Tractor test

Tractor test: Claas Arion 430 CIS

Packing a mighty punch

We head back into more general-purpose territory this month with a full-test assessment of the Claas Arion 430 CIS. Sourcing its 81kW/110hp (ECE R24) from a four-cylinder motor, the 430 CIS joins a growing band of higher tech but still mainstream 100hp+ tractors that have emerged over the past few years

Practical test

Practical test: Kuhn Cultimer 300

Solid, sturdy, dependable

Not all profi international’s tests feature the biggest or the most whizzo equipment. Here’s a Kuhn cultivator for the more modest farming enterprise, which is still looking to invest in current tillage thinking but without having to part with an eye-watering sum

Practical test: Väderstad Spirit 400S cultivator drill

In good Spirits — on the right soil

Swedish manufacturer Väderstad has a medium-heavy soil drill in the shape of the Rapid. Three years ago it set out to cover the lighter, looser-land sector with the Spirit. Here’s our field experience with this drill in 4m, 400S configuration

Driving impression

Driving impression: Simba SLD 600 cultivator

Action up top and down below

Due to debut at the LAMMA show in mid-January, the SLD is Simba’s latest cultivator for those farmers wanting to move heavy land at depth, yet at the same time still needing more surface tilling action than is possible with the company’s Solo

Driving impression: New Holland CX8090 with AdBlue

YELLOW + BLUE = GREEN

New Holland has taken the SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) route to meeting new engine emission standards, which means using AdBlue in its combines and tractors. Dodging harvest-time showers, we drove a CX8090 harvester with the new set-up

Livestock equipment

Ventilation in livestock buildings:

Nowt like a breath of fresh air

Happy, contented cows tend to be healthier cows – and productivity increases as a result. A key part of creating this contentment is to provide these valuable animals with an environment having suitable air temperature and humidity, as Andy Collings finds out

Used machinery

Massey Ferguson 7280 and 7282 Centora combines:

Different name but same red heritage

MF’s eight-walker 378hp 7280 and 413hp 7282 Centora combines replaced the identically powered MF 7274 and MF 7278 Cerea models for harvest 2009. James de Havilland questions whether a used Centora is worth a premium over the established Cerea

Workshop

From the workshop:

Simple solutions to perennial problems

Gelli Aur, part of Carmarthenshire College, has long had an excellent reputation for its engineering courses. This month’s labour-saving devices include some clever innovations shown to Mike Donovan by last year’s HND students – from an ATV hitch to an auto-lube system for ‘tele’ booms

Machine management

When two smaller combines make sense:

Big arable farming, Irish style

The great arable debate – whether to run two smaller combines or rely on one monster – is an argument that has no end in sight. But with narrow roads to contend with and the need for a swath of manageable proportions, the McGuinness brothers are convinced that, in their situation, a pair will always be their preferred choice

Around the world

  • Can-Am revved at side-by-side prospects
  • Give the soil some air
  • Joskin goes self-propelled
  • Young farmer helps back sufferers

Report

Contractor price guide 2011:

UK contractor charges

The UK-based National Association of Agricultural Contractors has put together this guide of contractor charges for 2011 based on information from its members. Charges are shown in both acres and hectares. Prices will vary according to UK region, size of job, type of kit used etc

Technical

DLG Focus Test on John Deere HarvestLab:

Licensed to measure dry matter

Following our look at the potential fuel savings stemming from engine-speed management (profi international 05/10), a DLG Focus Test confirms good results from John Deere’s HarvestLab crop dry matter sensor on a forage harvester

Acid boosts slurry nutrition:

Acid approach to slurry spreading

Legislation in Denmark means farmers will have to stop surface application of slurry to grassland unless they have a way of reducing ammonia emissions. At the recent Agromek event, BioCover unveiled its SyreN system for tackling these new rules

Vehicles

Nissan Pathfinder vs Mitsubishi Shogun:

Current variations, proven themes

Mid-range, four-wheel-drive offerings from two major players, Mitsubishi and Nissan, clash in our latest vehicle driving impression. Andrew Pearce and Andrew Faulkner measure and divide