Tractor test

Massey Ferguson 5713SL:

Hidden talents

At first glance there seems to be no difference between the Massey Ferguson 5613 (profi 07/15) and the firm’s latest 5713SL — apart from the SL’s Stage IV engine. Look a little closer, however, and you’ll detect some subtle nuances, as we discovered when testing the 92kW/125hp top model with a Dyna-6 box

Practical test

Case IH Axial-Flow 7140 combine:

Hard to beat … in wheat

But that’s all we can say about the Case IH Axial-Flow 7140’s performance in cereals, as it arrived too late last season to use it in anything else. Still, this we do know …

Fendt 1290 S XD big square baler:

Half a ton in 30 seconds

oil down the results of this test and you get the formula above. How does the Fendt 1290 S XD big square baler manage that sort of output? And what’s it like to work with? Read on

Driving impression

Alstrong Auctus grassland cultivator:

Going for growth

Having hit the market with its aerating roller, Alstrong has now come up with a grassland rejuvenation tool that’s as happy working directly into old pasture as it is on ploughed ground. The name of this versatile machine is Auctus

Valtra A114 HiTech tractor:

The A team

Following the launch of the new S-series in 2013, T-series in 2014 and N-series in 2015, Finnish tractor maker Valtra completes its product rejuvenating programme this summer with the introduction of an all-new 75-130hp A-series. We take a brief drive on the mid-range 110hp A114, coupled up to a 3m mounted cultivator

Livestock equipment

Mobile cattle handling system:

Safely held

A Scottish family’s mixed farming business requires some fairly large-scale equipment, but it also has to move some of this kit between farms 25 miles apart. Latest acquisition is a mobile cattle handling system

Used machinery

Kramer Allrad 680T and 750T telescopic wheeled loaders:

Shared telescopic boom, different loaders

Kramer launched its Allrad all-wheel-steer loaders back in 1987, the firm highlighting their compact dimensions for work in traditional farm buildings. Five years on, telescopic boom models added reach and versatility to the mix, with the subsequent 2007-2014 680T and 750T continuing to carry the torch. If you are interested in a used model, then it’s good to know the differences … and what you

Workshop

Self-built chipper and trailer:

Chipzilla provides ‘chip and bin’ service

What does it take to make your own self-loading, walking-floor chipper trailer? The answer: One crane, one chipper, one second-hand forage wagon … and about three weeks of head scratching and hard graft in the workshop to put it all together

Machine management

Making the most of AD:

Changing landscape

Change generally happens slowly in farming, but there’s been a rapid transformation in the cropping across East Anglia as biogas plants have sprung up across the region. On the back of that there’s been a similar transformation at Suggitt Farm Services since we last visited the firm some eight years ago

Around the world

Supplementary feed from the bush / Tractor sales hold steady / Tyres, tracks and potatoes / The world’s largest tractor plant / Smart technology for JD combines

Vehicles

Mitsubishi L200 4-Life vs SsangYong Musso pick-ups:

More for less

For this month’s entertainment we pull two double-cab trucks from the lower cost end of the market and bang their heads together. Their price tags may be very similar, but their specs sheets aren’t …

Under the hammer

Roos Grange Farming:

Classic Cases in demand at retirement sale

The recent Cheffins sales in Yorkshire seemed to reinforce the trend — that clean used kit is increasing in value in 2017 as new machinery lead times are extended. Classic tractor models also continue to command a premium

 

Three- and four-cylinder models

All threes and fours

Our guide to three- and four-pot tractors shows max engine hp for draft work and, if available, max hp with boost. Other columns: shuttle (P/S = power shuttle, S/S = synchro shuttle); transmission; hydraulics (G = gear pump, P = piston pump, max output in litres/min, M = manual spools, E = electric spools); and linkage (capacity in tonnes, E = electric control, M = mechanical control). Engine info

 

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 50p/litre. Prices will vary according to UK region, size of job, type of equipment used etc