Indholdsfortegnelse for March 2024 i Profi

Over the years I've attended a lot of shows, both as a regular punter and doing my reporting job, trawling the avenues seeking out the latest news. Yet LAMMA 2024 was a first for me: I found myself working on the profi stand, chatting to people about the magazine. And I have to say I enjoyed what was a new experience. The reason for this change of tack for LAMMA followed a marketing meeting about what we could do to make a bigger impact. Usually, we rely on the smiling faces of Fran and Rob with a colourful array of magazines to entice potential subscribers to the stand and let them flick through the latest issues. Indeed this is probably how you first encountered the magazine, as that’s been our…

CNH Industrial, the parent company of New Holland, is spending €150 million to further develop its Belgian site in Zedelgem where the new CR11 combine will be made. The latest phase of a five-year investment plan at the plant, it will result in a redesigned assembly line and logistics area. The production lines for the CX, CR and CR11 combines will be merged, and the new U-shape setup will integrate four testing stations to streamline the process and improve the speed of production. One of the main improvements of the revised assembly line are the automatic guided vehicles (AGVs). Replacing the traditional assembly line format, these allow for more flexibility in the manufacturing process enabling different models to be assembled on the same line, at the same time. The logistics…

The number of new tractors registered in Italy last year slumped by 12.9% to 17,613 units (20,211 in 2022), ending two years of consecutively high sales volumes. Registration data produced by the FederUnacoma, the Italian manufacturers association, shows that it was mainly the medium-power segment that was affected in 2023 with registrations of sub-75hp tractors down -5.0%, 76hp to 174hp (-23%) and above 175hp (-14%). The slow down in the domestic tractor market in 2023 is blamed on the unfavourable economic situation, combined with the delay with new government incentives. Telehandler sales were also down in Italy last year by -3.4% to 1,141 units, and the number of new trailers registered dipped by -8.1% to 7,718 units (8,400 in 2022). Combine harvesters, on the other hand, bucked the trend with…

Up until relatively recently Horsch focused its attention on the trailed precision planter Maestro models. Now, to tick the box for the fully mounted market, it has the TX, a versatile machine that comes with ISObus controls, a fertiliser hopper, the ability to sow at high speeds, and of course the row width is very easy to change. Sugar beet and rapeseed, for example, can be drilled on a row spacing of 45cm to 50cm and maize 70cm or 75cm. One thing we need to point out from the start is that our test machine, which we used last season, was a pre-production unit. For 2024, the Maestro TX is in full production so some of our shortcomings will have been resolved. Various row widths Horsch uses an almost maintenance-free…

If unwanted weeds or grasses sprout above the canopy, the only practical solution for many crops is time-consuming weeding or mowing — preferably before they go to seed. Italian manufacturer Meneguzzo has developed the LOP front weed topper for this purpose and others. Modular width The base machine has a working width of 6.5m, but this can be extended to 9.0m or 12m by adding extra modules. The cutterbar is mounted on a mast that also incorporates pendulum levelling. The operator adjusts the working height and the lateral inclination by operating two double-acting spools, which control the ram for setting the machine’s working height through a 50cm range. This is further extended by raising the tractor’s front linkage, enabling the working height to be set from as little as 30cm…

Existing four 75cm row Baselier mounted tuber planters have a transport width of 3.49m across, something the company has addressed with its latest FA310W models. These have an overall width that tucks in to a reduced 3.29m. This slimmed transport width is important to those using planters of this size as typically they need to access smaller fields often from narrow lanes. Add the ability to specify these planters with integral tillage equipment that is of equal interest. The planter we saw in action was not a production model but a FA310W that had been modified to demonstrate the integral cultivator concept. Carried out in conjunction with German Baselier dealer Lohmann Landtechnik, the planter’s spec included a 2.5t hopper, ridge former extensions, an integrated rotary cultivator and tyre press. This…

Boom! Boumatic is back with a bang after several quiet years on the new product front. But the dairy equipment manufacturer, which is headquartered in Madison (USA), is now letting things really rip. Both conventional dairy farms and those that want milk and feed robots will benefit from the myriad of new products that also include collaborations with other equipment manufacturers such as Wasserbauer. We managed to grab a sneak peek at what’s new. But first things first. Robot recap Although Boumatic has been quiet of late, the company has implemented a lot of changes. In 2021, it took over Danish dairy equipment manufacturer SAC. SAC, in turn, had previously acquired the Dutch firm Hokofarm and with this the rights to the Insentec milking robots. Since SAC has been selling…

