Indholdsfortegnelse for December 2025 i Profi

By the time you read this, Agritechnica will be over for another two years, and we will be busy making plans to see what machines we can get our hands on during 2026. Talking of making plans, 30 years ago the first English language profi international was being handed out in Hannover to give a taste of what was to come with issue one, which would go on sale in March 1996. Not surprisingly, we'll be celebrating that milestone throughout next year. Fear not, however, if you haven't been with us from the start. If you head over to profi.co.uk and click on the test centre, you'll find pretty much every test, driving impression, used machinery guide, livestock feature, report… you get the idea. In all there are over 4,000…

The 18m-wide trailing shoe drag hose injector developed by Dutch manufacturer Schouten Machines is of a lighter construction than the firm’s other drag hose injectors. Called the Spido SPD1872, the 72 flexible rubber trailing feet are equipped with stainless steel coulters. The wings fold to the rear for transport, the working width can be reduced to 15m, and section closure is optional. Suitable for combining with the Schouten HS5100 tool carrier, the four-point quick-change system allows different injectors to be fitted.…

Since February, telescopic wheeled loaders have had to comply with DIN EN747-3, the same regulation that was introduced several years ago to rigid-chassis machines. In short, they now require fully integrated overload protection. While making this change, Schäffer rabbed the chance to give its 5.40m, 4.30t lift 9640 a freshen-up with a new cab. Office change Once in the seat, the first thing that really stands out on the new cab is that there is now a sweeping side console on the righthand side. This does mean there is no longer a right-hand door; however, there is still a large window that can be swung back 180⁰ and pinned open. The top of the cab frame is no longer as rounded, and the new flatter top has really benefitted headroom,…

The Premium Flow has been part of the Zürn combine header range for over 20 years — a conveyor belt table with a rigid knife. But to give even more precise ground contouring while cutting close to the ground, it is introducing a flexible knife version called the Premium Flow Flex. Flexible cutting These new headers have 150mm of vertical ‘flex’ travel. This flexibility is achieved by mounting the cutterbar on swing arm bars that are suspended from the rear of the cutting platform. While the main weight of header is still carried by the combine, the actual cutting height of the knife is controlled by plastic runners when in flex mode. The current height is measured by the sensors on the four skids or by the sensors on the…

Together with her husband Johannes, Lisa Köhler runs a dairy farm with 150 milking cows yielding a herd average of 11,800 litres at 3.9% fat and 3.6% protein. Unlike with the cows, however, things have been less successful in the calf shed in recent years. “In the old, temporarily converted pig barn, our calves were constantly sick. Nearly every animal needed antibiotics for lung problems or diarrhoea,” recalls the trained vet. Making a change The turning point came in 2021 when they attended a talk by American farmer Pete Kappelmann, who explained the importance of the in-out principle and the separation of the air space between older and younger calves. This message struck a chord with the Köhlers, who went all in and decided to build a new calf barn…

THE colourful striping along both sides of the machine are not the only eyecatcher as this celebratory Terra Dos 5-40 also has a 4,500 decal at the rear. Supplied by UK importer CC Agri (Chris Coleman Agricultural Engineering), A & R Ivatt’s machine is one of just three 5-40s in the UK and Ireland. Lifting 1,416ha (3,500 acres) in a season that runs from September to sometime in March, and operating in a 35-40-mile radius of the 550ha family farm near Spalding, the Ivatt family has lifted beet since the early 1970s. Richard Ivatt who started the contracting business with his father Anthony, has sat on a beet harvester for six to seven months each season since his 16th birthday in 1976. The lengthy list of harvesters he has piloted…

As I wait for my laptop to boot up, with the heady scent of a fresh coffee filling the office, all seems well with the world. One little chirp from my phone is all it has taken to smash this tranquillity, as I'm quickly reminded of the 200 bales that need to be shifted 15 miles, only 20 at a time thanks to tight access and damp ground. Just to add a little more motivation to the mix, the mowers were going again yesterday, and the weather is, at best, unsettled. Some of you may not have experience of grassland work, especially in quaint old places such as the Yorkshire Dales National Park, where it would seem the Higher Powers are keen to keep the area looking like a working…

