Tractor test
Fendt 939 Vario SCR
Peeling back the layers of power
Doesn’t time fly? It’s already been eight years since Fendt first showed its ‘new look’ 900 series tractors back in 2005. Then five years later these models enjoyed a range-tweaking revamp, accompanied by the introduction of the flagship 390hp 939 model and SCR/AdBlue technology. Here we test the muscular, yet surprisingly frugal, 939 Vario
Practical test
Four small telehandlers compared
The final scores
We arrive at the end of our mini handler test with all the test team agreed — that none of these compact machines should be dismissed lightly. They’re little loaders with a surprisingly large slice of performance
Ausa, JCB, Giant and Weidemann compared — Part II
Small loaders for big men
Users love to home in on machine performance. But comfort matters equally as much — and when driving these four telehandlers we were surprised by just how settled even a tall operator could become
Driving impression
I, Robot
Claas Lexion 700-series
The words ‘CEMOS Automatic’ herald the first combine that adjusts itself to the crop and the conditions. Here’s the lowdown on how that’s achieved, plus a first impression of what else the new generation of Claas combines has up its sleeve
A step change
John Deere 6R DirectDrive
John Deere has a new 24-speed transmission — DirectDrive — which uses two clutches, three ranges and eight powershift steps to bring most of a CVT’s in-field/on-road benefits. How does it stack up in driving terms? We tried an early version in a 6210R at Deere’s German test facility
Livestock equipment
Slurry utilisation on Worcs dairy farm
Sand isn’t necessarily the pits
Love it or loathe it, slurry is an inevitable by-product of the livestock industry. Mix in a generous quantity of sand, and there’s usually more loathing than doting — yet, for one Worcestershire dairy farmer, use of the right kit has produced the desired results. Andy Collings reports
Used machinery
Deutz-Fahr Agrotron 150 and M620/M625 tractors
Styling the same, evolution the game
The pencils in the Deutz-Fahr tractor design department might not trouble the proverbial sharpener too often, yet the company’s six-cylinder nominal 140-190hp models have been subjected to steady evolution under their little changed skin. James de Havilland charts the mass-market Agrotron story
Workshop
Fit and use abrasive wheels — part II
On the bench
Last month we looked at resinoid wheels for hand-held power tools — grinding and cutting discs. This time it’s the turn of vitrified wheels used mainly in workshop bench grinders. Again, St Gobain’s Application Engineers Paul Gray and John Griffiths guide Andrew Pearce through the metal-shaping maze
From the workshop
Simple solutions to perennial problems
Brrrr..! Chilly, isn’t it? Which probably means that a hasty retreat across the yard to the welcoming warmth of the workshop is long overdue. Here’s another batch of farm-generated ideas from the Mike Donovan box, just in case you should need justification for those hours spent inside and out of the cold
Machine management
Plough is preferred over min-till in Kildare
Back to turning furrows
Problems with finding reliable labour and avoiding a bottle-neck at harvest are just two reasons why Irish farmer Tim Ronaldson has stuck with ploughing rather than taking the min-till path for establishing his 378ha mix of winter and spring crops. Mervyn Bailey discovers how the Ronaldsons’ arable work is completed
Around the world
Sugar farmer snares top precision accolade Cutting cane in Réunion Clever tipper for the chipper Down the tube and into the bin
Report
Tractor guide 2013
Our over-75hp guide shows max engine hp for draft work and, if available, max hp with boost. Other columns: engine (T = turbo, capacity in litres, E = electronic fuelling); shuttle (P/S = power shuttle, S/S = synchro shuttle); transmission; hydraulics (G = gear pump, P = piston pump, max output in litres/min, M = manual spools, E = electric spools); and linkage (capacity in tonnes, E = electric
Contractor price guide 2012/2013
UK contractor charges
This is the National Association of Agric.Contractors’ charge guide, based on info supplied by its members this spring. The figures are ONLY A GUIDE and assume a red diesel price of 70p/litre. Prices will vary according to UK region, size of job, type of equipment used etc
EIMA 2012 and Eurotier 2012
Back to back
November was a busy month for the international agricultural show circuit, with the Italian EIMA exhibition quickly followed by the Eurotier fair in Germany. Steven Vale rounds up some of the highlights from the two events — EIMA on p52/53, Eurotier on p54/55
Technical
How we test brakes
The brake test
Probing the brakes is an integral part of every profi international tractor test. They should work, not least because a tractor’s braking system must comply with relevant law before it can gain Type Approval
The brake test
How we test brakes
Probing the brakes is an integral part of every profi international tractor test. They should work, not least because a tractor’s braking system must comply with relevant law before it can gain Type Approval
