Tractor test

Emission control: John Deere’s EGR system

No AdBlue required

As a way to meet current Stage IIIB emission regs, all the big tractor makers use SCR (selective catalytic reduction) and AdBlue liquid. All, that is, except John Deere. How does the Deere way stack up? profi had the DLG test station run a tractor in the field and lab to find some answers

Valtra N111E HiTech:

No rest for this Finn

Over the years we have subjected various N-series tractors to our standard tractor test. The one downside of these assessments, however, is they fail to answer the question of long-term reliability, so this month we’re catching up with a 7,208-hour Valtra N111E model — to see what it’s like to live with. Mervyn Bailey reports

Driving impression

Deutz-Fahr 7250 Agrotron TTV:

Life in the fast lane

Deutz-Fahr revealed new 7-series Agrotron tractors at the Agritechnica show. Even before the curtain-lifting fanfares were blown we had the chance to try the first 7250 in pre-production form, finding much that’s changed

Horsch Maestro 24.75 precision drill:

Master meter

Horsch has spent five years developing its new precision seeding unit, which puts in its first on-machine appearance within the Maestro precision planter. Yet this ‘seed on demand’ metering system is destined for much more than just planting maize. As just one example of what’s to come, the German firm has already trialled the seeding unit with oilseed rape

More power to the Fastrac elbow

JCB Fastrac 8310

With the enforced move to cleaner Stage IIIB engines, JCB took the opportunity to add a healthy dollop of extra power to the Fastrac 8250’s successors — the 208kW/279hp 8280 and 228kW/306hp 8310 models. Mervyn Bailey drives the firm’s new 300hp flagship

Livestock equipment

Sheep handling system:

Pointing the beasts in the right direction

Traditionally, sheep handling has been all about hurdles, gates and string. But now there’s a new system, priced from around £2,300, that claims to have brought the job into the 21st century. Andy Collings reports

Used machinery

McCormick CX series tractors:

The cosmopolitan CX

First built by Case IH in Doncaster, then by McCormick in Doncaster and finally by McCormick in Italy, the CX can certainly lay claim to a colourful history. Should such an interesting past put off potential used buyers of this most cosmopolitan of tractors? James de Havilland investigates

Workshop

From the workshop:

Simple solutions to perennial problems

So what does Mike Donovan have tucked away in his ‘ideas’ closet this month? Well, there’s a distinctive materials handling flavour to the collection on offer, with most of the featured items relating to loader attachments and how they fit on to their host machines. But that’s not all; he’s squeezed in some security-related items, too. Pick through this bunch to see if there’s anything that

Preparing the sprayer for a new campaign:

Cometh the spring, cometh the sprayer

A new season hovers in the air, and sprayers are starting to unfold after hibernation. To get your machine off to the best possible start, check out these seasonal tips from Hardi Service Engineer Matthew Allen. Andrew Pearce acts as scribe

Machine management

Managing miscanthus in Lincolnshire:

Miscanthus enjoys life in the rough stuff

Most farms have at least some difficult land that requires extra passes to knock up a suitable seedbed, and even then there’s no guarantee it will return a profit every year. Recognising this, Flagleaf Farming has put its marginal land into renewable crops, allowing the business to farm its expanding contract area in a more timely fashion. Mervyn Bailey reports from Lincolnshire

Around the world

  • Quad-Deck platform design points to harvest savings
  • Fastrac lands in KwaZulu-Natal Midlands
  • Easing the materials handling workload
  • Operate a chainsaw on the quiet

Report

LAMMA 2012 show:

Full to the brim — almost

How much bigger can the annual LAMMA machinery show grow? It would be a brave man who said ‘no more’. In 2012, visitor numbers topped 40,000 for the first time, and the exhibition stand count was up from 640 in the previous year to 760. Mervyn Bailey and Andy Collings review the product highlights

Contractor price guide:

UK contractor charges

This is the National Association of Agric. Contractors’ charge guide, based on info supplied by its members last summer. The figures are ONLY A GUIDE and assume a red diesel price of 66p/litre. Prices will vary according to UK region, size of job, type of equipment used etc

Technical

Green forager embarks on an 18-month European tour

JD 7750i: Output, fuel use, wear rates

First take one large JD forager. Then add two seasons, four countries and a sprinkling of different crops. Mix in a pinch or two of exotic scenery and stir well. What have you got? The perfect recipe for a profi DVD…