Peter Love, the joint creator of Tractor & Machinery and Classic Tractor, gives Farm Machinery his views on this month’s events. If you have a story, or an event, please do get in touch: peterlove@madasafish.com, TEL: 01323 833125 As always life has been very busy and while you are reading this I have just returned from taking a small group to Tractomania, Cassuade, south west, France. Whenever I visit it seems as though the whole of Europe’s agricultural preservation movement has converged together and taken over this not very large town, with its 800 autojumble and model stands down by the railway station. Here you can buy a tractor, trailer, plough or stationary engine. At the top end of the town there are tractor displays and further stands and a…

Following the Rural Past Times event held at Horns Cross near Rye, East Sussex on 9-10 August, which was a huge success in great weather some £20,000 was given away to various charities. The donation took place on Saturday 27 September at the annual autumn tractor run from Mountfield Village Hall. Congratulations to all involved.…

On 1 October Clarke and Simpson who have a strong reputation in Suffolk were at the famous J & R Waspe & Sons farm at Stowmarket, Suffolk. This family were steam ploughing and land drainage contractors and kept much of their venerable machinery to the last and some of these are preserved today with others including a lovely Caterpillar D7 and Fowler ploughing engines. With a change in policy James Durrant and his Clarke and Simpson team were called in to dispose of the lots which featured much classic machinery. It started off with the clean 1996 John Deere 2056 Hillmaster with 3,920 engine hours that sold for £16,200. The 1993 Caterpillar Challenger 75 in very good condition went on to sell for £12,000 with 13,317 hours and has been…

Austrian manufacturer Lindner has unveiled its most powerful tractor to date, the Lintrac 160 LDrive. Sitting above the 136hp Lintrac 130, the 4.5-litre four-cylinder FPT engine in the new flagship tractor delivers a maximum output of 175hp and torque of 700Nm. Mated to a TMT14 CVT developed jointly by Lindner and ZF, power management ensures optimum coordination of the engine and transmission and the Smart Lift transmission control system automatically fine tunes the gearbox when working with a front loader. The new armrest incorporates an additional touchscreen to control all key functions, and the new LDrive joystick allows the operator to accelerate and brake more directly, useful during transport. The spec includes an air-suspended cab, suspended front axle and independent wheel suspension. Cab volume has been increased by a third,…

Mahindra and Mahindra (M&M) is selling its entire stake in Sampo Rosenlew. The new owner the Finnish combine harvester and forestry equipment manufacturer is Tera Yatırım Teknoloji Holding, a Turkish investment group. Sampo is expected to maintain its production capabilities and 200 staff, but with renewed investment and access to new markets in Turkey and the Middle East. Mahindra acquired 35% of the shares in Sampo-Rosenlew summer 2016 and a majority stake in 2020. The transaction marks a strategic exit for Mahindra from this sector while allowing the new Turkish owner to expand its footprint in the agricultural machinery sector. With manufacturing operations in Pori, Finland, Sampo Rosenlew has delivered more than 50,000 combines to around 50 countries in the last 60 years. Key markets are the Nordics, Europe, North…

As well as a fresh look, the Axion 9 gets a new model name that relates to the maximum power. There are still five wheeled models (9.330, 9.360, 9.390, 9.420, 9.450) and a pair of halftracks (9.360TT and 9.450TT) to choose from. There is a very slight power increase over the old 900s and the difference between rated and maximum output is in the region of 10hp – there is no boost function. The power plant is the same too, an 8.7-litre FPT Cursor 9 albeit with a couple of tweaks around the cooling system and to reduce running costs the service interval has jumped from 500 to 750 hours. Indeed, the cost of ownership has been of particular focus for the development team which has spent over four years…

Samasz manufactures a wide range of flail mulchers in various designs and working widths. Its top-of-the-range product offering is the Mamut, which it classes as “super-heavy-duty” machines. The line-up includes three front-mounted models (2.50m, 2.80m and 3.00m wide). By combining a rear-mounted butterfly fold model (available in working widths of up to 8.60m) with a 2.80m front-mounted unit you can still travel on the road while achieving an overall working width of 8.50m with a sufficient overlap. Straightforward front mulcher Our test combo was just this. On the front we had the Mamut 280, which has a mowing width of just under 2.80m and a transport width of less than 3.00m. This model has a double Cat II headstock so it can be frontor rear-mounted. It also has a hydraulic…

