Innehållsförteckning för May 2025 från Profi

It is that time again to sit in front of the keyboard and provide some machinery business wisdom, without following the easy path of talking about the wonderful and insightful articles within this May issue, where hopefully we've managed to satisfy, for now, your appetite for knowledge. Time is something that’s been on my mind a lot in recent weeks. Taking the time to speak to people, the ones that you say to yourself, I'll call them tomorrow, but tomorrow there is something else that becomes a priority. It reminds me of a Nike advert from years ago: 'Yesterday you said tomorrow, so just do it.' And it’s not just about finding the time to speak to folk, but also the time to not rush into a job — allocating…

Landquip’s new XFR range of compact mounted sprayers is available in boom widths from 12 and 15m for tractors from 80 to 150hp. Developed following requests for a quality built and high specification sprayer for small to medium arable and vegetable growers, the new range sits below the Suffolk manufacturer’s current mounted aluminium boom (18 to 30m) machines. Available in capacities of 800, 1,000 and 1,200l, the shape of the tank helps to lower the centre of gravity and the high-grade polyethylene used for the tank, 65l wash tank and 20l hand wash tank, is said to be easy to clean. A 30l swing out low level chemical induction bowl complete with can wash, hopper wash, and agitation jet, are all standard. Equipped with stainless spray lines, mono or tri-jet…

Slovenian firm Farmtech has its work cut out if it wants to break into the UK and Irish market; with our own array of domestic makers, it could be akin to selling sand to the Arabs. So, why have we included this test from our German colleagues? The tanker’s low-slung design and extra features are what made us raise an eyebrow when we read the Supercis 1000 test report. This single-axle model with a useable volume of 10.2m³ (about 2,250 gallons in old money) is available with a vacuum or pump; the latter is a 3,000l/min Wangen eccentric screw unit located under its belly, and this is what was fitted to the test machine. It also came with its own 10.50m Condor trailing shoe boom applicator, which folds alongside the…

Can you really combine the benefits of the lower weight of a trailing shoe with the optimum slurry placement of a disc injector even in dry soils? BeTec believes it has done precisely that, overcoming the drawback of disc injectors that are usually heavy in weight and have a limited working width. By comparison, trailing shoes are relatively lightweight and apply the slurry effectively. The new concept from BeTec occupies the middle ground between the two applicator types. And while it may not be a household name here, the Slovenian manufacturer has been building trailing shoe booms for some time and is starting to make inroads into the German market. Closer to home, the company has even been touting its wares in the UK as it looks to up its…

Comprising a self-contained engine-driven pump, compressor for blowing out the drag hose, capacity for carrying 2.000m of hose (two spools) and a work platform with storage for oils, tools, couplings etc. The hose spools are secured by locking pins with no need for straps. The extended drawbar also allows the towing tractor to carry a dribble bar and rear ground clearance is raised to allow reversing up lagoon banks. Tramspread had been producing slurry spreading booms for a decade before it began contracting with umbilical spreading systems in 1998. Company founder Terry Baker designed the first Contractor Trailer to reduce the movements needed to set up his spreading system. It was 7.30m long, and was built using a used Iveco six-cylinder turbocharged engine driving a Bauer SM3500 pump via a…

Just outside Market Drayton, the pedigree herd of Phildor Holsteins has a pretty swanky new home. S P Robinson & Son broke ground here in 2021 after a roller coaster with planning permissions which were mostly ammonia related, and what led to the underfloor manure handling system and haven’t had a negative impact on the day to day operation. The barn floor design takes a wide area and drains the slurry into smaller channels, which reduces the amount of surface where the urine and faeces can mix, which causes the release of ammonia. Robot decision It’s not very often a new dairy farm is built from scratch, but when you do, it shows how building design, and materials combined with up to date equipment can make a super building. The…

Expanding herd sizes, impending legislation on slurry storage, the need to upgrade ageing facilities or simply the availability of funding can lead farms to consider making changes to their slurry handling equipment. Slurry separators are worth investigation as they can increase storage capacity by 15-25% and improve the ease of slurry handling, pumping and mixing. Material pumped into the separator is mechanically ‘squeezed’ to give two or more products: a liquid fraction and a solid material. There are also benefits when using the separated products including improved management of applications and nutrient levels. The liquid fraction is the main source of nitrogen and offers improved infiltration to the soil and reduced leaf contamination, the latter extending application periods. Livestock can be returned much earlier to grassland due to increased penetration…

