Innehållsförteckning för April 2023 från Profi

Our big tractor test this month is on John Deere’s 6R150 model. I have purposely removed the gap between the 6R and 150 (the format that Deere prefers) as I do with most model names that insist on spreading out. Me trying to poke the bear? Or the Deere? Nah. Not at all. In fact, there's sound reasoning to my logic. In an article, the spaced-out model designation could be broken over two lines, and it also prevents the reader momentarily guessing whether we're writing about the range or the model. It's equally annoying if you're naming three or four models at once i.e. 6R 120, 6R 130, 6R 140. So do you put 6R 120, 130, 140 or my preferred 6R120, 6R130, 6R140? This is the sort of thing…

Dr Marie Kirby from Harper Adams University was one of the keynote speakers in the ‘Alternatives to artificial fertiliser’ session. Specialising in how farmers can make the best of livestock manures and slurries, she gave a broad overview of the technologies that are in the pipeline set to revolutionise the way we view muck. Her research work covers all manner of work looking at nutrient removal, recovery and re-use. Alongside this she covers on-farm production of biomethane, hydrogen, renewable energy and even plastics from biosolids. One of the most interesting projects currently in development is a technology revolving around a process called electro-coagulation. Working alongside commercial partners Elentec and Merigan, the university has come up with a system that will strip phosphorus from cattle slurry, leaving a phosphate-free effluent fraction…

FUEL ANDRUN TIME With an eye to carbon net zero, and also in some cases for simplicity of control, the industry is drawn to electric power. But providing enough power from batteries to give the run time to be truly autonomous is a challenge, particularly for demanding operations such as tillage and seeding. Solar power can help, providing the location has enough sun, and in some cases a hybrid drive is the answer. A number of power systems were on show. EXXACT ROBOTICS Part of the Exel group, a market leader in sprayers, Exxact Robotics was established in 2019 to focus on autonomous solutions. However, it also feeds back technology to its sister companies, and this is one goal of developing a hydrogen fuelled version of its Traxx straddle robot,…

NANOVE Nanovel’s prototype tree fruit harvester is designed to be able to find and pick fruit from thick foliage without the need to reshape trees or grow on trellises, using AI algorithms to detect the crop. Grippers secure the fruit while a blade trims the stem, and the technology is being expanded away from citrus to be suitable for stone fruit, avocados and mangoes, and to offer a pulling function for fruit which can be picked rather than cut. Data collection will also enable analysis of yield and quality. The harvester will incorporate multiple independent arms to lock onto individual fruit and the Israeli start up is currently seeking capital investment with the aim of commercial production in 2024. Manufacture: Israel Availability: Prototype Price: TBC ANT ROBOTICS While manual picking…

Practical… that’s what the headline for the L85 could easily have been. This small wheeled loader was a popular assistant around the yard during its stay with us, despite discovering its limits relatively quickly — particularly the rather modest 3.31m max lift height. But we’ll come back to that later. Mention the name Bobcat in farming circles, and most will immediately think skidsteers. Indeed, the L85 is the firm's first compact pivot-steer loader in its familiar red/white colour scheme, though it's worth noting that Bobcat is part of the South Korean Doosan Group, which has been making a broad range of shovels under its own name for years. In-house Surprisingly Bobcat hasn't used a Doosan engine. For the L85, Bobcat goes with its own motor, a 2.4-litre three-pot producing just…

When weeds have poked their heads up above the crop it is too late for spraying with a herbicide or carrying out a pass with a hoe or weeder. Nests of thistles, wild grass, blackgrass or millet not only suppress the crop, but possibly more important is that, when they go to seed, the weed burden is going to increase in future years, depending on the rotation. Christoph Deschberger, Georg Hanslauer and Martin Möseneder, from DHM Engineering, in Austria, have further developed a front mounted weed cutter unit that was initially designed and built by Christoph’s father, along with a local farmer, about 10 years ago. This earlier predecessor of the DHM BioCut used the same principle of a double knife to cut off any weeds growing above the main…

