linkage mounted tractor mudguard option from Chafer Machinery is designed to protect a trailed sprayer from dirt building-up on control surfaces and the boom that may cause nozzle blockages. The mountings are designed to fit Cat II, III and IV linkages, with the lower link pins being reversible depending on what is required. It is quite a large piece, so the company advises having two people to lift the guard over the sprayer drawbar and pipework. Easier to fit before attaching the sprayer, each side is mounted to the horizontal tubing using Stuaf clamps, allowing the guard to be moved in and out to suit different track widths. The top panels are made from PVC, the moulded flap from reinforced rubber and the frame is powder coated steel. The…

Geringhoff headers are now available for use with Massey Ferguson combines, following an agreement between AGCO and Geringhoff. Joining the existing FreeFlow, PowerFlow, SuperFlow and CornFlow headers, under the collaboration, Massey combine owners can now order a Geringhoff header direct from their dealer. The range includes headers for a variety of crops including milo, sunflowers and corn (maize) that are equipped with or without stalk choppers. But more relevant to the UK and Irish markets is that Geringhoff offers flexible draper and folding grain headers with fixed, or extendable cutterbars. The Geringhoff range is also available on combines from fellow AGCO stablemate Fendt. Looking ahead, the collaboration is expected to result in the development of new products to improve harvesting efficiency and productivity.…

The singling system on the eight-row mounted Precea 6000 is said to be ideal for precision drilling row crops such as maize, sugar beet and oilseed rape. Based on overpressure, the seed hopper and metering unit are pressurised by a blower fan. Seed from the hopper is fed to a singling disc, which then hermetically seals the metering unit as the seed is pressed onto the holes in the disc. An optical sensor closely monitors the singling process and reports any misses or doubles to the tractor terminal. The telescopic frame allows the 8-9 singling units to move freely, allowing the spacing to be changed from 45cm to 80cm. Capable of singling at speeds of up to 15km/hr (electric drive) and up to 12km/hr (mechanical drive), a rigid Precea 6000 and…

The Merge Maxx offers a wider range of rowing-up options. Then again it does demand more skill from the driver, not just for operating the machine but also for setting up the pick-up, crop roller and the swathing belts. In return you benefit from a much more versatile machine. The Merge Maxx, somewhat surprisingly, doesn’t have ISObus. KEY POINTS ▶ Low yielding crops can be moved several times without roping.▶ Setting up still requires tools and a lot of time.▶ For fragile crops such as clover or lucerne, the merger had a slight advantage in our test.…

What springs to mind when you think of the humble lynch pin? A handy way to secure bits of linkage or small trailer tailgates; a thing too easily put down and lost; a snap-trap for unwary fingers? It’s all of those and more, usually working without complaint even under unreasonable loads. How much a pin’s type, security and durability matters clearly depends on what it does. If you lose one that double-locks a gate’s turn bolt, that’s probably not the end of the world. But if one disappears from a tractor lift arm when there’s a reversible plough on the back, the outcome could be tricky. So it always pays to get the best quality pins that you can. And try before you buy: does the latching clip snap down…

Nowadays it’s rare that something comes along in the world of modern farm machinery that is truly ground-breaking. But go back two or three decades and there were innovations popping up everywhere. The New Holland stable was no exception. It’s fair to say that when the company’s Genesis tractors appeared in 1994 they caused something of a stir. Spanning the 170hp to 240hp power band, they were either available in Fiat’s trademark terracotta – badged with a G-prefix – or in familiar Ford blue and tagged as the 70-series. A product of the former Versatile factory in Winnipeg, Canada, they were clearly heavyweight prime-movers destined for cultivations duties. But what set them apart was the advanced level of sophistication they brought with them. Ford’s Basildon research team had influence with…

Planting a catch crop in between rows of maize is gaining strong interest in the UK and Germany, not only as a greening option but also to prevent soil erosion in river catchment areas as well as giving a more natural form of weed control. In 2019, Dutch legislation made catch crops mandatory in some areas of the Netherlands, so farmers and contractors there are charging ahead looking for solutions. There are several ducks to line up to make a success of undersowing. For instance, before you apply a soilworking herbicide you have to wait until the grass seeds have emerged. But you also need to avoid the maize plants being too far forward and getting damaged by the seeding tool. Such a narrow window demands an efficient setup. Trailing…

