Tractor test

JCB Fastrac 4220:

Getting a wriggle on

The 4000 series certainly seems to be hitting the mark with UK buyers, with the Fastrac family now proving more popular than ever. We give our view from the DLG test centre, concentrating on the most powerful model in the range, the 4220.

Practical test

John Deere T560i combine:

Deere gets combining down to a ‘T’

Last season we operated a John Deere T560i combine, to see how it performs across a range of crops and what it’s like to use on a day-to-day basis. Check out what we have to say on page 22

Driving impression

Pöttinger Terradisc Multiline:

Multi mulching talent

One-pass cultivator drills can be a heavy piece of kit that then demand a sizeable tractor just to lift them. This fact has not been lost on Pöttinger, which has recently updated its Multiline cultivator.

Brock Campaign 900S tine drill:

On the Campaign’s trail

There is no shortage of neat features on Brock’s entry to the high-output drill market. We take a close look at the Essex firm‘s Campaign 900S.

Horsch Terrano 5.4GX cultivator:

On the Campaign’s trail

Horsch says last year saw a resurgence in Terrano sales in the UK, and for the coming season the tine cultivator range enjoys a bit of a shake-up with the arrival of the GX. Set to eventually replace the FX and FM, GX will be offered with three or four rows of tines plus a host of other changes.

Livestock equipment

Cost efficincies on mixed farm near Castle Douglas:

Less is more

Chapelton Farm made the decision to invest in a new shear grab, which takes a wide but shallow bite, allowing the farm to get across its clamp face quicker.

Used machinery

Kubota MGX tractors:

Hitting the MGX mark

With a 6.1-litre power unit and longer wheelbase, the M135GX was a key part of Kubota’s initial push into the higher horsepower tractor market. Early examples are now over five years old, so there’s a bit of choice in the used market, as highlighted in our guide to second-hand MGX models.

Machine management

Value added tractors:

Cost-effective horsepower

It is the machines on the back that make the money. This statement isn’t lost on Warwickshire contractor, J H Kirkham & Son, which prefers to
spend funds on new machines rather than new tractors.

Report:

European tractor market in 2017:

Number crunching

Mechanical weeding is coming under the spotlight once again as grass weed control gets more tricky. Keep it simple, suggests Claydon Drills, which recently launched the TerraBlade hoe.

Vervaet Hydro Trike XL skid unit:

Versatile all-rounder

Not happy seeing a high-cost selfpropelled slurry spreader parked in the shed for the autumn months, one Dutch contractor has decided to fit a trailer body to create a light-weight beet chaser.

Buyers Guide:

Three- and four-cylinder tractors:

All threes and fours

Our guide to three- and four-cylinder four-wheel drive cabbed tractors over 80hp on the UK market.