While it initially started with a twin track tractor, AgXeed now has three different models. Since its inception, the Dutch start-up has relied on ISObus to enable other firms to develop autonomous implements and machines that can not only work with its AgBot but also add extra functionality way beyond independent driving. This openness in research and development has resulted in AgXeed, Amazone and Class collaborating and forming the 3A (Advanced Automation and Autonomy) network. On top of this, Amazone and Claas are both minority investors in AgXeed. The aim of 3A is to further develop highly automated autonomous solutions that meet the needs of farming. Operators have always criticised that an autonomous tractor will not know if a cultivator is blocking up or a tine has broken. These are…

Swanton Morley Farms, located at Hoe near Dereham in central Norfolk, looks after a cropped area of 840ha of owned and contract farmed land. Although the soils are predominantly a sandy clay loam, there are some heavier sticky clay seams in places, and individual fields can be very variable from one side to the other. Crops are mostly combinable, plus a good area of sugar beet, and the rotation usually consists of winter wheat, winter barley, oilseed rape, winter wheat, sugar beet, winter wheat and peas. But on the very lightest land it is geared around sugar beet, which is followed by spring barley grown for seed and a year of stewardship such as AB9 winter bird food. Blackgrass is the main issue to contend with, even on the lightest…

TEST Sip Silvercut Disc 900 mower We tested Sip’s high-output front and rear mower outfit, the Silvercut 300F and 900 combination, throughout last season with some interesting performance results. REPORT Big tedder round-up More and more farms and contractors are opting for an eight-rotor or bigger tedder. With silage season not that far away, we assess your options when upgrading to a wider working machine. USED MACHINERY Kuhn mounted moco For the best part of 25 years Kuhn has been selling its FC mounted moco, with several models to pick from. Indeed the choice can be bewildering. So, where should you start if you're after a used buy? TEST JCB 420S pivot-steer loader JCB promised big things with its revamped TM420S pivot-steer. Our test team caught up with an 18-month-old…

Russian company Rostselmash is selling its Buhler Industries shares to the Turkish Asko Holding, the parent company of Basak Traktör. Rostselmash acquired a controlling 80% interest in Buhler, which makes Versatile tractors and Farm King equipment, in 2007. The Russian manufacturer increased this to 96.7% in December 2021. Last summer, Buhler announced it was looking for a long-term investment partner. Enter Asko, which describes the CAN$60.5 million transaction as a significant step forward as it seeks to bolster its position in the agricultural industry. “This investment in Buhler Industries is the next step forward for our expansion into the North American market,” said Sami Konukoglu, chairman of Asko Holding. Buhler employs more than 800 staff in facilities in Winnipeg, where it makes Versatile tractors and cultivators, and in Morden where…

Canadian firm Linamar has reached an agreement to acquire farm equipment manufacturer Bourgault Industries, which makes air drills, cultivators, chaser bins and livestock feeding equipment. The Saskatchewan-based company will become part of Linamar’s new agriculture division, which includes two other Canadian farm machinery equipment manufacturers. It acquired combine header and windrower manufacturer MacDon in 2018, followed by cultivator and fertiliser spreader manufacturer Salford in 2022. “Bourgault strengthens our short-line agriculture platform with strong brand recognition, a portfolio of advanced seeding technologies and an operational footprint that will enable us to better serve the core Western Canadian and US Midwest farm base,” said Jim Jarrell, Linamar’s president and COO. Valued at CAN $640 million (approx. £375 million), the deal is expected to close in the next couple of months.…

PAKTER TUK-TUK While it might look like it should be ferrying tourists, goats and building supplies around the alleyways of Saigon, the Paxter actually hails from Norway. With its 10kW lithium ion battery and 80-100km range it was developed specifically for the country’s postal and parcel-delivery services. Over the last ten years over 4,000 have been built and a good number now appear in municipal and agricultural roles with things like sprayers and salt spreaders mounted on the rear load deck. Long- and short-wheelbase variants are available – the former having a 400kg payload and a £19,995 price tag, the latter carrying just 240kg and coming in £3,000 cheaper. If that sounds a bit steep the company also offers a factory refurb option – guaranteed to have at least 80%…

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Did you know over 9,000 farmers currently benefit from our unrivalled advice? If you want to know what they know, take a look at some of our subscription offers where you’ll get the latest news, updates and guidance, as well as our unique DLG tractor tests delivered to your door, every single month. Subscribers can also enjoy free access to our 27-year in-depth test archive, PLUS receive access to a complimentary digital copy of Agricultural Trader every month. Guarantee you make the right choice when purchasing machinery by subscribing to profi today. BECOME A SUBSCRIBER & ENJOY THESE BENEFITS: ✤ Enjoy one whole year of Profi magazine ✤ Free access to our entire 27-year in-depth test archive, including the unique DLG Powermix tractor tests ✤ Save…