Before we talk about technicalities, it’s worth mentioning a quick history of Ostler. Although the name is not new within the yard loader sector, the company behind it is, with German engineering business, Heitmann & Wittler, buying all the designs and trademark rights from the former Bavarian manufacturer two years ago. Since then, Heitmann & Wittler has reworked the Ostler loader, making numerous updates. And the first unit, the K2, is now being built at its factory in Northwest Germany. Telescopic axle The K2 is available in four different versions: with a fixed or telescopic boom and also with or without an extendable axle. We operated the K2TT model; this has both of the hydraulic extendable options for boom and front axle. Of the two, the €4,000 optional telescopic axle…

Claas wasn’t daft enough to go back to a clean sheet of paper with the Liebherr built Scorpions, indeed these make use of several components from the previous Kramer models they replaced. For instance, there is the same 3.6-litre and 4.1-litre Deutz engine family as before and Varipower transmissions. The boom, some ancillaries as well as the quick-attach carriage, joystick and some of the controls were carried over too. But they are far from being a clone of their forebears, despite these common components. At the same time Claas took the opportunity to refine the model range and offer them solely in their seed green and red colours and only retailed through its dealers. At launch, there were five ‘small platform’ models with standard power outputs of 100kW/136hp. Two ‘large…

The problem with sheds is that you can never have enough, especially if you have livestock. And with straw prices continually on the up you want to make sure your fodder investment is suitably sheltered. So, is storing in a field under a suitable cover a viable option? From speaking to a few farmers about their experiences of storing straw in the field, we found opinions are much divided. While some say they have no issues even after a year, others report significant straw losses due to mould and rot caused by damp. Two manufacturing processes To try to figure out why there is such a split in farmer opinion, we decided to do a bit of investigating and talked to Austrian firm Solmax who has been offering fleece covers…

While 6.00m to 7.00m telehandlers are still the biggest sellers, there’s a noticeable shift towards higher capacity machines with the 9.00m reach handler becoming increasingly popular according to Merlo’s Andy Collier. With greater capacity and size also comes more horsepower; a CVT-type rather than hydrostatic transmission can be an option to take advantage of this, giving added torque. Another option is a powershift transmission which could be useful for road work and towing. For work such as stacking straw or potato boxes, lift capacity is also on the up – Merlo has a 9.00m machine which can lift 6.5 tonnes and others are in a similar position. “Here you are looking at applications which might also be carried out with a loading shovel,” comments Andy. “Capable of taking a 3,500kg…

Farms looking to find a more sustainable future for their business often consider diversifying into other crops, but in the UK, grapes would be an unusual choice. However, that is the path that has been taken by the Carlisle family at Rowles Farm, West Illsley. Eight years after deciding to plant a vineyard, the first bottles of the farm’s wine went on sale this summer. “My twin brothers Will and Tom and I are the third generation here at Rowles Farm,” explains Georgie Carlisle-Smith. “Our grandfather moved here from Swindon in 1969 after his land was cut through by the development of the M4. He took out a three-generation tenancy from the Lockinge Estate and later purchased more land.” Sons Peter and David then farmed the land, but in 2015…

JCB was founded on 23 October 1945 by the late Joseph Cyril Bamford CBE in a tiny lock-up garage in the Staffordshire market town of Uttoxeter. It was the same day as his son Anthony, now Lord Bamford, was born. Mr Bamford remarked “being presented with a son tended to concentrate the mind and when you were starting at the bottom, there was only one way to go and that was up.” It’s certainly been 80 years of innovation from a great British company that is still privately owned.…

Tractor enthusiasts have a long history of exhibits to take in at The Newark Vintage Tractor & Heritage Show on 8-9 November the biggest late autumn event of its kind in the UK. Two British icons will mark their 80th year: the Fordson Major E27N and the Field Marshall Series One, both tractors that transformed life on post-war farms and remain beloved by collectors. It is 100 years since Holt and Best merged to form Caterpillar Inc. Its first track type tractors pulled harvesters and more, while today; the company spans electric machines, autonomy, and sustainable power. Simon Eccleston, CEO of the Newark & Nottinghamshire Agricultural Society (NNAS), the charity which organises the event, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to mark the centenary of Caterpillar at our show. “The machines…

