Tractor test

Case IH Luxxum 120:

The lighter option

Just over a year ago, Case IH clipped one member from the Farmall family, turning the U Pro into the Luxxum – a lighter Maxxum if you like. Built in Austria and also sold as the Steyr Multi in certain parts of the world, it is aimed at the 98-117hp buyer wanting a big wad of spec

Practical test

Pöttinger Servo 45 S Plus Nova plough:

A plough for 350hp

For 2016 Pöttinger cleared its largest mounted ploughs for use with higher-horsepower tractors. Here we take a good look at the company’s six-furrow flagship

Driving impression

Claas Lexion 770 combine:

A bigger brain and wider wingspan

For the coming season, Lexions gain an advanced computer control system to provide auto control of threshing intensity and output. In addition, the intake elevator slats now run on belts rather than chains, and the over-length 7XL unloading auger is fully available. We got hold of a prototype machine and tucked it into a crop of wheat in eastern Germany, to see what difference these changes have

Krone KWT 1300 tedder:

Pick up the pace

For the farmer or contractor who wants to get a wriggle on between fields, Krone has fitted some highspeed-friendly running gear to its wider working tedders. We take a look at the 12-rotor KWT 1300

Livestock equipment

Plantmec Q-Bed cubicle bedder:

Room service

If you want to quickly sweep cubicles and apply a fresh dusting of bedding, then the Plantmec Q-Bed is one of a number of machines up to the task. We take it for a spin to see how well it operates

Used machinery

Chafer Guardian and Sentry trailed sprayers:

The bespoke used buy?

You can easily pay as much for a pre-owned Chafer Guardian or Sentry trailed sprayer as you could for a brand new, mass-market model from some of the leading Continental sprayer manufacturers. So why consider a used Chafer over a shiny, off-the-shelf alternative?

Machine management

C R Bowen Contractors:

Wagons roll

The last time we met C R Bowen Contractors, the Shropshire outfit had relaunched its business with a niche platform offering a forage wagon service for customers. As the enterprise has evolved, the firm doubled up for the 2017 season, adding a second wagon

Report

On tour with 12m discs and 500hp:

North America bound

Amazone, demonstrating the firm’s 12m wide Catros compact discs while still managing to pack in the odd farming-related adventure along the way. The following report picks out a few of Kathrin’s highlights from her time in the States, whereas next month we travel across the border into Canada

Weasler Engineering BV:

Welcome to shaft city

On first inspection, all drive shafts look very much alike. But, as we all know, initial impressions can be deceptive — a point firmly drummed in on a visit to the Weasler assembly factory at Wijchen, the Netherlands. This location manufactures a diverse range of different drive shafts for powering all manner of machines

Technical

Mother regulations:

Mum’s the word …

… on every machinery maker’s lips. For, from January 1st 2018, many (but not all) new tractors must comply with requirements laid out in EU Regulation 167/2013 before they can be Type-Approved. Sounds dull, but there are implications — particularly for operators. Case IH and New Holland rocked the farm machinery world at SIMA last year with the autonomous Magnum and T7 NHDrive concepts, and, while the cabless Case was not at Agritechnica, New Holland showed a T8.435 NHDrive. Yet it was far from the only driverless unit on display. 

Glimpse of the future

Agritechnica not only provided visitors with a look at new machines for 2018, but also a few pointers to the future … when electric and autonomous vehicles could play an increasingly important role

Kemper StalkBuster maize header:

Clean shave for maize

Kemper’s StalkBuster won one of the two prestigious gold medals at Agritechnica. We’ve been to see a test machine to find out what all the fuss is about

News

Agritechnica 2017:

New players rise to the challenge

The business scene at the Hannover Fairgrounds was dominated by two relatively unknown (in Europe) tractor manufacturers — Indian firm Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) and Chinese company YTO

Show News

Agritechnica 2017

So the machinery mecca of Agritechnica is over for another two years. It was hard to pinpoint what was the trend at Agritechnica 2017: for starters, there was a load of chat about hybrid and electric power. Grass mergers would seem to be a growing product group and there was plenty of news on tyres, along with tracks getting shoehorned onto tractors and other machines.

Under the hammer

West Lyn Farm sale:

South West sale gets results

A small dispersal of machinery on behalf of West Lyn Farm was bolstered by additional lots from local farmers and contractors. A decent crowd kept prices up, with a lot of the older tractors exceeding expectations

 

Tough maize — part I:

When the going gets tough…

Oh, the joys of a wet maize harvest! And the 2017 campaign was certainly a wet one for farmers in north west Europe. A select few Dutch contractors are geared up for dealing with such ultrasticky conditions and, not surprisingly, they were as happy as pigs in muck