Twenty years ago, in the pre-emission’s days, slurry was just one of those jobs you had to get done, the product was seen as something of an inconvenience. Changes to legislation combined with higher fertiliser prices has brought a new attitude to slurry and its value, as well as storage concerns for older farm set ups. Lockerbie-based G Rae Contracting run a full service agricultural contracting business with combines, forage harvesters, muck and slurry handling, as well as all of the jobs in-between. The west of Scotland is a fertile area, but it’s exposed to weather and has a cool climate. Andy Rae wanted to add something to the business that would complement what they already offered, and fill some of their quieter times. “I’d been watching what the farmers…

Cheffins has a farm machinery sale that interests us, it starts online Tuesday 18 March and finishes on Tuesday 25 March. Viewing day will be Friday 21 March at Gordon Stanley’s farm in Lincolnshire. The fleet features a very clean John Deere 3040 two-wheel drive, Massey Ferguson 35, Ferguson FE-35, Fordson EIA Major 6-cylinder conversion, Nuffield 460 rare, Track Marshall forklift, Kawasaki Mule 2510, TCM FG20 forklift. There are various trailers, hay making equipment, containers, engines, rural bygones, workshop equipment and over 100 stone troughs. Further details from Cheffins website.…

CVTs for the Valtra Q and S series tractors are now being produced in-house at the expanded transmission plant at the Suolahti facility. Up until now, the Finnish factory manufactured transmissions for N and T series tractors, and supplied powershifts for the South American market and transmission components for other Agco plants. The larger production space provides plenty of room to double the transmission capacity at the plant to build and test new CVTs for the Q (230-305hp) and S (280-420hp) series. The larger transmission plant is part of a US$38m investment at Suolahti by parent company Agco.…

When it was revealed in 2020, Massey Ferguson’s 8S was unlike anything the firm had ever produced. Top of the innovations was the Protect-U cab/engine installation creating a 24cm gap between engine and an all-new cab with negative rake windscreen, to insulate the operator from heat and noise while lowering in-cab noise levels to 68dB(A). Impressive stuff. The press release profoundly claimed that the 8S represented a new era of straightforward and dependable tractors, delivering exactly what operators want. But for every operator who loves them, there seems one who also detests them, in other words it’s a bit marmite. From new Initially, the 8S included just four models starting with the 205hp 8S.205 and topping out with the 265hp 8S.265. EPM (engine power management) with the 7.4-litre AGCO Power…

Since 2019, the Danish manufacturer GST has been offering rotary hoes ranging in working widths from a mere 1.50m all the way up to 15m. But it built its very first machine in 2013 for use on the company’s own farm. Recently the firm added its own front hoppers, which are reckoned to make the rotary hoe even more versatile and increase its efficiency — for applying fertiliser, reseeding grassland or even sowing catch crops. The structure The 2,850kg Biostar 12 rotary hoe has Cat. III couplers just like the front hopper. Both the lift arms and top link have three attachment height options, allowing users to not only adjust the height but also the aggressiveness and the ground pressure. Further adjustments are made by adjusting the top link. The…

Excavators are versatile buddies and useful for stacking bales, splitting wood, mulching and loading the muck spreader. Kitted out with the right implements, they're often faster and more manoeuvrable, especially in tight spaces, than front loader tractors or a wheel loader. In addition, they can go about their business without shunting back and forth all the time, a particular plus point in sticky conditions — especially if the machine runs on tracks. The following tips highlight mods and retrofit solutions that can upgrade an excavator for agricultural jobs. Happy reading. BUCKET IN REVERSE This reader turned a handling bucket on his wheeled excavator 180° and uses it now for loading muck and, in the barn, for loading grain and fertiliser. With the bucket in this position, he can push bulky,…

