Tractor test
Claas Arion 650 Cmatic
Stepping up to the CVT plate
For UK and Irish farmers the Arion 620 and 650 are hitting the Claas sweet spot, with owners tending to opt for the more basic CIS trim in the 114kW/155hp 620 but leaning more towards the top spec Cebis if buying the 650 flagship. Most of these 650s are sold with a Hexashift semi-powershift, but should buyers be considering the stepless Cmatic? Read on …
Practical test
Drilling maize with Pöttinger’s Aerosem 3002 ADD seeder
Uncompromising position
A while after the dust had settled on its Silver Medal back at 2013’s Agritechnica, we went drilling maize with Pöttinger’s Aerosem 3002 ADD and its PCS metering system. Does adding precision seeding to a conventional drill produce much compromise?
Driving impression
Can-Am Defender HD10 XT UTV
Defender lives on as Can-Am utility
Can-Am is throwing its hat into the UTV market with the Defender, a vehicle that can be surprisingly cheap, or eye wateringly expensive, depending on how trigger happy you get with the options list
Lely Continuous Baling System
Keep on banging ‘em out
Last summer Lely unveiled its continuous round baling concept, which is able to keep pressure on the growing bale right from the start. We caught up with the prototype unit
John Deere 9620RX
With four tracks, the John Deere 9RX is undoubtedly gunning for the Case IH Quadtrac market. We decided to see what the 620hp titan has to offer
Keep on banging ‘em out
Lely Continuous Baling System
Last summer Lely unveiled its continuous round baling concept, which is able to keep pressure on the growing bale right from the start. We caught up with the prototype unit
Close-cropped cut
MacDon FD75 FlexDraper multi-purpose header
Canadian firm MacDon claims to be the North American market leader in the header sector with its FlexDraper models for both used and new combines. Now the company has set its sights on repeating the achievement in Europe. We hooked up the multi-purpose header to an Axial-Flow harvester and tucked it into a crop of soybeans in Hungary
Livestock equipment
Worcs dairy farm invests in robots
Robotic helping hand
It’s ‘steady as you go’, as tumbling milk prices arrived at just the wrong time for a Worcestershire dairy farmer, who has installed robots to replace a 50-year-old herringbone — largely to free up more hours for his other business interests
Used machinery
Pöttinger Novacat 306 F ED Alpha-Motion front mower
Proven performer has strong used following
When Pöttinger launched its Alpha-Motion in 2008, the mower itself was a standard Pöttinger Novacat 306 mower conditioner but with an all-new suspended front mounting system. This latter development gave the Alpha-Motion model improved contour-following abilities matched with proven Novacat mowing performance. So, what should you look out for when in the market for a used example?
Workshop
Hypertherm Powermax30 Air on test
Quick to the cut
Hypertherm is probably the biggest name in plasma cutting. The American company’s Powermax30 Air promises easy portability and high performance from a single-phase power supply. Does it deliver?
Around the world
Cameroon plantation chooses Case IH Precision agriculture targeted AGCO produces 100,000th windrower Dutch tractor sales dropped again in 2015
Technical
Tractor and trailer weight/speed legislation
Weighting for the train
For an update on where farming is (and where it may be going) with speed/weight limits on the road, we turn to a specialist in the area — Dr Andy Scarlett of Scarlett Research
TUNING
Claas Jaguar 800 Part II
More tips for tweaking the Jag 800
Following on from last month’s look at reader tweaks to a Claas Jaguar 800’s chopping hardware, here we redirect attention more towards items of detail and operator convenience — such as the working lights, cab interior, controls … and so on
Vehicles
Mitsubishi L200 vs Nissan Navara doublecab pick-ups
Some truck with change
Pick-up time again this month, as major re-thinks from long-term rivals Mitsubishi and Nissan take to the roads and hills. One of them packs something unique among UK doublecabs…
Under the hammer
Chambers Green Farm sale, Tring
All smiles at small sale
Despite comprising no more than 230 lots, Brown & Co’s recent farm sale at Tring in Hertfordshire attracted healthy bidding. The ageing machinery on offer had all been well maintained, reflected in the high prices achieved
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 40p/litre. Prices will vary according to UK region, size of job, type of equipment used etc
