Tractor test
John Deere 6215R triple test:
Well, they all have yellow rims
Our trio of 158kW/215hp John Deere 6215Rs clearly share more than just their wheel rims. Nonetheless these tractors still offer punters plenty of spec choice, particularly in the transmission department. For this reason our main test focus is on the different gearboxes, but there are other factors to consider as well
Practical test
Seven trailing shoe applicators Part I
These shoes are made for spreading
The idea of introducing legislation to prevent the use of splash plates on slurry tankers has been mooted for some time now. Of the alternatives, a trailing shoe applicator is one of the more interesting options and the subject of this month’s practical test
Driving impression
MacDon FD135 FlexDraper multicrop draper header
For good harvesting times and bad
MacDon has introduced a range of new combine headers targeted specifically at the European market. Popular in North America for many years, we explain what sets the base MacDon design apart, what specifically has been updated for European customers, and why the resulting header copes with lodged crops almost as comfortably as it does with standing rape and wheat.
SynTrac systems tractor
Welcome to Syn city
Small but dynamic Austrian company Syn-Trac has taken on a big job – producing its own systems tractor. On show at Agritechnica 2017, the newcomer brings some potentially revolutionary ideas. We take a short drive
Kuhn Axent 100.1 trailed fertiliser spreader
One for all?
Well, not quite — this 9,400l Rauch/Kuhn spreader is headed for big farms, big contractors or big machinery rings. Yet it certainly sets out to handle all types of material, from granules to lime by way of bulk compost and pellets…
Livestock equipment
Contract feeding:
35,000 tonnes a year
Few self-propelled mixer wagons clock up as many hours as the Strautmann machine owned by Dutch contractor Brouwer Zijp. The firm offers a full service feeding package
Used machinery
McHale Fusion 3 and Fusion 3 Plus baler wrapper:
All rolled up … and ready to wrap
Launched in late 2012, the Fusion 3 combination baler wrapper was joined by the Fusion 3 Plus in 2014. The Plus version adds film-on-film or NRF (Net Replacing Film) wrapping, further broadening the appeal of these fixed-chamber combi machines. Strong demand has helped to ensure firm residuals for both the Fusion 3 and Fusion 3 Plus entering the used market, but where are the keys to unlocking the
Machine management
Tractor choice for a diverse workload:
Decisions, decisions…
Warwickshire contracting business Mill Farm Ashorne is updating its tractor fleet, choosing horsepower that meets the needs of a diverse enterprise portfolio
Around the world
Australian sales on 30-year high / Configurator for drain cleaner / Competing with the imports / Continued kit sales improvement predicted for US market / Greaves Cotton unveils power tiller
Report
JWD Markvoort machinewashing facility:
Scrub a dub dub
Most contractors and farmers will have a wash bay and pressure washer to keep their machines looking clean. Yet Dutch contractor JWD Markvoort has taken its requirement for kit cleanliness to a whole new level, as Trekker’s Bob Karsten discovers
Technical
Quickloader ratchet tiedown:
Hook, tighten and go
The Finns clearly have a way with straps. Quickloader ratchet tie-downs are breezing in from the far north with the promise of faster, easier and safer small-load lashing
Lower link sensing Part I
Sense and Sensitivity
With help from New Holland, this first instalment of a two-part series explores what happens as electronic draught control goes about its business. In the UK the label is shortened to EDC; in Europe it’s EHR
Fendt Vario:
Check your oil consumption
Over the past few months Fendt users have been reporting engine issues to our sister mag in Germany. Our colleagues went to Fendt’s Marktoberdorf factory for a response, and this is what they found out
TUNING
Pasture care:
The early bird catches the forage
Taking more care over grassland maintenance makes sense when it comes to optimising yields and improving the quality of grass types in the meadow mix. With this in mind, here’s a compilation of mods to pasture-care kit sent in by profi readers. Maybe they’ll act as a source of workshop inspiration…
Under the hammer
Pierrepont Farm sale:
Classic tops the charts
A retirement sale in Norfolk saw a selection of well-maintained machinery from a 240ha arable farm come under the hammer of auctioneer Brown and Co. Star of the show was undoubtedly a John Deere 6910 PowrQuad tractor, which went for a record sale price of £33,600.