When it comes to diligent pto shaft maintenance there are generally two camps — its either neglected or over-indulged. The grease nipples are often difficult to reach or simply forgotten. However, regular maintenance can almost double the service life of a drive shaft, which saves money, especially when it comes to more costly wide-angle units with slip clutches. The Walterscheid Connected Service Counter uses an app that alerts the machine operator that the shaft needs greasing by counting the operating hours of the driveshaft. The novel technology consists of an acceleration sensor, which detects the vibrations of the moving machine, and a magnetic field sensor that recognises a rotating drive shaft, all in one neat little device. The data is transmitted via Bluetooth Low Energy 4.0 within a radius of…

Slurry and silage form the lion’s share of the general contracting business established by Kevin Haworth based at New Field Farm, Kirkby Lonsdale. Though it is slurry application that is gaining the most traction, as the family-run firm remains focussed on supporting its livestock and dairy customers. Each year, the firm applies around 70,000m³ of slurry and to meet this demand it operates a fleet of nine vacuum tankers, three of which are equipped with booms to assist with emptying over hedges, and two of them carry dribble bars. While the Haworth’s umbilical system is based on five- and four-inch pipe runs, with a 60m³ Hogg Engineering nurse tank providing a buffer when working remotely. AgQuip booms offer application widths of 12m as a dribble bar and 10m when using…

Cash flow is always a sticky subject within agriculture, as we are inextricably linked to the seasons and the subsequent rises and falls of the farm account that they bring. Sadly, we haven’t just got seasons to deal with, as year on year conditions have been seen to fluctuate wildly. You can scrutinise world trade prices, blackmail your agronomist, bribe your feed rep or even cross a fortune teller’s hand with silver, but, come the start of another farming year, you’re still not going to know what profit that year will ultimately yield. Dodgy weather, global unrest and even a change of government can all have disastrous effects on the bottom line. Regardless of these challenges, I was in better financial standing than ever as we came into spring, giving…

Barry Hawkins have secured the Jim and Mel Wakefield horticultural tidy up sale which is going to be live and online, Saturday 5 April near Wisbech, Cambridge and it is going to be an interesting day that’s for sure. Jim was born into horticultural machinery as his father had a nursery business in the area which featured Honda powered machinery. Jim set up his landscaping business with his wife Mel which continues today. Over the years they have built up one of the most original, cleanest and best restored horticultural collections in the UK which is very desirable indeed. You always notice their display when you walk around the horticultural sections of the better shows in the UK – it just stands out. The machines that I like best are…

1 March  Retirement Sale of D & K Tonge. Fen View Farm, North Kyme, Lincoln LN4 4DP. Will Barker & Co Ltd, tel: 01529 414555. Dispersal Sale of Implements & Machinery. Prospect Grange Farm, Corbridge. Harrison & Hetherington, tel: 01228 406200. Dispersal Sale of Implements & Machinery. Abbey Park Farm, Bleatarn. Harrison & Hetherington, tel: 01228 406200. Auction of Vintage Tractors & Engines, Tool Boxes, Cast Iron Plates, Massey Ferguson & Other Literature, Tractor Spares. Hazle Meadows Auction Centre, Ross Road, Ledbury, Herefordshire HR8 2LP. H J Pugh & Co, tel: 01531 631122. Monthly Live & Online Machinery Sale. Holsworthy Livestock Market, Holsworthy, Devon EX22 7FA. Kivells, tel: 01409 253253. 3-10 March  Online Farm Dispersal & Reduction Sale. Burnmouth Farm, Newtyle PH12 8SG. Pentland Livestock Ltd, www.pentlandlivestock.co.uk 3-11 March  Online…

BUHLER GOES PRIVATE A proposed deal is in the making that will see Buhler Industries, the publicly-traded Versatile and Farm King equipment manufacturer, fully absorbed by Asko, its Turkish majority shareholder. There will be no change to the brands and dealer networks, but the Buhler name is to be dropped. The new company will be called Amalco, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Asko Holdings, which purchased 96.7% of the shares of Buhler Industries in December 2023 (Asko Holdings owns Basak Traktor). The main reason for the change is that substantial investments are needed over the next few years to modernize the Versatile tractor plant in Winnipeg and the Farm King factory in Morden. KUBOTA EXPANDS DEALERSHIP AREAS Kubota (UK) has implemented a series of changes to three of its dealer sales…