A very busy farmer and a keen Massey Ferguson fan was the late Dennis Oakley of Jubilee Farm, Dorrington, Shrewsbury. His objective was to create a Ferguson, MF museum, sadly it never quite happened, although he supported many National and Welsh vintage road runs over the years. HJ Pugh was called in to disperse of the collection on Thursday 18 September. It consisted of many original implements, some restored. The most unusual tractor here was the rare original MF 135 rowcrop supplied by Eastern Tractors that sold for just £3,500, clearly collectors were strangely not interested in it? Dennis’ favourite MF 35 industrial that he used on many road runs sold for £5,400. An older restored Massey Ferguson 165 Multi-Power 562662 grade 4 raised £6,600 as for the rough 1988…

AGCO AND TAFE SETTLE DISPUTE All outstanding disputes and other matters related to the commercial relationship between Agco and Tafe have been resolved. Ownership of the Massey Ferguson brand will rest with Tafe on an exclusive basis in India, Nepal and Bhutan, and all ongoing legal proceedings will be terminated. Tafe has agreed to participate in future share Agco repurchase programs but retains the right to maintain but not exceed its current ownership level of 16.3%. Tafe will repurchase Agco’s current stake in the Indian company for US$260 million. Finally, Tafe will no longer be entitled to nominate a representative to the Agco board of directors and Agco’s director on Tafe’s board will step down. CLAAS LEXION PRODUCTION RETURNS TO GERMANY Rising costs and trade uncertainty is behind Claas’ decision…

EXEL INDUSTRIES TURNOVER DOWN 10% Exel Industries, the parent company of numerous firms including Agrifac, Hardi and Holmer, ended its 2024-2025 financial year with a turnover of €983 million. Down 10.6% compared to the previous financial year, the sprayer division was particularly hard hit, with revenue down by nearly 20% from approx. €503 million (2023-2024) to around €403 million (2024-2025). Holmer (sugar beet equipment) turnover declined 12.9% (€170 million 2023/2024 – €148 million 2024/2025). STIHL BATTERY PRODUCTION PLANT The Stihl Group has opened its first battery-only production site in Oradea, Romania. Costing €125 million and covering a total area of 147,000m², the 47,000m² production building will gradually ramp up operations to reach an annual capacity of one million battery packs by 2026. This is expected to rise to 1.8 million…

Three years ago, we tested the Fendt 724 Vario under the headline ‘The One and only’. But even back then, the team members at Marktoberdorf were probably thinking to themselves 'you ain't seen nothing yet', as work was already underway on a new seventh generation. Since then, we've already tested the range topping 728 Gen7.0 (see profi 3/2024), so we won’t go over old ground with the usual positive and negative comments box. Instead, to keep things interesting, we lined up a 724 Gen6 to see how this 'old' tractor stacks up against the brand new 724 Gen7.1 — a subtle addition to the model name that means all of what is now Fendt’s smallest six-cyl range gain ‘Dynamic Performance’, an extra 15kW/20hp, which most would call power boost. Oh,…

One of the major benefits of fitting a tractor maker’s own brand of front loader is that it can be fully integrated to operate not just with the controls but, as we are increasingly seeing, the software as well. The FendtOne operating system on the 620 Vario we tested in the August issue was able to do just this, with the firm’s new Cargo 5.90 Profi front loader offering a range of optional functionality all aimed at making life simpler for the operator and boosting overall productivity. Sounds good so far; time to knuckle down on the details of our test subject. Aim high The Cargo 5.90 Profi is the top of the range front loader for fitting to the Vario 600 tractor series. The 960kg boom has some big…

Last year Caterpillar updated its ‘small’ wheeled loaders, a trio of models, the 926, 930 and 938. We managed to catch up with the 16t, 190hp model, the 938, to take a closer look at the changes. Our featured machine also gets the extra Agrar tag in the name, as German Caterpillar distributor Zeppelin has created this ag spec machine so that it can standardise on certain options. No steering wheel First thing you notice in the updated cab is that the latest 938 is steered from a joystick on the left-hand armrest of the heated and ventilated premium driver’s seat. Once you have had a bit of mental readjustment to this way of steering, it’s great. Pluses are better forward visibility, more space in the cab and a more…

