Tractor test
Case IH Farmall 115 U Pro
Born and bred in Austria
If you want something with a little more spec, splendour and finesse than the standard Farmall has to offer, then there’s always the Pro version, complete with its four-step powershift and other extra goodies aimed at tempting owners into the Case IH camp. We test the top dog in the three-model range, the 84kW/114hp Farmall 115U Pro
Practical test
Maschio drill combo
Almost Perfect(a)
Back in 2012 Maschio came up with its Perfecta double-disc coulters and associated parallelogram suspension. We explore the system on a 3m combo drill, which teams a Maschio Alitalia 300 air seeder — manufactured by Gaspardo but sold under the Maschio banner in the UK — with a Maschio Orso 3000 power harrow
Almost Perfect(a)
Maschio drill combo
Back in 2012 Maschio came up with its Perfecta double-disc coulters and associated parallelogram suspension. We explore the system on a 3m combo drill, which teams a Maschio Alitalia 300 air seeder — manufactured by Gaspardo but sold under the Maschio banner in the UK — with a Maschio Orso 3000 power harrow
Driving impression
Horsch Leeb 7GS sprayer
Stainless steel comes at a price
Horsch Leeb’s GS series trailed sprayers recently underwent an update that brought the design into line with the existing range-topping GS8000. We took the new 7GS with 7,000-litre stainless steel tank and 27m booms to the field — to get a feel for how it performs
Lemken Rubin 12/600 KUA disc/press cultivator
Large disc to go deep
Last season Lemken was showing UK farmers a pre-production example of its big-disc Rubin 12, and we managed to spend time with the 6.0m version to see what all the fuss was about. Key feature is the increased working depth, and probably of equal significance is the interlocking ring packer that encourages better germination of the dreaded blackgrass
Merlo Turbo Farmer II TF38.10 CS-120 telehandler
Clever chap
Cab suspension, auto-throttle response, cruise control, integrated weigh cells and not forgetting the ability to pin open the full cab door — all of these features help the latest generation Turbo Farmer to stand out from the rest of the telehandler crowd. But there’s much more to the new Merlo models, as we find out
Valtra T234 Versu tractor
New generation
We’ve been lucky enough to get an exclusive opportunity to test-drive the flagship model in Valtra’s new six-cylinder T-series line. With behind the scenes access to the development of the new range over the past year, these are our first impressions
Large disc to go deep
Lemken Rubin 12/600 KUA
Last season Lemken was showing UK farmers a pre-production example of its big-disc Rubin 12, and we managed to spend time with the 6.0m version to see what all the fuss was about. Key feature is the increased working depth, and probably of equal significance is the interlocking ring packer that encourages better germination of the dreaded blackgrass
Livestock equipment
Shropshire robot user revisited
No robotic regrets
Eight years ago we visited a Shropshire farm to discover why the decision had been made to restart the farm’s milking activities on a new site after a break of three years. A revisit this year takes a look at what has been achieved, what changes have needed to be made and what the future may hold
Used machinery
Dowdeswell DP7 reversible ploughs
Forever green
Launched in 1983, the Dowdeswell DP7 ‘auto turnover’ plough remained in production through to 2008. The fixed-width DP7 was supposed to be superseded, first by the mechanical vari-width DF120 and then the successor hydraulic or manual vari-width DF140, produced between 1992-2004 and 2000-2009 respectively. But such was the popularity of the DP7 it didn’t quite happen that way, sales only tailing
Workshop
From the workshop
Simple solutions to perennial problems
Finding a bit more out-of-cab storage space on a John Deere tractor and creating a one-pass raking/baling rig are two of the items in this month’s Simple Solutions, compiled by resident tipster, Mike Donovan
Troubleshooting air suspension seats
Off the air…
When air-sprung seats stop working properly it is usually just a minor component that has failed. The compressor or bellows are rarely the cause of a malfunction. We took a trip to the engineering department at Grammer, to ask for expert guidance on how to blow fresh air into a worn seat
Machine management
Bio-energy logistics get specialised
Keep it lean
With more anaerobic digesters popping up across the UK, farmers are looking at methods of improving logistics. Among the array of specialist gear operated by Suffolk Produce is a pair of Fliegl push-off trailers, used to transfer crop into trucks
Around the world
Progator takes to the hills/Safety first with Safetyweight/Deere to up the power/Vermeer names its next generation of leadership
Report
Speedploughing
Ploughing at pace
Of all the farm machinery video clips on the internet — and there’s plenty of them — those featuring the sport of speedploughing must rank right up there amongst the most bizarre. Our appetite thoroughly whetted, we decided to track down some of the pastime’s protagonists and eventually happened upon a bunch of crazy Swedes
Contractor price guide 2014
UK contractor charges
This is the National Association of Agricultural Contractors’ (www.naac.co.uk) 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
Whatever happened to — the Krone self-propelled baler/wrapper
Self-propelled no-go
Over 10 years ago Krone was already winning customers with its self-propelled mower and pushing its fledgling forager range. Next, the German manufacturer started to look at other products that could benefit from the self-propelled treatment…
Ploughing at pace
Speedploughing
Of all the farm machinery video clips on the internet — and there’s plenty of them — those featuring the sport of speedploughing must rank right up there amongst the most bizarre. Our appetite thoroughly whetted, we decided to track down some of the pastime’s protagonists and eventually happened upon a bunch of crazy Swedes
Technical
Development of the new Valtra T-series
From drawing board to field
It’s very rare that a magazine is invited to chart the development of a new or radically revamped tractor range, from the birth of the project through to product launch. So when Finnish manufacturer Valtra offered us the opportunity to follow the redesign of the T-series, we grabbed it with both mitts
Vehicles
Audi A6 Allroad vs Volvo XC70
Big estates for big estates
A return upmarket this month as we compare five-seat, all-wheel-drive estates from Audi and Volvo. One floats like a butterfly, the other stings like a bee…
Under the hammer
Moyses Bank Farms sale
Mint Cambridgeshire kit makes top money
Moyses Bank Farms implemented a one-machine/one-driver policy. This meant its kit was kept in tip-top condition and gave sale-goers a rare opportunity to invest in some clean used tackle
