Tractor test

John Deere 6215R triple test:

Well, they all have yellow rims

Our trio of 158kW/215hp John Deere 6215Rs clearly share more than just their wheel rims. Nonetheless these tractors still offer punters plenty of spec choice, particularly in the transmission department. For this reason our main test focus is on the different gearboxes, but there are other factors to consider as well

Practical test

Seven trailing shoe applicators Part I

These shoes are made for spreading

The idea of introducing legislation to prevent the use of splash plates on slurry tankers has been mooted for some time now. Of the alternatives, a trailing shoe applicator is one of the more interesting options and the subject of this month’s practical test

Driving impression

MacDon FD135 FlexDraper multicrop draper header

For good harvesting times and bad

MacDon has introduced a range of new combine headers targeted specifically at the European market. Popular in North America for many years, we explain what sets the base MacDon design apart, what specifically has been updated for European customers, and why the resulting header copes with lodged crops almost as comfortably as it does with standing rape and wheat.

SynTrac systems tractor

Welcome to Syn city

Small but dynamic Austrian company Syn-Trac has taken on a big job – producing its own systems tractor. On show at Agritechnica 2017, the newcomer brings some potentially revolutionary ideas. We take a short drive

Kuhn Axent 100.1 trailed fertiliser spreader

One for all?

Well, not quite — this 9,400l Rauch/Kuhn spreader is headed for big farms, big contractors or big machinery rings. Yet it certainly sets out to handle all types of material, from granules to lime by way of bulk compost and pellets…

Livestock equipment

Contract feeding:

35,000 tonnes a year

Few self-propelled mixer wagons clock up as many hours as the Strautmann machine owned by Dutch contractor Brouwer Zijp. The firm offers a full service feeding package

Used machinery

McHale Fusion 3 and Fusion 3 Plus baler wrapper:

All rolled up … and ready to wrap

Launched in late 2012, the Fusion 3 combination baler wrapper was joined by the Fusion 3 Plus in 2014. The Plus version adds film-on-film or NRF (Net Replacing Film) wrapping, further broadening the appeal of these fixed-chamber combi machines. Strong demand has helped to ensure firm residuals for both the Fusion 3 and Fusion 3 Plus entering the used market, but where are the keys to unlocking the

Machine management

Tractor choice for a diverse workload:

Decisions, decisions…

Warwickshire contracting business Mill Farm Ashorne is updating its tractor fleet, choosing horsepower that meets the needs of a diverse enterprise portfolio

Around the world

Australian sales on 30-year high / Configurator for drain cleaner / Competing with the imports / Continued kit sales improvement predicted for US market / Greaves Cotton unveils power tiller

Report

JWD Markvoort machinewashing facility:

Scrub a dub dub

Most contractors and farmers will have a wash bay and pressure washer to keep their machines looking clean. Yet Dutch contractor JWD Markvoort has taken its requirement for kit cleanliness to a whole new level, as Trekker’s Bob Karsten discovers

Technical

Quickloader ratchet tiedown:

Hook, tighten and go

The Finns clearly have a way with straps. Quickloader ratchet tie-downs are breezing in from the far north with the promise of faster, easier and safer small-load lashing

Lower link sensing Part I

Sense and Sensitivity

With help from New Holland, this first instalment of a two-part series explores what happens as electronic draught control goes about its business. In the UK the label is shortened to EDC; in Europe it’s EHR

Fendt Vario:

Check your oil consumption

Over the past few months Fendt users have been reporting engine issues to our sister mag in Germany. Our colleagues went to Fendt’s Marktoberdorf factory for a response, and this is what they found out

TUNING

Pasture care:

The early bird catches the forage

Taking more care over grassland maintenance makes sense when it comes to optimising yields and improving the quality of grass types in the meadow mix. With this in mind, here’s a compilation of mods to pasture-care kit sent in by profi readers. Maybe they’ll act as a source of workshop inspiration…

Under the hammer

Pierrepont Farm sale:

Classic tops the charts

A retirement sale in Norfolk saw a selection of well-maintained machinery from a 240ha arable farm come under the hammer of auctioneer Brown and Co. Star of the show was undoubtedly a John Deere 6910 PowrQuad tractor, which went for a record sale price of £33,600.