Stoevelaar Machinery, the Benelux and German distributor of the Israeli-made RMH mixer wagons, is showing a 2004-made self-propelled VS18 with 33,675 hours on its clock at EuroTier.
Enjoying as much visitor interest as many of the new machines, the German dairy farm owner of the single auger 18m³ wagon used it for 6-7 hours a day to feed 1,200 animals for nearly 15 years.
The Deutz engine has been revised, two pumps were renewed and the vertical mixing auger replaced four times, but other than the usual wear and tear the machine has received no major attention.
Stoevelaar Machinery is used to seeing 25,000-hour+ RMH machines part-exchanged (which are sold on), but reckons that the classic feeder on show in Hannover this week, which other than a thorough clean is still in its original condition, has the highest number of any RMH mixer in Europe.
The Dutch company reckons that the machine’s longevity is due to the rugged build, and that it was regularly serviced and maintained. Its feeding days are over but the company has no plans to part with the classic machine.
