Tractor test

New Holland T7.200 RC

No dramas

When it comes to UK tractor popularity, New Holland slots into second place — and from the long list of available blue models it’s the T7.200 that’s the firm’s best seller. So a good enough reason, then, to see what a T7.200 is like to live with

Practical test

Pöttinger Top 852 C s-line rake

The rake’s progress

We first looked at Pöttinger’s C s-line rakes back in 2010. Since then we’ve put a Top 852 through a more extensive field test, and here’s how it coped with a mixed ration of high-yielding grass and, later in the season, big straw swaths where the machine’s hydraulic height control really came into its own. All good news? Not quite. Read on for the full story

Driving impression

Primewest Cross Slot PW4-21 drill

Door opener

The Cross Slot drill is undergoing something of a rebirth now that UK distributor Primewest has developed its own frame and metering system on to which it can mount the trademark New Zealand-sourced openers. This simplified design trims a price tag that, so far, has proved such a handbrake to growing sales

McCormick X7.670 tractor

X gonna give it to ya

Following its Stage IIIB engine shake-up and sale of the St Dizier transmission plant, McCormick has cut a few branches off the family tree with the introduction of the X7. Essentially replacing the MC130, MTX and X70 tractors, this latest development represents much more than a simple model number re-jig

Livestock equipment

Lely Vector auto feeding system

Robot puts food on a plate

The age of diet feeders could be coming to an end if Lely’s Vector automatic feeding system is universally adopted. We visit a farm in Northern Ireland to see how it all works

Used machinery

OPICO Grass Harrows and Air seeders

Much more than a drag

Back in the 1960s, Austrian harrow maker Hatzenbichler introduced a spring tine harrow for organic weeding. It was imported into the UK initially by Temple Farming and subsequently T H White, with OPICO taking over sales in 1994. Twenty years on, and the harrow, along with its accompanying air seeder, appeals to a much wider audience than just the organic fraternity; it remains a strong seller

Workshop

From the workshop

Simple solutions to perennial problems

Multi-purpose’ is the characteristic that stands out on the loader attachment featured in this month’s Simple Solutions, assembled, as always, by regular tipster Mike Donovan. Other items extend to a sealed bearing that enjoys a periodic greasing and a handy tool for opening oil barrels

Abrasive alternatives

Ease the daily grind

?Saint-Gobain Abrasives makes a stack of different angle grinder consumables under the Norton banner. Here we take a closer look at some of the manufacturer’s alternatives to the conventional (resinoid) grinding disc

Machine management

Operation and management of older kit

Keep on running

Machinery replacement policies are a funny thing — and hugely subjective. Some businesses replace their main prime movers to a set schedule with extended warranties to help fix costs, while there are others, such as the operation run by Welsh contractor Dafydd Davies, who aren’t afraid to keep machines for longer and work them to higher hours, accepting that there will be repairs along the way

Around the world

Harvester is the nuts Tractor and feeder win awards Clever kit for the tractor’s nose Machinery trends Stateside

Report

Contractor proce guide 2014

UK contractor charges

This is the National Association of Agricultural Contractors’ charge guide, based on information 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

Tractor Guide

Tractor guide 2014

Our over-80hp 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

More of the same

The arrival of some new names looking to the UK for sales, along with more familiar firms showing what they have to offer, meant there was plenty to see at Cereals 2014. Sadly, though, there was no silver bullet for blackgrass. As for the sprayer men, it was time to take the wraps off new engines and new application technology. Visit the news pages on our website (www.profi.com) for further

Electronics

Trimble UX5 drone

High flier

Trimble specialist A S Communications (UK) marked its 25th anniversary with the launch — literally — of the UX5 unmanned aerial system. Blasted into windy skies from a powered launcher, the new craft made multiple passes over a site before sliding gracefully back to earth, all without any human input. We see how it works and highlight some of its likely applications in agriculture

Vehicles

Range Rover TDV6 vs Toyota Land Cruiser V8

Going (very) large

This month it’s time to let the moths out of the wallet — we go right to the top of the market with the latest V6 Range Rover and Toyota’s mighty Land Cruiser

Under the hammer

Late Mr Bryan Moore sale

Full complement of kit

Howkins & Harrison brought three sales to one location near Daventry, providing something for everyone — from vintage kit right through to newer arable machinery