With a lift height of 3.20 metres and an unloading height of just 2.20 metres when the bucket is fully tipped, these are stats that make the loading of woodchip into a highsided trailer a challenge … to say the least. That’s why I decided to build a lightweight high-tip bucket for light material that has an unloading height of almost 4.0 metres. I made the 1.20m wide, 0.80m high and 1.50m deep bucket from 5.0mm thick sheet metal. It boasts a frame of 12mm thick flat steel. I positioned the bucket’s hinge point on the sides near the front. The 50mm pivot pin is greaseable. The tipping ram is located in the centre of my bucket. I used a wooden mock-up to get the linkage geometry correct. Fitting two…

With a history as significant arable enterprise in the 1980s, the Temple Farming Partnership estate, near Marlborough, has recently changed hands, explains farm manager Ivo Yates: “The land was contract farmed for 10-12 years and the buildings were rented out for non-farming use. When the arable enterprise was taken back in house two years ago there was no suitable grain storage. There was a 40t/hr Svegma tower dryer that had been installed in 2005 but it was too big for our needs, and much of the handling system had been sold off,” he says. One option was to build new stores and keep the existing buildings for commercial use; using outside storage was also considered. “We were having to sell grain straight away, but our experience was that it was…

Three years ago, Guiting Manor Farms introduced hemp to its rotation as the farm looked for ways of reducing exposure to fluctuating commodity prices, while also searching for an additional break crop to oilseed rape. Farms director, Nick Bumford reasoned that hemp’s renewable qualities and tough natural fibres offer a new revenue stream for Guiting Manor Farms, while extending its rotation by one-to-two years when growing oilseed rape. “We’ve grown oilseed rape since the 1990s, and the yield uplift it brings for subsequent wheat crops is hard to over-look,” he says. “But with flea beetle and seed dressing challenges in recent years, we’ve been looking for an additional crop that could bring financial and agronomic benefits to the business.” Nick reckons that the early years of hemp production have needed…

Ecospeed hydrostatic drive uses a variable angle, as opposed to a fixed displacement, hydraulic pump that adjusts the power delivered to the drive in relation to forward speed and torque demand. There is no need for a mechanical range change between 0-30km/hr or 0-40km/hr. In operation, the oil flow from the pump will decrease when there is a demand for more torque. This will help overcome the problem of the engine getting bogged down when the travel pedal is pressed home to get the engine revs but the pump is also set to full flow. Ecospeed has three speed bands. The first will limit speeds to 0-8km/hr and make the travel pedal less sensitive, second offering a speed range of 0-15km/hr and the third to the maximum travel speed. In…

Congratulations to Vanda Parcel and her team for raising £8,000 from the 2025 Easter Day National Vintage Tractor Road Run where 345 tractors took part in the successful Run around Stowmarket, Suffolk. In a recent presentation the money has been split between the two designated charities: SARS999 and St Nicholas Hospice. Here’s to the 2026 run which will take place in Cornwall which Martin Dymond the chairman of the Cornish Tractor Club tells us is coming on very well, for entry forms do give him a ring, tel: 07799 666088.…

1 November Monthly Live & Online Machinery Sale. Holsworthy Livestock Market, Holsworthy, Devon EX22 7FA. Kivells, tel: 01409 253253. 3 November Auction of Tractors, Quad Bikes, Commercial Vehicles, Implements, Machinery, Small Tools & Equipment. Longtown Mart, Townfoot, Longtown, Carlisle CA6 5LY. Cumberland & Dumfriesshire Auction Marts, tel: 01228 791215. 3-4 November Cambridge Machinery Sale. The Saleground, Sutton, Ely, Cambridge CB6 2QT. Cheffins, tel: 01353 777767. 3-6 November Online Machinery Collective Auction. Voyce Pullin, www.voycepullin.co.uk 4-12 November Online Collective Sale of Tractors, Plant, Vehicles, Trailers, Machinery, Tools & Spares. Clarke & Simpson, www.clarkeandsimpson.co.uk 5 November Onsite Auction of Modern Farm Machinery. Suffolk. Cheffins, www.cheffins.co.uk Online Machinery Sale Harrison & Hetherington, www.harrisonandhetherington.co.uk 7 November Collective Machinery Sale Greenslade Taylor Hunt in conjunction with Gwilym Richards. Chepstow Racecourse, Chepstow, Monmouthshire NP16 6EH. Greenslade…