Tractor test
Tractor test: Claas Arion 650 Cebis
Same name, different beast
Yes, the Arion may still use a DPS motor, Carraro front axle and GIMA back-end, but today’s Claas tractor has moved away from the mould created by Renault Agriculture, the French company that Claas bought into in 2003. Here we take a close look at the daddy of the range, the 129kW/175hp Arion 650
Practical test
Kverneland, Lemken, Pöttinger, Rabe and Vogel & Noot: Part I
Forty-furrow festival
Despite the rise of min-till, the plough is still the most popular route to soil preparation. Here we bring together five semi-mounted reversibles, all with eight furrows, in a two-part comparison. First up are design and quality of work; then next month we focus on what the ploughs are like to live with in the field
New Holland Roll Baler 125 Combi
Film star turns yellow
Designed with farms and smaller contractors in mind and for use in mainly livestock areas, New Holland’s RB (Roll Baler) 125 Combi pulls a round baler and wrapper into one unit
Driving impression
Claas Jaguar 850 forage harvester
New life in the old cat
Claas’s new 800-series Jaguars have been out in the field for over a year now and are reported to be showing their true colours. We tested a 462hp 2015-spec 850 and spoke to the users of a 455hp 850 that arrived as a pre-series machine back in 2013
Krone Big Pack 1290 HDP II
Piling on the pressure
First introduced in 2005, Krone’s HDP baler was the company’s first high-density model. Last year the German manufacturer launched the second generation — the HDP II — an eight-string machine claimed to be capable of stuffing 10% more into a standard bale and working at almost double the speed
McConnel PA8085 Tele-VFR hedger
Top of the hedge cutting tree
At its Expo 2014 event in March, McConnel went to great lengths to showcase its new Seedaerator drill, Rakaerator stubble rake and Duplex and Triplex wide area flail mowers. Any one of those would have made an ideal candidate for a profi driving impression, but we opted for the company’s latest Power Arm, the PA8085 Tele-VFR. Read on to see why
Livestock equipment
Slurry stores can be lethal
Don’t be a statistic
It may seem to be an innocuous substance, but slurry has the potential to kill. Six people in the UK have died in the past two years after having been overcome by gas released from stored slurry as it’s agitated in preparation for pumping — and several more have had very close escapes
Used machinery
Manitou MLT 735-120 telescopic handlers
Does proven quality add up to a safe used buy?
When Manitou launched the 3,500kg capacity MLT 735-120 in 2006, the handler sat below the MLT 741-120. Rated at 4,100kg, the higher capacity unit is essentially the same, bar larger lift/tilt rams and a 500kg counterweight. Does this rank both machines, and particularly the MLT 735-120, as sound used prospects?
Workshop
From the workshop
Simple solutions to perennial problems
The more efficient handling of materials is a recurrent theme in our regular ‘Simple Solutions’ column, and this month is no different with ideas for creating a low-cost bale loader and increasing the capacity of a long-serving but still serviceable Russell bale carrier. As always, Mike Donovan provides the supporting narrative
Fitting a wireless camera
Bye bye osteopath
A crick in the neck when operating machinery can be a thing of the past if you invest in a remote camera, for hidden areas can be watched and safety gets a boost. We see what’s involved in fitting a digital wireless system
Machine management
Oilseed rape establishment
All about choices
Even with lower cost establishment methods, fading margins mean that oilseed rape is falling off the rotation list for many UK arable farmers. Two growers look at other ways of boosting yields with a change in crop establishment practice
Around the world
New Holland looks to make hay in Oz/Data helps with better decision-making/The future has arrived/Package deal
Report
Contractor price 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
Contractor-designed mower
Several ways to go mad
We don’t know what made Dutch contracting firm Hack Harvest put four hedgecutters on a Claas Xerion. What we do know is that it’s called the Octopus
Several ways to go mad
Contractor-designed mower
We don’t know what made Dutch contracting firm Hack Harvest put four hedgecutters on a Claas Xerion. What we do know is that it’s called the Octopus
Technical
Electronic engine control
The brains behind engine operation
High-tech electronic control systems play a major part in the operation of today’s diesel power plants. Where engine adjustments were once made using spanners, screwdrivers and no small degree of guesswork, modern motors now rely on sensors and computers. We take a look at the role of the ECU — the engine control unit
Electronics
Barn Owl Wireless grain store monitoring
The owl watches
Lincs-based Martin Lishman has a stored-crop monitoring system that can follow temperature, moisture content, humidity and other parameters, send readings wirelessly to a web server and control fans or other equipment. Here’s what it can do in a grain store
Vehicles
New Jeep Cherokee
Chirpy chirpy cheep Jeep
…Only at £25,495-£35,695 it’s not so cheap. A major re-think puts this Freelander competitor right in the frame for kit and comfort, with the promise of more off-road-focused versions to come
Under the hammer
Cheffins monthly sale
Prices remain consistent despite tough times
There were as many as 350 tractors on offer at Cheffins monthly collective in August with a good selection to suit all budgets and requirements
