Innehållsförteckning för May 2021 från Profi

Available in place of the existing turbine based system, the new rollerbed option from J Riley Beet Harvesters (UK) can allow for faster sugar beet harvesting speeds on certain soils. Currently suitable for the flagship six-wheel Vervaet Beet Eater 625 (anticipated that it will also be available for the four-wheel Q-Series in the near future), lifting is still carried out by rotating walking shares, and row width continues to be hydraulically adjustable from 45cm to 50cm. The shares are arranged in a straight line so that they present the lifted beet evenly to the rollerbed which is used in place of the two front turbines and consists of seven full-width 100mm diameter rollers. Roller speed can be varied from the cab, with the first six grouped together and the seventh…

Claas has announced details of the fourth generation of Arion 400 tractors which sees them move to Stage V and the addition of a new, more powerful model. There are now seven models in the Arion 400 line-up, which has proved to be the most popular range in the Claas tractor portfolio, in fact over 30,000 have rolled off the Le Mans production line since the range was first introduced in 2010. The 470 is takes over from the 460 as the new top model and maxes out at 155hp when you include the power boost for transport and pto work (rated power without CPM is 145hp). This extra power feature is available on all models from the 440 and above. The smallest model in the range is the 90hp…

CNH Industrial has completed its minority investment in North American startup Monarch Tractor, which launched its first fully electric compact tractor at the end of last year. Capable of operating autonomously, the 40hp (30kW) of continuous power (up to 10 hours) and short peak output of 70hp (55kW) provided by the 9fx3r electric transmission will not excite power hungry farms, but it does show one direction the industry could take at the lower end of the power scale. The 220v charging system takes 4-5 hours. Alternatively, it is said to be a 10-minute job for one person to swap an empty battery for a full one (extra battery costs around US$15,000). Safety features include roll and collision prevention, vision-based PTO safety and 360-degree cameras and guard rails. Sensors and imaging provides…

John Deere’s new generation of 9R tractors not only get some extra power but also benefit from the new cab introduced on the 7R and 8R last autumn. The Stage V 9R and 9RX 640 now maxes out at 691hp versus 670hp in the Stage IV 9620RX. This extra grunt is still supplied by a 15.0-litre Cummins block in the flagship model while the rest of the range has a 13.6-litre DPS motor. But it is in the cab where the biggest changes can be found. The StarFire 6000 receiver has been integrated into the cab roof as on the 8R 410 and 7R 350 in our February and April profi Tractor Tests. The articulated wheeled 9R, twin track 9RT and four track 9RX models come with the larger 4600…

While the average horsepower in the UK has risen to over 170hp, there is still a healthy demand for the versatile 120hp tractor, a jack of all trades on many farms. To see which is best, four magazines from Scandinavia and the Netherlands mustered seven different marques (see the table for ‘Technical data and prices’ on page 15 for who and what) and evaluated their performance in 15 different categories, as outlined in the graph on the opposite page. Spoiler alert Looking at the results, you'll see Claas ranks in the top position, marginally ahead of New Holland, Valtra and John Deere. Although the headline figures suggest there's not too much between them, drilling down through the various test categories reveals some bigger differences. For example, New Holland and McCormick…

Back in 2018, Vogelsang introduced the 12m and 15m wide BlackBird, a heavier-duty trailing shoe applicator than the lighter and wider working Swingmax Slide that stretches all the way out to 32m. Now the slurry kit maker has developed a 24m version of the BlackBird by hanging two 12m units from a new boom. Sounds simple, but watch the machine unfold and you realise how much engineering is involved. Indeed, this bigger bird shares no resemblance to the Swingmax Slide, which for all intents and purposes is a dribble bar with trailing shoe attachments, so it only applies around 1.5kg of pressure to each shoe. Compare that stat to the 12kg per shoe on the BlackBird, and you can clearly see the difference. Each of the two equal-width booms hangs…

Mergers are becoming the latest trend in silage making as they tend to sweep fewer stones into the row and reduce the amount of ash contamination. Slovenian grass kit maker SIP is one of those vying for a place in this still niche market, with three mounted models and, since 2019, the trailed Air 500. If the pick-up looks familiar, it's because it is sourced from Thomas Reiter, whose Respiro was featured in our 3/2017 magazine. The Austrian manufacturer also supplies Ploeger with parts for its merger as per our 3/2021 driving impression. SIP takes these bought-in elements (the small diameter pick-up and additional crop press feed rotor) and adds them to its chassis and drawbar design. The importance of the crop press rotor that pulls forage onto the merging…