The Paus TL9078 has an 85kW/116hp engine and a max lift height of 4.83m. Could it be the ideal handler for farms wanting no frills and plenty of metal? We take a closer look. Plenty of power The firm offers an almost identical machine with two different engines: the TL9065 with 56kW/75hp and the more powerful TL9078. But it’s not just a case of extra horsepower. The 2.9-litre engine is swapped for a 3.6-litre Deutz motor in the 9078, with DOC, DPF and SCR used to meet Stage V. For better access to the transversely mounted engine, the rear counterweight is split into three sections so those on the outside can be lifted off once three bolts have been loosened. The typical service points are easily accessible without stripping off…

The new Catros+ range is denoted by a 3 as the last figure within the model name. The complete range comprises four fully-mounted rigid machines (2.5m to 4.0m) and a quartet with hydraulic folding (4.0m to 7.0m), as well as another four trailed machines also ranging from 4.0m to 7.0m. We had the chance to try out the widest model, the Catros+ 7003-2TS, behind a Fendt 828 Vario. This is Amazone’s all-rounder disc harrow for cultivating cereal stubbles, cover crop incorporation or seedbed prep. While the scalloped 510mm diameter disc offers a depth range of 5-14cm, for shallower work of 2-8cm, Amazone has the 480mm X-Cutter disc up its sleeve. Straightforward setting Unlike most other short disc harrows, where you alter the working depth by adjusting the rear roller linkage,…

Aqua Evolution Systems from Germany markets various products under the “DerBlaue” brand to collect liquids in awkward-to-reach places. Initially designed for the heating and plumbing sector, it has become apparent that the tub (€95 plus VAT), funnel (€149) and chute (€51) could be equally practical for farm workshops. Indeed, parts specialist Granit is now offering the DerBlaue products. There is even a small immersible pump for more easily emptying the tub. The price of this pump is €95 which includes the mains adapter and a neat storage bag. The optional battery costs €109. Centrepiece tub Let’s look at the tub first: Measuring 34 x 34 x 12.5cm, it holds about 10 litres and has two carrying straps on the outside. Like the chute and funnel, it is made by hand…

There are many spreading and spraying jobs in farming where a drone could prove to be the ideal tool of choice. Currently, this air-borne application technology is only available from a handful of firms, with German start-up Fluktor looking to take on the Chinese market leaders by developing and producing its own spreading and spraying drone. The result is the featured machine, which was developed in line with the German Standard Farm Scenario legislation that outlines the use of unmanned aerial units for applications. For Germany and Europe This ‘scenario’ legislation stipulates a max take-off weight of 50kg for agricultural and forestry applications. Hence, Fluktor designed the weight of the drone and the payload of its spreading or spray tanks with this weight limit in mind. The empty drone, including…

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CLAAS BENEFITS FROM HIGHER DEMAND Significantly improved sales in Europe and North America helped Claas increase sales by nearly a quarter last year to €6.1 billion. The market environment for 2024 is more challenging, comments Claas CEO Jan-Hendrik Mohr. “While order backlog is returning to normal, the pace of economic activity is slowing perceptibly in our core markets in Central and Western Europe and North America, due in no small part to high inflation and mounting geopolitical tensions.” SYN TRAC BANKRUPT Austrian firm Syn Trac, the developer of the Syn Trac systems tractor (with the loader featured in last month’s issue), has declared bankruptcy. Some 43 employees are affected. Founded in 2010, the prototype of the systems tractor was unveiled at Agritechnica 2017, and the vehicle was ready for series…

Large beef and dairy farms are the target for the latest triple vertical auger Leader PF3 Plus mixer wagon from Faresin. With a capacity of40m³, the3.40joinsthe3.30(30m³) and3.36(36m³) launchedat the Italian EIMA show in 2022. Despite its size (height 3.3m-3.7m/width 2.5m-2.8m/length around 12m), the Italian manufacturer says that the three steerable axles (front and rear permanent 4wd) allow the Leader PF3.40 to comfortably negotiate all buildings and terrain. The 290hp (212kW) 6.7-litre Stage V FPT motor comes from the other two models, and the 40m³ version also comes with the Ecotronic system. This automates numerous actions such as milling head speed, loading belt speed, unloading door and belt adjustment, adjustment of the counter-knife position and engine rpm. Compared with the Leader PF2 (11-33m³ single or twin-auger), the PF3 uses a wider…

Can-Am is pitching hard to grow its share of the key 400-600cc farm ATV market, but it is looking to challenging buyer mindset by offering a 650 bike to do so. The outgoing single-cylinder Outlander 450 and twin 570 which form the G2L range is being replaced with the G3L with both of the new Pro 5HD and Pro 7HD getting a brand new single-cylinder engine but with two power outputs; 40hp and 50hp. Indeed, the G3L is completely new from the ground up and that is not something we see very often from the mainline ATV makers. Most of the ATV news in recent years has been around tweaks and modifications to an existing design. As mentioned the G3L has a new motor and this is coupled to an…