Massey Ferguson hopes to have a hydrogen powered demonstrator tractor ready by 2026. This is one of the goals of the engineering department at the Beauvais facility, which is leading a French consortium to develop high pressure hydrogen storage tanks for use in an agricultural tractor as well as for other off-road heavy applications. With €4.4 million of funding from the French State, one of the project’s aims is to integrate the tanks into a future Massey hydrogen tractor. The demonstrator tractor will be based on the conventional mid hp tractor platform, and will leverage the full potential of the AGCO Power engine. “This engine concept will bring significant development cost reductions for the overall tractor because it is built on a familiar design and architecture,” said Frédéric Cavoleau, vice…

Single-rotor rakes are far from being a thing of the past with sales figures being relatively consistent — and not just for Kuhn. A good enough reason for us to take a look at Kuhn’s latest offering, which received an overhaul last year. Called the GA, it comes in three models with rotor diameters from 2.90m to 3.40m. Our test machine was the middle model, the 4201, which has a rotor diameter of 3.20m and 11 tine arms. A clean rake The pins for the lower links are floating and on a Cat II spacing. Because the pto stub has been moved 32cm to the rear, there is no risk of the tractor wheel colliding with the pto in its stored position on the basic holder. Another benefit to the…

On tub mixers with three augers and capacities of more than 30m³, the torque needed to get things moving can be demanding on the tractor — indeed, on occasions, this load is enough to stall the engine. A modern solution seems long overdue, especially in today’s world of continuously variable transmissions, and this is exactly what Siloking has done. We were able to check out one of these diet feeders with the new driveline in action at the Fromajgard farm in Denmark (more about them on page 32). Every day, around 40 tonnes of feed is mixed for the 1,450 animals, which for the past six months has been done with the not so snappily named Siloking TrailedLine 4.0 System 1000+ 4535 Vario. Moreover, the model name is nearly as…

Starting at the field end of the hose first, dribble bars remain the most widely used applicator for umbilical systems in the UK and Ireland due to their simplicity, ability to handle undulating terrain and durability. For those on a limited budget it is all too easy to look at the used applicator end but to not think through to how that applicator is supplied with liquid. If you expect to be able to set up an umbilical slurry or digestate handling system from scratch, using just used equipment, you may run into problems. The pool of viable used kit may not be as extensive as you might think. Here we focus on equipment supplied by Suffolk-based Tramspread. The company manufactures and supplies parts and services for slurry and digestate…

Front loader manufacturer Stoll offers mounting brackets for almost 6,000 different tractor models, including machines that date back to the 1960s. So, finding the correct loader brackets for the featured 1998 New Holland M135 wasn’t a major problem. Indeed, the universal hole pattern means these are also compatible with further New Holland model ranges, including the TM models. Depending on the tractor, the brackets can be supplied with extra bracing connecting to the rear axle — as standard or optional spec. The M135 model needed such a brace. Standard spec in the kit also includes a robust grille guard. Three model ranges Stoll’s front loaders come in three model lines that tot up to as many as 35 models. The entry-level is the CompactLine FC range for small tractors of…

Miniloonwerker (mini contractor) is the perfect Dutch phrase for describing the business of Yordi Freriks in the Netherlands. He is a professional service provider for cities, municipalities, equine farms and private landowners, for whom he has a big focus on being smaller than most of his fellow slurry contractors in the Netherlands. But it isn’t just a slurry operation. His other main services include scarifying, reseeding, milling, mulching, mowing, hedge trimming and spreading sand and manure. For these varied tasks, the John Deere tractor clocks up around 1,200 hours per season. The city councils within the Netherlands usually don’t operate their own machinery fleets, instead relying on service providers. For most of the year, Yordi is a one-man operator, only taking on temporary staff during the season when needed. His…

The new range was born out of the merger of Veenhuis and Schuitemaker in 2019 to form the SVgroup. At the time of the merger, Schuitemaker made slurry tankers and injectors, but was stronger with its forage wagons, silage trailers and Feedo feeding wagons. In a good year, Veenhuis accounted for 60% of the new grassland injectors sold in the Netherlands each year. The decision was quickly taken to drop Schuitemaker slurry kit to focus on forage wagons and trailers, leaving Veenhuis to take care of slurry machines. A new injector range was needed, and in developing it the R&D department was presented with a multitude of challenges. These included reducing the weight, developing wider widths of up to 15m, and at least 35cm of clearance and a maximum of…