Umbilical systems have become the tool of choice for getting slurry on to wet ground. But, weighing in at 35t, the Cadman CMA is clearly off the list for a gentle tread. Moreover, its weight is not the only big stat for this €500,000 bit of kit, it measuring 14m long and 3.40m wide. Undeterred, one German farming business has been tempted to stump up the cash for the Canadian-built umbilical system. Why? Between the rows So, what makes the CMA different? Well, the outfit has more in common with an irrigation system, coming complete with its own engine and drive system. This allows the unit to move along the headland autonomously or by remote control. The spreading tractor travels up and down the field at a right angle to…

Punctures have no sense of reasonableness. When a tyre goes down it prefers to do it on a busy (and ideally, narrow) road, or — better yet — in the softest bit of the field. Either way the injured leg has to be lifted, preferably securely and fast. Trouble is, the kit most farms have for the job is often short on lift height and limited in where it can be used safely. The haulage business has plenty of jacks designed to lift heavy and high-axle kit on solid ground, and some farms and contractors have devised their own salvation. But you can buy a purpose-built unit, developed by an agricultural engineer and made by Heynck, a German hydraulics company whose main operations are in mining — an industry with…

A reasonable place to start with steering kits is to see what comes in the box, how easy it all is to fit and what it costs. Actually that’s three places, but still. There are several bits of hardware to the FieldBee Autosteer System: a DC electric motor for the steering column, a controller/gyroscope unit to sense tilt, pitch and yaw, process data and direct the steering motor; a L2 GNSS receiver for signals from GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and BaiDou satellite networks plus RTK correction, and finally a WiFi/mobile network router able to take in a correction signal and send data out to the wider world. FieldBee uses a MDU-G4 steering motor, as do Ag Leader, Müller-Elektronik, Reichhardt and Teejet. Cost of this plus the controller/gyroscope unit is around €5,000,…

Buyer’s premium A buyer’s premium of 5% of the hammer price is payable on all lots up £4,000. Any lots sold over £4,000 attract a fixed buyer premium rate of £200 per lot. Both are subject to VAT at 20%. Online bidding Lots could only be bought online via i-bidder.com­or­bidspotter.co.uk. A 4% plus VAT internet surcharge was added to the hammer price. VAT Bids made for lots that attract Value Added Tax shall be exclusive of VAT chargeable.…

Philipp Horsh recently posted a video of a self-propelled seed cart/hopper on Twitter. Our photographer Stefan Tovornik, stitched together the video footage to create this image. Mr Horsch replied to a number of comments with additional information “it is a hydrostatic transmission to begin with, but we are working on a vario transmission for the series production.” He goes on to say that they will have the machine in the field in April/May and it is one of three different autonomous approaches. In the video you can clearly hear a diesel engine, Mr Horsch adding that the power unit has 400hp. The prototype looks to be fitted with a Claas track system, the same as that used on the Axion 900 Terra Trac. JCB strengthens coverage Compass Tractors and Redlynch Agricultural Engineering have…

The current Low Disturbance Loosener (LDL) models will do the job, but requests for a dedicated grassland machine have prompted Grange Machinery to develop the Grass Land Loosener (GLL). Available as a rigid 3.0m version and folding 4.0m, 5.0m and 6.0m models, the mounted implement is designed to alleviate compaction and remove the plough pan to improve drainage and allow air into the soil. The GLL shares the same cutting disc, leg, point and packer roller with the LDL. The main differences concern the packer depth adjustment and hydraulic rotation system used to engage the hydraulically operated discs. Also, the GLL’s frame is a bit lighter. The discs cut through the surface to enhance the loosening effect of the low disturbance legs and reduce soil build up. Working to a…

Developed for use with Lemken’s Azurit 9 precision drill and Solitair 25 series, the online configurator assists operators in calculating tramlines, as it determines how many rows need to be switched off. The Azurit uses the DeltaRow method, in which each seed row consists of two staggered subrows spaced at 12.5cm. If one of the twin rows is deactivated, the distance between rows increases from 62.5 to 75cm. At the same time, double the amount of seeds is placed in the other twin row, so that the number of grains/m² remains the same. If the operator deactivates another twin row in the tramline on the other side of the track, the tramline width is increased to 87.5cm, which allows for the use of wider tyres. Lemken reckons all this is easily…

It might still carry the Lexion name, but the changes in the new 5000s and 6000s are as big a leap as when the Mega gave way to the first Lexions over 20 years ago. Most significantly the drum and concave are 26% bigger in diameter and, for the first time, Claas’s engineers have added a rotary separator to the firm's walker machines. Given such big changes, we were keen to see how the revamped combine would perform. Our test 5500 Terra Trac had nearly every option ticked including CEMOS Automatic, an extra that costs more than my neighbour’s actual combine. We'll take a more in-depth look at CEMOS on combines in the June issue, along with the two types of header that were supplied, the Vario 770 and Convio…