With the Vario 700 Gen 7 range, Fendt has once again appeared to take an engineering lead over its competitors, who had not only caught up on the CVT front, but in some cases surpassed what the German tractor maker had to offer with its smaller six-cylinder tractors. Does the five-model Gen 7 tractor range deserve the hype it has generated? Read on to find out. AgcoPower with Dynamic Performance Unlike the familiar Gen 6 700 series, the new line-up is powered by an AgcoPower Core 75 motor, a 7.5-litre Finnish-built unit instead of a Deutz engine. The powerhouse under the 728’s hood delivers a rated output of 208kW/283hp at 1,700rpm. The top model also has what Fendt likes to call Dynamic Performance (DP); think of it as power boost…

Based in Montichiari in Northern Italy, Moreni’s key focus is power harrows: from specialist compact versions for fruit and horticulture to larger 8.0m wide models for mainstream cultivations. We used the 2.94m (tine to tine) Kronos KQ300C. Traditional harrow The Kronos power harrow headstock makes a solid impression and offers Cat III coupling points. Our machine was equipped with a rear drill linkage, which has a lift capacity of 2.0t, according to the spec sheet. The harrow is driven through a Walterscheid shaft with a friction clutch for protection. At a 750rpm pto speed, the rotors are spinning at 342rpm, comments the manufacturer. A two-speed gearbox for different rotor speeds is an option, and use with a 540 or 1,000rpm speed is also possible. Each of the 12 rotors is…

The most striking feature on the latest Terrasem is the hydraulic valve block by the end of the drawbar. Instead of the four double-acting hoses, the Terrasem drill now only requires one load-sensing supply from the tractor. The second standout feature is less conspicuous — the myriad of sensors that are tucked away in several areas of the machine. The hydraulic rams that operate the drill’s front clod board, the cultivating discs and the fertiliser coulters all have an integrated potentiometer to keep a beady eye on the respective positions. The coulter bank has an angle sensor that also senses its position. All this data is used to determine the working depth, which is sent to the job processor. The drill’s coulter pressure, too, is monitored electronically, allowing the drill…

Horsch launched its CO tine drill models back in 1999, the Sprinter arriving in 2005. Although the Sprinter tag is still with us, it follows that the drills have evolved since our last used buying article (profi 3/2010). Back then, the Müller Drill Manager system had just been updated to a new design with a single display and with it seed flow monitoring was made available. The latter became the default fit. To get an overview of how Sprinter drills have evolved (including the previous CO range) see the separate panel that outlines key changes. There are other developments that have been made but it is the main ones that are important. We also list popular third-party coulter suppliers as these have played an important role in enhancing the enduring…

CUTTING AHEAD OF THE TINES These cutting discs have been fitted to the Köckerling Flatline spring tine cultivator for when incorporating grass leys, cutting through the crop ahead of the spring tines. They use the same mounting points as the knife roller. It takes about two hours to swap over between the two front tools, but it’s worth it, according to the user. PROTECTING TYRES FROM FLOATING LEGS The featured 3.0m Lemken Karat 9 has two legs on the front row that run directly behind the tractor tyres. When a shear pin breaks on one of these legs and the cultivator is then raised out of work, the tine can swing forward and snag the tyre. This simple bracket prevents the leg from swinging forward when the shear pin has…

We all know that Australia is on the other side of the World, but what continues to amaze visitors when they first set foot in the country is its size. It is around 32 times larger than the United Kingdom and over twenty times the size of Germany (Table: UK, Germany and Australia in comparison). Around half of the land in Australia can be used for agriculture of which some 90% is permanent grassland. This still leaves a not inconsiderable 31 million hectares available for arable farming. In broad terms, this is around three times the arable land we have in the UK and 2.5 times more than in Germany. When profi Germany was offered the chance to visit the country by Australia Horsch importers Muddy River, they jumped at…

Have you ever found yourself pondering how, exactly, you managed to end up in a bit of a pickle? Well, there I was, precariously dangling from the loader whilst desperately probing for a foothold on the side of the shipping container that I knew to be there, somewhere. A simple task of retrieving the pick-up canopy from its resting place atop the container had quickly turned in to a far dicier affair than it needed to be. My reluctance toward 'wasting time' fetching a ladder was the first mistake, compounded by the prevailing conditions of darkness and a slippery minus five temperature. So, why the haste, you may ask? Couldn't this have waited until morning? Not really, as I was already behind, thanks to frozen water troughs and an unscheduled…