Cheffins conduct one of the largest monthly sale of tractors and agricultural machinery in the world and has reported the sale of over £48m-worth of second-hand agricultural machinery throughout 2020, at the monthly collective auctions, on site and through the regular vintage sales. Representing £35m of this are the more than 4,500 tractors and plant that have passed through the gates at the monthly Cambridge Machinery auction. “There was a pause in live auctions at the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, meaning that sales were offered solely online until September when we reopened the gates of the sale ground,” explains Cheffins auctioneer and director, Bill Pepper.” However, we were gladdened by the spirit of online bidding throughout the summer months which still saw excellent prices paid for second-hand tractors and…

The more powerful 4.8-litre block is not the only update in the Stage V versions of JCB’s TM telescopic wheeled loaders, which also come with a 50km/hr eight-speed powershift and a new high-visibility cab. Lift capacities and heights of the four models continue at 3.2t and 5.2m for the TM320 and TM320S, and 4.1t and 5.45m for the TM420 and TM420S; the latter is a new 129kW/173hp flagship. Based on the components of the current six-speed unit but with two extra forward gears, the top-spec 50km/hr version of the new transmission is standard on the TM420S and an option for the TM320S (base spec 40km/hr in TM320 and TM420). Both versions can be operated manually, shifting through the gears using joystick buttons, or by switching to intelligent auto powershifting for gears five…

The reverse drive package for John Deere 6R, 7R and 8R tractors developed by Dutch engineering firm Vlastuin Mechanisatie uses the CommandArm in combination with rear foot pedals and/or joysticks to control all machine functions. Most of the 15 John Deere 6Rs modified so far have been for tree nurseries using them with a rear-mounted crane, or with local authority and forestry contractors where it is used with a wide range of kit, such as tree stump removers. The company is now keen to gauge interest from farms and contractors, possibly for mowing grass. It depends on the level of specification, but the modification costs from €6,000-€8,500.…

Dutch manufacturer Ploeger has released details of a four-wheeled AT self-propelled slurry machine; the 22m³ AT5104. In development for over a year, the four-wheeler completes the AT range, which also includes the three-wheeled AT4103 (16m³) and five-wheeled AT5105 (26m³). The chassis on the AT5104 is new. Otherwise, it shares much of its technology with the existing machines. This includes the mechanical driveline, 550hp (405kW) Scania engine, ZF CVT, Kessler axles and Claas cab. The manure system comprises a Börger pump, Vogelsang macerator and polyester tank. The prototype will be tested this season and the planned launch will take place at Agritechnica in November. Tyre options include 900/60 R42 and 1000/65 R32 (both 3.0m wide on the road) and 1250/50 R32A and the options list will include a smaller 16-18m³ tank.…

The Agritechnica showstopping Konzept, the only tractor among the Good Design 2020 finalists, has been recognised with an award. Providing a vision of the future, the Konzept uses a diesel electric hybrid from sister CNH Industrial company FPT. Combining a conventional four-cylinder diesel engine, generator and individual electric wheel motors, up to 250kW of peak power is available. Each wheel can be independently powered, and energy captured when travelling downhill can be recovered and stored in a battery under the cab. The battery can be recharged from the mains, and the pto and hydraulics are capable of being driven electrically. There are also 700V and 48V connections for electrically powered implements. The tractor can work with a drone to obtain real-time data on soil and crop conditions. The can has a…

Over half of Valtra’s A series leaving the factory are fitted with a front loader, so the A5 is now even bettered suited to this task with the GL getting better armrest loader controls and on the three-cylinder A75 to A95 there is the option of the HiTech2 with the splitter doubling the number of ratios to 24 in both directions. On the four-cylinder A105 to A135 there is a 5hp increase and the option of a HiTech4, four-speed semi-powershift box and an external stop/start button. All seven models in the A5 family are Stage V compliant using a combination of a DPF and SCR while service intervals have increased from 500 to 600 hours. A new foot throttle will give more precise control.…

Until recently, belt mergers were a niche product usually bought by specialist businesses handling easily damaged crops that demanded a softer approach and minimal contamination with soil. However, they are now becoming mainstream as more manufacturers throw their hat into the ring and the price narrows between them and the big rake alternatives. Kuhn has now been building mergers for over a decade (profi first looked at the Merge Maxx 900 back in the 6/2010 issue), but they didn’t exactly take the market by storm — the 900 was heavy and expensive. So, the engineers at Kuhn’s headquarters in Saverne in France went back to the drawing board and came up with the new Merge Maxx 950 (profi driving impression 9/2019). And it is this machine that we are comparing…

