Tractor test
Kubota M7151 Premium:
Time in the seat
Back in 2014 Kubota introduced its M7001 series of 130hp-170hp tractors which are firmly geared towards the European farmer. The piggy in the middle M7151 Premium (110kW/150hp rated output to 97/68EC) is the first of the French-built tractor family to get the profi lab and field test treatment
Practical test
Krone ZX 430 GD silage wagon
A mighty muncher
Krone updated its ZX combi forage wagon in 2015 with a new rotor drive, aimed at taming the power produced by big tractors. Here’s a flavour of what the wagon can do …
Semi-mounted cultivators compared Part I
The burial crew
We find out how well this six wide semi-mounted machines perform:
Amazone Cenius 5003-2 TX Super cultivator
Horsch Terrano 5 FM cultivator
Köckerling Vector cultivator
Kverneland CTC 527 cultivator
Lemken Karat 9/500 KUA cultivator
Väderstad Opus 500 cultivator
Driving impression
New Holland CX and CR combines:
Shaken or spun — take yer pick
Straw-walker and rotary New Holland combines get an update for next season. We caught up with two pre-production machines on a wet day in the West Country
Case IH Quadtrac CVX:
CVX just got bigger
A CVT option in the Quadtrac is designed to take the 20-year-old tractor to the next level to keep it one step ahead in the four-track concept
SIP Silvercut Disc 340S FC mower conditioner:
Slovene scythe
When it comes to mounted mower conditioners there is no shortage of choice, and one firm fighting for your cash is SIP. While some may associate the Slovenian firm with old drum mowers, SIP has moved on in the world of machinery making, as we find out with our driving impression of the 340S FC
Keenan MechFiber 345 SP feeder wagon
Joining the race
While other parts of Europe have an established self-propelled diet feeder market, the UK has been a bit more reserved … but that attitude is changing. Wanting to be in from the start Keenan now has a self-propelled solution albeit with a bit of teamwork
Amazone UF1801/FT1001 mounted sprayer combination
Massive Mountie
Amazone now offers 30m booms for its UF mounted sprayers. Take the largest of these machines, the 1,800-litre UF 1801; then add a 1,000-litre front tank, and you end up with a tractor-mounted combination that boasts similar performance and weight to a mainstream ‘self-propelled’. What’s not to like?
Livestock equipment
Self-propelled diet feeder:
Like making a cake
For Joylan Farms the challenge of running a successful dairy enterprise against the uncertainty created by ever-fluctuating milk prices is ongoing, so making the right machinery choices is essential
Used machinery
Kverneland Accord TS Tine Seeder and TS Evo tine drills:
Truly simple drills
Originally launched in 2002, Kverneland Accord TS Tine Seeder and, from around 2009, successor TS Evo tine drills have sold in large numbers in the UK. Versatile and inexpensive to run, there will typically be plenty of models to choose from on the used market too. So how do you go about selecting the right pre-owned TS for your needs?
Workshop
Portable power tool batteries:
Ions in the fire
Makita has been at the front of portable power tool technology for decades. We asked Martin Dunn, training officer at Makita’s Milton Keynes UK base, for the lowdown on the different types of battery and how to get the best from them
Machine management
Getting started in farming:
Flying solo
The last time we met Tom Banks (see profi 01/2016), he was successfully managing a 1,090ha estate in Northamptonshire. Now the young entrepreneur has gone it alone, establishing his own business, Banks Farming, carrying out share farming and contract farming operations
Around the world
Speed field days a sprayer’s delight/CTIS – the arable sector’s dilemma/Moving the earth/Surveys show positive trends for farm machinery inventories/Mahindra signs 225-tractor deal with Nigerian state
Report
Multi Tool Trac:
Electric tractor unplugged
A diesel/electric tool carrier is starting to tick the box for Dutch growers wanting to minimise the risk of oil contamination in vegetable crops. We enjoy a first-hand look at the Dutch-made Multi Tool Trac, a tractor and tool carrier all rolled into one
Unusual crops:
Bringing the hemp home
As we discovered last month, Dutch firm Dun Agro has had to develop some novel machines to harvest 1,300ha of industrial hemp. And it has also come up with some interesting machinery modifications to gather up the straw and get it to the plant for processing with a unique fleet of trucks
Under the hammer
Brightwells Plant, Machinery & HGV sale:
Machinery moving well
Brightwells’s August plant and machinery sale boasted some excellent prices with a variety of tractors and machinery on offer from local farms and authorities