Shunting made easy and fast Buckets in a stack Special pallets Taxi cab for attachments…

So, what is the MultiBaler XL like to operate and how does it stack up with the current MB1220? The best person to answer these questions is Dutch contractor Ni’j Holthoes, which bales and wraps around 13,000 maize bales a season countrywide. The contractor took delivery of its first MultiBaler a decade ago; an 810 towed behind a MB Trac. The workload grew, and four years ago, the 810 was part-exchanged for a new 820 and used 1210. The latter was upgraded to a 1220 (Agronic branding and always worked behind the contractor’s Deutz DX6.11) and a second Knoll-branded 1220 was recently added. The contractor brought both 1220s to the demonstration. The business bought its first self-propelled forage harvester, a New Holland FX60, to tow the second 1220 (see profi…

The Swedish manufacturer has acquired the full portfolio of inter-row cultivators made by Danish maker Thyregod. Described as a perfect match to Väderstad’s current product range, initially, the TRV (3.0m to 9.0m) and TRV Swingking (12m and 18m) will be sold under the Thyregod brand, and continue to be manufactured in Denmark. There will be a transition period during the next few months and Väderstad will take over the responsibility for the hoe business on June 1. From June next year, they will carry the Väderstad brand. More details about this will be announced prior to Agritechnica in November. “Our new and existing farmer customers will increasingly use inter-row crop cultivators and it is essential that we include them in our product range,” says Väderstad UK’s sales and marketing manager,…

The first of the 100% electrically powered Monarch MK-V tractors have left the production line and are with customers. The electric drivetrain on the 2.3t tractor provides 40hp (30kW) of continuous power and short duration peak up to 70hp (52kW). It depends on the situation, but maximum battery runtime is a claimed 14+ hours. The optional battery pack extends the operating range, One person can swap the batteries in under 10 minutes. Safety features include roll and collision prevention, vision-based pto (540rpm) safety and 360° cameras. Additional autonomous hardware and software technology provides driver-assist and driver-optional operations, where the tractor can perform pre-programmed to work without an operator. Currently only available in North America, price of the 4wd MK-V, which comes with Cat I/II rear linkage, 750kg lift capacity, 75l/min…

DIGITAL WORKBENCH Digital Workbench has developed the autonomous Tipard 350 with plant breeding, agrochemical and specialised applications in mind. Built around a self-levelling chassis, it can operate in four-wheel and crab steer with 360° turning wheels, and weighs in at just 350kg, with an optional load of 150kg. Designed to be easily customised for different applications, it can be fitted with a rear linkage, but early uses have included collection of soil samples, while the ground clearance of up to 80cm allows work in growing crops. Open source software makes for easy integration of the customer’s IT infrastructure or apps. With battery and range extender power sources, it uses 3D camera-controlled steering and RTK navigation. Manufacture: Germany Availability: Prototype Price: TBC MEROPY Meropy’s SentIV scouting robot is being trialled by…

HARITECH The HaRibOT has been designed as a tool carrier with 25hp diesel engine to handle a range of implements, including sprayers, fertiliser applicators etc. It was demonstrated as an earth auger for new plantations and is navigated/controlled via GPS with LIDAR for safety. The company plans to add cameras to feed back data to the operator who can continue other tasks. Tracks can extend to 140cm for more difficult terrain. In full production, a number of HaRibOT have been sold, while others are on rental contracts. Manufacture: Hungary Availability: On the market for sale or rental Price Depends on configuration EXOBOTIC TECHNOLOGIES One challenges of working in areas with tree cover is achieving a consistent GNSS RTK signal for navigation. The battery powered Land-A2 uses LIDAR to load visual…

For most forage harvesters, under typically heavy first cut conditions, the existing Kemper 639 Premium pick-up should be up to the job; this same unit, finished in red and badged the C3003 is available to fit Claas forage harvesters (see profi 01/21) and, as the N3003 Maximum, New Holland models. So, why the need for the new Kemper 30R? Simple. The increased use of 900hp plus forage harvesters in grass. Match a powerful forager to a high-yielding crop in huge productivity boosting swaths and the slip clutch on the pick-up can often work overtime. The Kemper 30R seeks to overcome this by featuring: • With a significantly larger auger • A bigger pick-up • Chain-free driveline We matched the new 30R to a 970hp John Deere 9900i to see how…