During last year’s drill section control test, the Lemken Compact Solitair 9/600KH switched sections much too early at the headland, regardless of whether it was angled or straight. With the cover crop mix, the four-section Lemken drill returned the least favourable results of the five machines tested. Understandably, the German company wasn't happy with the outcome of the 6/2020 article, especially since it had been selling section control on the Solitair since 2014 and stated customers were satisfied with the accuracy of the system. Four metering units, one shaft So where was the problem? To answer that question, Lemken and profi agreed to carry out the test again by sowing a cover crop mix with the 6.0m wide cultivator drill. As with the original test, the site had a straight…

The Tigo 90XR was added to Fendt’s wagon range in mid-2018, and with a capacity of 50m³ it's the second largest model in the company's self-loading forage wagon line-up. Both the name and design reveal its Lely roots. As you'll recall, AGCO bought the grassland machinery division in 2017 from Lely, so the Dutch firm could focus on milking/dairy equipment. Unlike the rest of AGCO's grass kit, the forage wagons are only available under the Fendt banner. Bringing us up to date, TIM certification was introduced for last season, along with a number of other spec updates. 45 knives auto sharpened Following the crop flow, we start with the pick-up, which is 2.20m wide … or 2.00m if you prefer to go off the tine-to-tine width. This is now powered…

The simple digital display at the front of most diet feeders is a critical tool for knowing exactly how much of an ingredient goes in and how much comes out with each cow group. But how many farmers store what was fed each day and how much of each ingredient was used? Solving a problem As it's often said, necessity is the mother of invention, and this adage was especially true for one Danish farmer, who used to print off an updated ration every day as cows moved groups and then made a note of any leftover feed. While he liked the information, he didn’t like the paperwork, so, together with some tech gurus, he developed Cowconnect. On the market since 2017, the app records and stores every load and…

In the first ever issue of profi international back in March 1996, we carried a cost management feature comparing three different machinery operating policies. As you would expect, a great deal has changed over the past 25 years, with some of the machinery and labour costs listed back then making an interesting read. But what about the businesses we spoke to back them? Here, we catch up with Clive Brand, who we last spoke to when he farmed with his father John at Brook Hall, near Sudbury, Suffolk, and Dominic Watts, when he was manager at Rushbrooke Farms, Suffolk. I had to learn how to farm again – Clive Brand “We sold Brook Hall back in 2005” says Clive over the telephone. “In 2006, I moved out to Canada, buying…

A total of 10,380 new 50hp+ tractors were registered in the UK last year, reports the AEA. Down 14% on 2019 numbers, most of the year-on-year decline took place between April and July, when supply chains were adversely affected by Covid disruptions. For the final five months of the year, registrations were 11% higher than in August to December 2019 and from September onwards volumes were slightly above the average of recent years. Almost all parts of the UK saw a decline in registrations between 2019 and 2020. The decline in registrations was seen across most of the power range, but 25% more tractors over 320hp were registered in 2020 than in 2019. The rise in registrations at the top end of the power scale meant that the average tractor…

With several hundred machines in the country, the Spanish plough and cultivator manufacturer feels the time is now right to commit more directly to the UK with a wholly owned subsidiary; Ovlac UK. Ovlac has been present for nearly 10 years in the UK, first with RECO and, since its closure, with Halse South West. Responsible for all sales, marketing and service of UK machines, one of the tasks of Ovlac UK, which is headed up by Nick Clark (formerly Ovlac sales manager for Halse South West), is to expand the dealer network. “We have 30 or so dealers currently in the UK with most in northern England and Scotland,” said Mr Clark. “We are actively seeking more dealers in the Midlands and Eastern Counties and increase the numbers to…

The use of electromagnetic clutches on the new hydraulically-powered drive shaft on Grimme’s GL420 and GL430 four-row potato cup planters allows individual planting elements to be switched on and off from the terminal (automatically using the section control option). Also new on the GL430 is a hydraulic drawbar jack, and there is a new cabinet for all hydraulic and air connections. The TerraProtect Pro diking system, a new option for the GB430 fourrow belt planter, comprises a soil loosening tine and a small diking share that gouges out a chunk of soil from the bottom of the ridge. This indentation stores excess water during periods of heavy rainfall, preventing soil from being washed away. Operated from the cab, the automatic control system adapts the frequency of the soil indentations to the…

The SlurryKat SDT multi-purpose dumper trailer also doubles as a silage trailer when a special kit is added. The design of the chassis and pendulum bogie system on the 22t half-pipe Premium Plus is new; the chassis and all main components made from S355 high tensile steel (body Hardox S700). “Using this high-quality material means we can make the trailer lighter by using 5.0mm thick material on the body whilst still achieving the high structural strength the trailer requires,” says SlurryKat CEO and principle design engineer Garth Cairns. Designed to be removed in one piece including the hydraulic door, the silage kit is designed with a forward sloping dropped front panel, which says the company, is useful when blowing grass over the tractor hauling the trailer when opening up a field.…

