Tractor test
John Deere 7290R
Over its relatively short life the John Deere 7R has been subjected to a fair amount of change. We test its latest incarnation, the 213kW/290hp 7290R.
John Deere 7290R
Stepping up
When it comes to gearbox choice for its 200hp plus tractors, John Deere has some clear advice: the stepless AutoPowr is good for a mix of all-round jobs, whereas its latest full powershift, the e23, is just the ticket if it’s an arable lugger that you’re after. We see how the mechanical transmission performs within the 205kW/278hp 7290R
Practical test
Claas Liner 4000 four-rotor rake
Full steam ahead
High in capacity, easy to fathom and easy to use, the centre-swathing, four-rotor Liner 4000 rake is the biggest in the Claas family
Väderstad Swift SW 440 + Rollex RX 450 cultivator
A quality Swede
It may be Swift by name, but is Väderstad’s cultivator swift by nature? We stick it in some dirt to find the answer…
Driving impression
Kverneland NG-H F30 drill combi
More blackgrass. More ploughs. More power harrow drill combinations. There’s a natural progression here… and one that’s becoming increasingly prevalent. Check out this combi from Kverneland.
John Deere 6195R
Green goes blue
Don’t fret Deere fans, your tractors will still come in their familiar green and yellow. It’s just that they’re moving on from their diesel-only strategy and adding SCR to the exhaust emission mix for Stage IV compliance, with the long-wheelbase 6R models joining the 7310R in its use of AdBlue. Is that it? Not quite. Read on to discover what else features on the 6R update list
Kverneland NG-H F30 power harrow and CX-II disc coulters
Re-inventing proven hardware
At the last Agritechnica, Kverneland introduced its new folding power harrow combination for high-capacity applications. Boasting the firm’s latest CX-II disc coulters in combination with press wheels, we trialled the seeding outfit in the field — to find out what’s new on an otherwise proven machine
Deutz-Fahr Agrotron 6 Cshift
Step on through
It only seems like yesterday that Deutz-Fahr launched the Agrotron 6 models; indeed they didn’t start arriving in numbers until 2013. But for the coming year the four- and six-cylinder line-up is undergoing yet another shake-up, most notably with the introduction of Cshift, a transmission that replaces the gear lever on the 6150 and above models with Deutz’s new PowerComS joystick
Kramer KL43 (780 in the UK) wheeled loader
No need to bend
Kramer has always relied on four-wheel rather than pivot steering for its wheeled loaders. Why go against the norm? To answer that question we climb aboard the KL43, Kramer’s second biggest loader
No need to bend
Kramer KL43 (780 in the UK) wheeled loader
Kramer has always relied on four-wheel rather than pivot steering for its wheeled loaders. Why go against the norm? To answer that question we climb aboard the KL43, Kramer’s second biggest loader
Re-inventing proven hardware
Kverneland NG-H F30 power harrow and CX-II disc coulters
At the last Agritechnica, Kverneland introduced its new folding power harrow combination for high-capacity applications. Boasting the firm’s latest CX-II disc coulters in combination with press wheels, we trialled the seeding outfit in the field — to find out what’s new on an otherwise proven machine
Livestock equipment
Ventilation a prime consideration for new dairy unit in Wales
Research to get things right
Having taken plenty of time to plan every detail of its new combined cubicle and milking parlour building near Carmarthen in south-west Wales, the Thomas family is happy that the only way to have carried out the £1m-plus development, is precisely how it has actually been done
Used machinery
Teagle Tomahawk feeder bedder
While the name may be the same, the Tomahawk straw chopper, from Teagle Machinery, has been subtly changed over the years. If you want to know what to look for, then don’t miss the used machinery guide in our February issue.
Teagle Tomahawk 8080 trailed feeder bedders
Proven design with many hidden changes
The Teagle Tomahawk feeder bedder has been around in its various forms since 1998, the machine pretty much revolutionising how loose yards are bedded with straw and large bales dispensed for feeding. Here we take a look at the Tomahawk 8080 models made from 1998 to 2011
Workshop
Fitting LED lighting along the sprayer’s boom
If you’re fortunate enough to be running a top-spec, new-ish sprayer, your machine is probably already illuminated with LED lighting. But what if you’re not? Don’t worry, as profi workshop help is at hand.
From the workshop
Simple solutions to perennial problems
Converting the cattle box for pony duties at the weekend and taking the side slap out of mounted implements are just two of the on-farm mods featured in this month’s Simple Solutions. Your compiler and compère is Mike Donovan
Sprayer lighting upgrade
Boom time for LED lamps
Most new sprayers carry LED lighting as standard or put it high on the options list. Users of older machines need not miss out, though — it’s easy to retrofit LED units. Here we look at one of the illuminating options
Machine management
Combine capacity
Buy a higher output harvester and enjoy being able to be more picky over your combining days? Or invest in the farm’s drying capacity and capability to cope with wet grain? This was the dilemma faced by an arable unit in Oxfordshire.
Larger combine eases harvest bottlenecks
Selective harvesting
Oxfordshire grower James Price has opted for a larger combine in preference to investing in higher capacity grain drying facilities. He believes that extra cutting power brings more harvesting days, allowing Mother Nature to handle most of the drying
Around the world
Feeding the 5,000… / New models but fewer sales / Kubota’s highest horse in the US / Dutch get a drive on the big ‘9’
Report
Great Plains Manufacturing
Not in Kansas anymore
Nearly five years ago Great Plains bought Simba to give the US firm a European hub as well as access to a selection of machines already suitable for those markets. Today, things have moved on. While North American tackle is now being tailored for European conditions, British-made kit is also crossing the Atlantic — to till and drill the vast prairies
Whatever happened to — the Lemken Brillant self-propelled drill
Not so Brillant
A decade ago it appeared the drill was the next machine to get the self-propelled treatment when Lemken unveiled its Brillant 600 at the 2003 Agritechnica show. Taken to Hanover to test the water, the monster seeder has since sunk out of sight
SIMA preview
SIMA is bigger than ever
The French agricultural machinery market began positively in 2014, but, long before the year was out, the mood had changed with sales of tractors and machines falling by a third, possibly more. No immediate revival is expected during 2015, though if interest in February’s SIMA show is anything to go by, suppliers remain optimistic. Bigger than ever, an extra sixth hall is needed to accommodate the
Contractor Price Guide 2015
UK contractor charges
This is the National Association of Agricultural Contractors’ (www.naac.co.uk) charge guide, based on info supplied by its members last spring. The figures are only a guide and assume a red diesel price of 70p/litre. Prices will vary according to UK region, size of job, type of equipment used etc