Back in 2005, the harvesting division of Lely purchased established baler maker Welger, the company continuing to produce Lely branded balers at the factory in Wolfenbüttel, Germany. AGCO subsequently acquired the harvesting division of Lely in around 2015, essentially selling former Lely branded balers in Fendt green from 2017. Although this is a bit of historical shorthand, the key point is Fendt balers may be relatively new but underneath they have a long and established design heritage. As a used buy this has a number of plus points. Initial Fendt Rotana 1125F, Rotana 2125F and Rotana 2125 Profi F fixed chamber balers are pretty much the same as their Lely branded equivalents, with good spares support. Know the basics The balers we consider here all produce a 1.25m diameter bale…

John Deere tractor purists will no doubt spot the odd ‘non original’ change to the Lynx Engineering JD 6800. As outlined from the outset, the primary aim was to breathe new life into a 30-year-old tractor and show how sensible upgrades could bring it up to meet current demands. The quality of this rebuild, however, is exceptional and it is the high standard of finish that most remark upon when they see the tractor in the metal. Front linkage Working back, the new style Zuidberg front linkage, with a nominal capacity 2.8 tonne, is essentially much as it was when fitted, probably by Lynx boss Nick Ewbank, back in 1992. It is, however, a new linkage and fully up to date to allow a new 1,000 rpm front pto to…

There is no fire yet — but, in the future, weed control with robotic hoes could well become an interesting tool for conventional farmers. At the moment, organic farmers remain the driving force for much of this development as they seek less costly alternatives to the manual weeding of their crops. Database for Deep Learning Farming Revolution, from Ludwigsburg, just north of Stuttgart, was founded four years ago and has since taken on this autonomous weeding challenge. Originally part of the nine-strong team working on agricultural robotics and deep learning at Bosch, an image database of plants was set up, and this now contains 18 million so-called annotated images. These photos are linked with additional information, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) uses this for image analysis. To build the extensive image…

The Case IH MX240 is in its element pulling a four-row Köckerling tine cultivator, purring like a kitten. “He feels comfortable in the field, but we prefer to use other tractors for roadwork,” is the view from Hendrik Gaus, the owner of the Magnum featured here, who clearly classifies the MX as a real arable tractor that finds it hard to hide its American origins. Full powershift One of the main reasons is the full powershift, 18 forward ratios that can only be shifted up or down one after the other, not really lending itself to a prompt getaway at a set of traffic lights. Shifting is done electro-hydraulically by pressing the rocker switch on the side of the ‘joystick’, which otherwise is only a hand throttle. A big plus…

Specialist machinery sales can be tricky, as the draw isn’t as strong. Which makes it all the more surprising that the recent Glebe Farm auction attracted as many as 250 folk to the sale site, with a further 200 registering online. “Those are good numbers for a potato equipment sale,” says Brown & Co auctioneer, Simon Wearmouth. “But, to be fair, there was a lot of other more general equipment on offer, too — both from the main vendor, M and J E Attew, and the Witham family. This definitely helped to produce a more rounded offering and the resulting increased attendance. ” Main reason for the auction was that the Attews are getting out of the potato sector, hence the long list of irrigation, planting, harvesting and grading kit…

RECORD NET SALES FORAGCO Strong performance in the main markets helped AGCO increase its net sales by 13.6% last year to a record US12.7 billion (US$11.1b in 2021). The results were fuelled by increased sales of mid-range and high horsepower tractors and replacement parts in the main European markets, and increased sales of precision ag products and services as well as high horsepower tractors and combines in North America. AGCO expects to increase net sales in 2023 to around US$14.0 billion. AGVANTAGE TAKES ON HOLARAS AgVantage UK is now importing the full range of machines made by Dutch company Holaras. This includes silage and onion handling equipment, and a wide range of other kit that includes beet and sawdust bedding buckets. The Peterborough-based firm is confident that this new partnership…