Self-propelled swathers have almost disappeared from the UK market, as the much reduced area of oilseed rape is now direct cut. Yet there is a bit of returning interest to using swathers for harvesting fields of wholecrop, lucerne and rye destined for AD plants. The Canadian-built Honey Bee ST swather is tractor-mounted, either on the front or back (if you have reverse-drive), so you don't have to invest in another power unit. Here we look at the 6.4m wide ST21, the latter part of the model name denoting its 21ft working width and North American origins. Familiar knife The ST21 is just like a draper header offered on a growing number of combines and favoured for its ability to cope with tricky crops. At the business end is a Schumacher…

It is hard to miss the larger, integrated running gear on Pöttinger’s new cultivator, the Terria. Available in working widths from 4.0m to 6.0m, there is a choice of three or four rows for the tines. No matter which option you go with, the overall number of tines is pretty much the same (refer to the table below). The tines are arranged symmetrically for uniform penetration, reduced lateral drag and even wear on the ground-engaging metal. The designers certainly succeeded on the wings but had to make compromises on the five leading tines in the central section due to the available space. Just three spools Our Terria 6030 model was coupled to the Cat III lower links of a Fendt 942. Your other attachment options are Cat IV N or…

Although the Xerion story begins in the late 90s, sales in the UK only really started to gather momentum in around 2004 when Claas introduced the nominal 335hp Xerion 3300, with the 379hp Xerion 3800 that arrived in 2007 going on to be a decent seller that is now in strong demand as a pre-owned buy. A key line-up change came in 2009 with the introduction of the 483hp Xerion 4500 and 524hp Xerion 5000, the latter pushing the boundaries for a stepless transmission to this power and size of tractor for the first time. For the 2014 season, the 435hp Xerion 4000 arrived to oust both the 3300 and 3800 from the range. In 2020 the Xerion 4000 was itself replaced by the 462hp Xerion 4200. As a potential…

Safeshaft Systems has been making a retrofit hydraulic-drive system for vacuum pumps since 2016. The idea is simple — to take the pto out of the danger equation when it comes to manually operating the changeover valve on a slurry tanker vacuum pump. But there are a number of other benefits: for instance, you can now turn tighter against the slurry tanker drawbar without the worry of the lift arms fouling on the pto shaft; and you can also keep the pump running when turning on the headland. How much oil? Noel Hickey, one of the brothers who came up with the Safeshaft Systems drive, points out that, because it uses the vacuum pump’s original input shaft, it can still access the unit’s gearing, meaning the hydraulic motor does not…

It is not just the slog of a wet harvest that's testing sugar beet growers; there are new challenges also being thrown into the mix, with mounting regulations as well as having to deal with banned or less effective herbicides and pesticides due to resistance. These challenges have led to greater demands on breeding schemes. With its new ‘BlueVision’ strategy, Strube wants to enable its customers to grow their beet crops in a more sustainable, economical and resource-saving way. CT test for germination To achieve this, Strube is relying on modern technology for breeding and testing seed quality, developing new methods with the Fraunhofer Institute. The SeedInspector, for example, uses 3D Computer Tomography (CT) to study inside the seeds. This gives info on the quality or state of the seed.…

Already enabling a combine to guide a tractor and trailer alongside the harvester, Machine Sync is now also available for on-the-move exchange of machine data to automatically control the speed and travel direction of self-propelled forage harvesters, tractors and trailers. The company reckons trailed potato, carrot and vegetable harvester operators will benefit from the technology, especially during long days and nights. Machine Sync is also claimed to deliver significant assistance and productivity gains during planting applications. Awarded with an innovation award silver medal at Agritechnica 2011, and introduced in 2012, Machine Sync requires JDLink telematics, a StarFire satellite receiver and a Gen4 Premium display with automation activation. Retrofitting of all of these is possible, but the company reckons most customers select all these ex-factory when ordering a new tractor and/or self-propelled machine.…

The added value generated by Amazone’s disc-integrated AutoTS border spreading system (available on trailed ZG-TS and mounted ZATS spreaders), compared with conventional systems, can now be calculated with an online border spreading calculator. The idea of producing it was to try and demonstrate the significance of improved border spreading, explains managing director Simon Brown of Amazone Ltd. “AutoTS generates a much sharper drop off at the edge of the field and so boosts yield in that first 6.0m around the border as well as minimising fertiliser wastage,” he says. “It is also adjustable on the move between the different techniques so, if we are faced with a water course or public access around a field, then three sides of that field can all have a different approach without stopping spreading.” By entering…

