Tractor test

New Holland T8.390:

Fab cab for blue flagship

One helluva nose job took place when New Holland installed an SCR-equipped motor within its flagship tractor range: the short stumpy snout of the T8000 made way for a massive, elongated honker that packs even more power in the T8. Here we focus on the family’s top model, the 250kW/340hp (ISO14396) T8.390

Practical test

Krone Fortima V1800MC round baler:

Tried, tested and updated

The Fortima is Krone’s middle-ground variable-chamber baler, nestling between the basic Bellima and high-spec Comprima models. We grabbed the opportunity to test the new Fortima V1800MC variable-chamber baler last year ahead of its introduction for the 2012 campaign

Driving impression

Case IH Farmall 75C:

A little piece of history on the red hood

Plucking their name from Case IH’s extensive back catalogue, the latest Farmall tractors have a job on their collective hands if they’re to live up to their steeped-in-history billing. To find out whether these new models are likely to uphold the Farmall tradition, we take the mid-spec 75hp Farmall 75C for a spin

Kymco MXU 500i IRS quadricycle:

Road-ready but what about in the field?

Taiwanese firm Kymco has been in business since 1963, with its ATVs arriving in the UK in the 1990s. But even though the company’s small motorcycles and scooters are now a familiar sight, its ATVs have yet to make a huge impact on the UK ag scene. Will the new, fully road-legal MXU 500i change this?

Livestock equipment

Round buildings for livestock:

Round rather than rectangular

From a distance it looks like a giant mushroom — a great dome. As you approach, it takes on the appearance of an enormous tent and then, closer still, its true purpose is revealed: a large covered area under which livestock reside

Used machinery

John Deere 8020-/8030-series tractors:

Old Deeres are in great demand

The core difference between an 8020- and 8030-series John Deere tractor is a shift from an 8.1- to a 9.0-litre power unit. James de Havilland reviews this and other specification factors to consider when buying a second-hand high-hp Deere

Workshop

From the workshop:

Simple solutions to perennial problems

Our mid-summer menagerie of workshop ideas comes from regular tips-ster, Practical Farm Ideas’ Mike Donovan, and includes items as diverse as a cattle grid cover to an extended ball hitch lever. Please contact Mike via the details in the box at the bottom of page 51 with your suggestions for future items

Grain moisture meters:

Wet or dry

Disagreement over grain moisture content causes much strife between farmers and merchants. Here, by pooling the expertise of a grain store director and specialists in the UK’s two most popular farm moisture meters, Andrew Pearce shows how to achieve consistent, accurate results from portable instruments

Machine management

Specialist kit for high-value crops:

Why cut when you can strip?

High-value grass seed crops and joint venture farming arrangements are driving machinery management decisions at Little Manwood Farm in Essex. Emily Padfield sets out the rationale behind the business’s equipment policy

Around the world

Six-wheeler struts its stuff Ploughing a new furrow in South Africa Sprayer rides in comfort on a cradle Intelligent weight for the tractor back-end

Report

Telehandler guide 2012

Our guide to agricultural telehandlers on offer in the UK. In the hydraulics column: F = fixed flow pump; V = variable flow demand response pump and valving; litres/min. Engine: power and engine make. Drive: no. of speeds; H = hydrostatic; MG = manual gearbox and torque converter; PS = powershift with torque converter

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

Postcard from the USA – John Deere:

Going for growth

It’s 175 years since John Deere made a self-scouring horse-drawn plough that would, over time, change the lives of farmers in the vast American mid-west forever. To mark this significant milestone Steven Vale has been on a whistle-stop tour of Deere’s major manufacturing plants in the US

Scrub and fill

Self-propelled sugar beet loaders:

It might only be a relatively niche market, but there’s now a number of self-propelled sugar beet cleaner loaders busy working in the UK. We take a quick look at some of the machines on offer, and you can also see them in action by visiting the profi website at www.profi.com

Vehicles

Ford Ranger vs Mitsubishi L200:

West takes on East in double-cab duel

Mitsubishi L200 or the new Ford Ranger? Andrew Pearce fingers the balance of advantage in these £25,000 double-cabs