The latest Eggers PTO brake dynamometer brought to the UK by Lynx Engineering accurately measures and verifies the torque, power and performance of tractors and combines up to 735kW/1,000hp. Believed to be the most powerful of its type in the country, as with other units in the Eggers range, dealers across the UK and Ireland can either book dyno tests to be conducted by a Lynx technician on the dealer’s premises, or dynamometers can be purchased through Lynx and, if necessary, supported with training.…

The GA13131 rake is a typical four-rotor machine. It places few demands on the driver, but it's a one-trick pony in that it can only place the crop in a central row. Setting the machine up and making adjustments is straightforward. Thanks to the boost function, the front rotors can spin faster than the rear ones, which results in an airy swath. KEY POINTS ▶ The rake is ISObus compatible.▶ Rotor drive is hydraulic, and the cam tracks are maintenance-free.▶ The machine is characterised by particularly smooth running.…

Originally introduced back in 1995, Manitou’s MLA pivot steer telehandler has proved itself on all manner of UK and Irish farms. It hasn’t always been plain sailing however, with the French firm dropping the product altogether in 2013. Fast forward to the LAMMA show in 2017 when the manufacturer showcased a prototype of the snappily named MLA-T 533-145 V+. Model numbering simply (ish) relating to its credentials, with a 5.2m lift height, 3.3tonne lift capacity, 143hp engine and the firm’s M-Vario Plus transmission. More than just a fresh face and engine clean up, the MLA was a new machine from the ground up compared to the Redrock derived ‘Manirock’ loader of 2011. It does, however, offer previous users a familiar feel and outlook, while benefiting from the comfort and controls…

Folding power harrows have been part of the Pöttinger line-up for several years, but it hasn't offered a drill to go with them since 2013. That's all changing with the introduction of the 4.0m and 5.0m wide Aerosem FDD. But this is much more than sticking on the coulters from the rigid models and adding a front hopper. The Lion power harrow has been redesigned for its new role and mated with the company's existing Dual-Disc coulters. Up to 2,300 litres The front hopper is available with a capacity of 1,700 litres, although the featured Lion 503C/Aerosem 5002FDD combi sported the larger 2,300-litre version (a £1,026 option). Both hopper sizes can be split with a partition and have either one or two metering units for handling grain and fert or…

If you are on the hunt for a pre-owned small loader, then a fixed-boom articulated Weidemann Hoftrac model will no doubt be on your shopping list. Hoftrac, incidentally, refers to these models targeting farm use, ‘industrial’ Weidemann alternatives typically having a different carriage and outline spec. The most likely used Hoftrac finds will include the 1160 and 1240, the current versions of the loaders sharing the same 18.5kW/25.0hp three-cylinder Perkins power unit, lift capacities that span 905kg to 1,118kg and operating weights of between 1,910kg to 2,350kg. The 1160 is 1,044mm wide on standard tyres. The current 1240LP is lighter and measures 970mm across the axles and has a maximum lift of 1,118kg. The 1140 models share the same power units but are 850mm wide and have a maximum lift…

Running a busy vegetable farm is hard work, especially when demand for local produce has shot up as a result of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Add to that the time and skills required to manage a nearby AD plant, and you then have one very busy young farmer … but, thankfully, having access to a fresh fleet of tractors and equipment eases the burden. Alex Lyttle is 27 years old and farms with his father, Roy, on the Ards Peninsula, one of the best crop growing regions situated on the east coast of Northern Ireland. Growing around 68ha of vegetables per year, the business, Roy Lyttle, sources its seedling plants from different parts of the world and sells the finished crop to a number of big retailers such as Tesco,…

Two tractors featured heavily in the inaugural March 1996 issue of profi international, one of which, the New Holland 8560, has gone on to become a modern classic; the other was Deutz Fahr's Agrotron 4.95. Both of these tractors show the shift in direction, with semi-powershift transmissions and improved ergonomics being key parts of their design. Reading these two articles today, there are a number of aspects that jump out. Rated at 70kW/95hp, the Agrotron was the most powerful four-cylinder in the Deutz-Fahr range, using a 3.2-litre block. Meanwhile the two smallest models discussed in the New Holland story went with a naturally aspirated six-pot motor. Since then, four-cylinder tractors have rocketed in horsepower, with those packing 134kW/180hp barely raising an eyebrow. At the same time, turbos have become par…