Hunt Forest Group has announced that Smarts Ag Services is now a Kramer dealer for its existing John Deere area of responsibility. The move follows JCB’s decision to terminate the dealer agreement held by Smarts, following the purchase of the company by HFG. Business development director Paul Burnett of Hunt Forest says the company looks forward to inviting new and existing customers to experience the Kramer product. “The company has a large level of stock with demonstrators available, and all HFG machines are also supplied in special colours to signify that we can offer something a little different,” he adds. “To prove that, we will support all new sales with a four-year or 4,000-hour warranty funded by Hunt Forest as an introductory offer until July.” Although the agreement to supply…

Initially launched for maize silage last autumn, Kelvin Cave’s Silage Safe is now also available for covering grass silage clamps. The system does away with one of the most unpopular jobs at silage time; covering the clamp with tyres, gravel bags or other weights. Instead, the silage is sealed by a series of straps (potentially two-person operation) which are tightly ratcheted into place. The straps can also be tightened as the clamp is emptied, which says the company, helps prevent air pockets from forming as the silage settles. A further benefit of the system is its application and removal in 2.0m sections, which can be stored for use the following year. The company reckons this is just as useful at the time of feed-out as it is at covering, speeding…

After testing the Rozmital SD disc mower in profi 12/2019, the Czech company provided us with another machine for last season. The SP-852H is the firm's largest twin-rotor rake to date, although there are already plans afoot to extend the range. We used our test model for rowing up haylage, hay and straw. Simple design Overall, the SP-852H is a simple rake: for example, the two arms and the solid headstock are built out of simple box steel. Nevertheless, it made a quality impression. An example of this is the rotor arms are reinforced with gusset plates for improved strength. The driveline is equally straightforward, with power running to a T gearbox under the main frame and then splitting to the two rotors. Less appealing was the rust on the…

Avant is the name tag that Amazone has always assigned to its power harrow drills that work with a front hopper. Set to eventually replace the 6001-2 is the logically labelled 6002-2, which comprises three key components: FTender front hopper (previously the FRS or FPS) KG 6002-2 power harrow (this replaces the KG 6001-2) TSE 6000-2 TwinTec double disc coulters (these supersede the Amazone PS603-2 RoTec single disc unit). Pressure for high rates The FTender comes in two sizes, 1,600 and 2,200 litres (the price difference is £1,915). Both hopper sizes can also be used with 3.0m and 4.0 wide combis, but are not pressurised for these smaller drill working widths. The pressurised set-up is reserved for the higher seed volumes involved with feeding the two hoses and twin seed…

Czech implement manufacturer SMS sells a range of grassland rejuvenation tools. Among them is the substantial Golem, a three-gang flat roller kitted out with a levelling board and two rows of grass tines. The odd name relates to a figure from Czech mythology that is made from loam — every day is a school day. Three rolls A trio of flat rolls, each measuring 1.02m in diameter and 2.00m wide, can be ballasted with 4,700 litres of water, pushing the weight of the combination up to around 11t. This weight should appeal to any farmer wanting to pound stones back into the ground and out of the reaches of mowers, tedders and rakes. Customers can opt for 10, 14 or 20mm thick roller walls, and there is also an aeration…

Though most balers, round and square, are still safely in hibernation, it won't be long before the first silage packs are being made. To help with loading and moving bales we have asked our readers for some on-farm solutions. If you have some others, then why not share them with us by emailing profi.ed@kelsey.co.uk NEW LIFE FOR AN OLD TRAILER Bought as a scrapped flatbed from a local council, the owner removed the rear ramps and levelled up the sloping beaver tail. He also extended the floor by 50cm so that it measured an overall length of 6.50m, which can be extended again by another 1.0m by pulling out a home-made extension. A box underneath stores the all-important ratchet straps. Final jobs were a full clean down and fresh paint.…

We caught up with the first of these modified self-propelleds which is based on a 2005-built 4,000-hour Tecnoma Laser 3000, in a field of Italian rye grass on the Dutch/Belgian border. Owned by Dutch contractors John and Marco Hal, cutting grass for seed is a new activity for the two brothers, and last season was their first. Getting stuck in The two men set to work in the workshop in early January last year. Attaching the mower to the front of the Laser was not an option and they quickly decided it had to go on the rear to replace the spray boom. They didn’t like the cramped dimensions of the Laser’s cab so ended up buying one from a Claas Xerion, and to improve operator visibility this was turned…

Combi-balers originated when contractors began towing wrappers behind their balers to save time and labour. Krone claims to have pioneered the idea in 1996 while McHale started from a clean sheet of paper to develop their combination machine before hitting the market in 2002. Some of the early integrated designs resulted in a very long outfit that lacked the stability to work on more sloping ground, often the very conditions where they would be most useful. Access could also be an issue in narrow lanes and gateways. Over time, more compact designs emerged, many of which have since been equipped with the latest innovations in baling, from precompression chambers to the application of barrel film for an improved package and easier plastic recycling. Manufacturers have also explored ways of making…