Out MAY 2ND PRACTICAL TEST Samasz XDF 301 SH and KDD 911STH moco combi Samasz is freshening up its mower conditioner range to broaden its appeal. We've been testing its latest triple combi. TECHNICAL RTK GNSS receiver comparison We wanted to know if there’s a difference between more expensive and lower-cost RTK GNSS receivers — so we tested their respective accuracies. DRIVING IMPRESSION Peecon Biga Rapide XL-V Peecon surprised everyone at EuroTier with a new self-loading diet feeder — a conventional tractor kitted out with a milling head to load the towed feeder tub. Is it a crazy idea or one that genuinely works? All is revealed in the June issue. DRIVING IMPRESSION Lemken Koralin 9 KU The mounted version of the shallow tilling Lemken Koralin has a working width of…

Held in dry weather conditions with some sun on occasions the place to be over 4-6 February was the 65th Doe Show held at their HQ site at Ulting, Essex which was just full of machinery new and second hand and so much more. This was the place to see the latest agricultural technology, but Does do not forget their glorious past with a ‘Tractors From Yesteryear’ working display. It was staged by Essex Ploughing Champion and now retired Doe second hand combine manager Paul Wylie and visitors were greeted at the entrance by the still fresh paint smelling Doe Tripe D no. D154, which everyone was enjoying. The company is now under the leadership of Angus E Doe who has brought a breath of fresh air since he has…

Just in, H J Pugh has recently announced a fine classic and modern farm sale with lots of gems at Ullcombe, Honiton on Saturday 5 April. Besides the John Deere 6920S with front linkage and an immaculate 6920, again with front linkage the rest of the fleet is clean classic time warps. It includes a raft of Fords from 7810 III four-wheel drive and two-wheel drive examples, Ford 7610 MK1 two-wheel drive, Fiat 100-90 four-wheel drive, Ford7710two-wheeldrive, Ford Force 5000 with Sekura cab, Ford Pre Force 5000, David Brown 1200 Selectamatic, Massey Ferguson 135 and MF 35. All are very clean and straight tractors and very honest at that. See H J Pugh website for full details.…

MARCH 2024 WHAT’S REVIEWED Stoll Profi Line loaders APRIL 2024 WHAT’S USED KW Vendro tedder MAY 2024 WHAT’S USED Massey Ferguson 2100 series baler JUNE 2024 WHAT’S USED Kubota M7 series JULY 2024 WHAT’S USED Joskin slurry tankers AUGUST 2024 WHAT’S USED John Deere 8000 Series forage harvesters SEPTEMBER 2024 WHAT’S USED Weaving drills OCTOBER 2024 WHAT’S USED McHale V660 NOVEMBER 2024 WHAT’S USED McHale C460 DECEMBER 2024 WHAT’S USED New Holland T7 SWB JANUARY 2025 WHAT’S USED Fendt 900 Vario MT twin track FEBRUARY 2025 WHAT’S USED Manitou NewAG telehandlers Visit shop.kelsey.co.uk/farm-machinery-magazine Call the hotline 01959 543 747* *Hotline open Mon – Fri 8.30am to 5.30pm. Calls charged at your standard network rate or scan me!…

MARCH 2024 COVER STORY Lambing at Hadlow College INSIDE Wiltshires APRIL 2024 COVER STORY SOES INSIDE Farm Expo review M&A Brown & Sons MAY 2024 COVER STORY Protest highlights challenges facing farmers INSIDE Southern Farmers JUNE 2024 COVER STORY South East Forestry INSIDE JD Richmond & Son JULY 2024 COVER STORY Fruit Focus preview INSIDE N P Seymour AUGUST 2024 COVER STORY FW Mansfield & Son INSIDE New Labour government. Fruit Focus review. Groundswell SEPTEMBER 2024 COVER STORY Incoming Government promises stability INSIDE Ploughing match fixtures OCTOBER 2024 COVER STORY Mousehall transforms into a sustainable distillery and winery INSIDE National Fruit Show preview NOVEMBER 2024 COVER STORY Charlton’s new packhouse and distribution centre INSIDE G J Elgar Construction DECEMBER 2024 COVER STORY Farmers flock to Westminster INSIDE National Fruit Show…