DEERE TO SKIP SIMA John Deere will not exhibit at the French show next year. Instead, it wants to focus more on country specific dealer and customer events throughout 2024. The company still sees an important role for trade shows in the future but would welcome international trade fair organisations to review their current timetables to allow greater flexibility for other promotional activities. LAMENESS DETECTION SYSTEM GEA has developed a lameness detection system. Described as a time-saving way to keep an eye on the dairy herd hoof health, and developed together with its Northern Ireland-based partner CattleEye, a 2D camera installed above the existing milking parlour captures and records each cow as it leaves. Software then evaluates irregularities in the animals’ movement patterns and flags them in the system. This…

Prominent at FIRA with four robots working in different applications and a founding partner in the event, Naio Technologies was established in 2011 and has 350 robots farming 60,000ha globally. Based in Toulouse, the company opened a subsidiary in Salinas, California in 2019 to focus on the US market and last year raised €32m investment for further developments. Naio robots are fully autonomous using RTK for 2cm accuracy and electrically powered, with all software and hardware developed inhouse. Implements, however are outsourced, using established specialist manufacturers such as Kult. Following on from products aimed at the vineyard and fresh product markets, in 2022 Naio introduced Orio, targeting field scale vegetables and sugar beet and designed for cultivations, seeding and collecting data. Adjustable track width from 1.5m-2.2m allows configuration for a…

SOFTIVERT The SoftiRover has been designed as a self-driving electric tractor, simple in operation and using LIDAR for obstacle avoidance and GPS for navigation. It can be used with existing implements, adapted for electric drive by the company, such as the Monosem precision seeder demonstrated. Setting of seed spacing, rate and planting depth is controlled via an app and the SoftiRover is autonomous once up and running. Shown for the first time in public, it is due to be trialled on the developer’s own farm in Pau, SouthWest France this spring for soy and maize before a limited release in 2024. Manufacture: France Availability: 2025 Price: expected to be around £100,000 SITIA The Trektor platform is aimed at multiple markets, and is designed for autonomous use. Three models with variable…

It has taken some time, but powerful four-cylinder tractors are now being accepted; agile enough for loader work around the yard, but still strong enough to handle the likes of a 3.0m power harrow drill or pair of front and back mowers. John Deere could not escape this trend, and about a year ago introduced the two ‘small’ 6R140 and 6R150 models with a 2.58m wheelbase and four cylinders under their bonnet. You can recognise the new ones from the outside by the green painted mirrors and, when in the seat, by the absent dash. Instead, there is an A-pillar display which we already know from the 7R, 8R and 9R. But we are getting ahead of ourselves; we should be looking under the bonnet. Here our on-test steed was…

When AGCO bought Lely’s grassland and baler division, small square baler buyers argued the merits of which was better — the offset Lely or the inline Massey Ferguson? Both had long pedigrees, the inline machine starting out in the 1970s under the Hesston banner and built in the US factory of the same name. And it's these machines that AGCO has backed with an updated 1800 series. While there are several machines marketed in North America, Massey Ferguson's focus in Europe is firmly on the 1840, which produces a 46x36cm bale. However, there will be a bit more choice for the coming season as the 1842S is added. But more on that baler on page 36. Wide pick-up The 1840 weighs in at just under 1.6t and is hitched to…

Externally, the new Big Baler can be recognised by the stickers, the large blue flash replaced by more elegant black and silver badging. Equally as prominent are chassis and pick-up, which now don the same New Holland yellow in place of the common CNHI dark grey. But before we get lost in superficial detail, we’d better progress to the important stuff. Let’s start at the pick-up. Nylon rings have been added, which are said to improve the durability of the seals on the roller bearings. And in the case of the balers with the rotor chopping system, the pick-up drive shaft will benefit from beefier bearings. These balers will also feature additional guide blocks to better hold the knife drawer in its position, helping to prevent the knives and rotor…

There is always that one old tyre that happens to be filled with water, or sometimes a liquid that's a lot more potent, landing just in front to splatter you with its unsavoury contents. It's all part of the character building stuff of sheeting down a silage clamp once the forage is safely in the yard. Yet mucky tyre slinging is only one element of this tedious challenge, so profi readers have been coming up with ideas to help make the entire job a little easier. Our readers have also sent us some additional machinery storage ideas since our 11/2022 issue. If you have any more tips, please bung them our way. HELPS WITH RE-FILLS FILM HOLDER ON THE FRONT LOADER COVERS BY EXPRESS NO CHANCE OF HEATING SAFE STANDING…

Whether cleaning the tractor cab or spannering on a machine, a compressed air gun is always a useful tool to have in the farm workshop. And this usefulness only increases when that same tool can also vacuum. Hazet has come up with the 9043N-10 suction and blowing gun for such cleaning purposes, and it can be bought online for around £75. The tool is supplied in a plastic case that also includes plenty of accessories. The main part is a robust gun with a metal housing weighing about 400g. A fabric bag to collect dust can be attached to the back using a hose clamp with a quick-release fastener and inlet nozzle. The 18cm suction nozzle has an inner diameter of 20mm and is inserted into the front of the…

The interest in baling maize silage in the field is not just increasing in Europe, but also in far-away destinations, including China and India. Resulting in better compaction, less mould, and fewer bales to transport when buying and selling silage, it is a market that Dutch farm machinery dealer Knoll first tapped into more than 25 years ago with a variety of in-house made solutions. One of the most spectacular was the Tawi Twin. Based on a modified Massey Ferguson 1839 baler, it was designed for non-stop baling and wrapping of small rectangular hay bales for hobby farms and horse owners. Bales were diverted onto one of two wrappers and the prototype was reportedly capable of baling and wrapping up to 150 bales an hour. In the end, they never…

Although there had been mumblings within the machinery industry, it was still a major surprise when Deutz-Fahr launched the production-ready Gigant 400, a fully fledged forage harvester. The company already had a lot of the bits on offer for the forage harvester, as the engine, chassis, transmission, cab and several other components were available at the Lauingen combine factory. Yet one critical component needed to be developed, the all-important forage chopping unit. A seemingly suitable solution was found at Landtechnik Schönebeck (LTS). Apart from the intake assembly and a few minor details, it originated in a machine called the Maral 150 and slightly more powerful Maral 190. The 600mm wide, 800mm diameter chopping drum was equipped with 12 full-width knives in a diagonal arrangement. Knife sharpening had been refined and…

After a pleasantly long period of service, my cheap 4.5” angle grinder finally threw in the towel and let the magic blue smoke out. As most of you will know only too well, the magic smoke is placed inside a power tool at the point of manufacture and must stay contained within, giving the tool its life force. Should the smoke be allowed to escape, it inevitably spells the end — it can't be put back. To date, the exact cause of escape has baffled scientists, but some known contributing factors are: abuse, overuse, under-use, misuse and the wind changing. Having seen the blue smoke far too often, I have fallen into a bit of a cycle with buying replacement grinders. I will buy something cheap and readily available, and…

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REPORT Compost in Northumberland Interest in using compost as a soil improver continues to grow, but getting the right kit to process and apply it is key, says farmer and contractor Michael Leyland. TRACTOR TEST Fendt 1167 Vario MT We are jumping up the horsepower ladder for next month’s tractor test as we find out what the 495kW/673hp Fendt 1167 Vario MT is like to live with. PRACTICAL TEST Vogelsang Unispread applicator With some form of applicator now (or soon to be) compulsory in parts of the UK and Ireland there is a lot of interest in trailing shoe systems. One retrofit solution is the Vogelsang Unispread and we have been testing the 10.5m version. REPORT Users rate self-propelled tankers We speak to users of the latest Holmer, Ploeger, Vervaet…