Practical test: JF-Stoll VM 14-2 SB feeder … nothin’ in the world. Or so JF-Stoll, the Danish/German machinery manufacturer, would have us believe. When it comes to building feeders, the firm certainly isn’t short on experience – it has been doing the job for more than ten years now – and can justifiably position itself among the leading European players in this sector. Here we assess the pros and cons of the company’s VM 14-2 SB wagon
Visited a major dairy farming event in the UK over the past couple of years? Or anywhere in Europe for that matter? If the answer is ‘yes’, then you cannot have failed to spot the proliferation of verticalauger feeders. A new marque, model or variant seems to pop up at every show.
A cynic may question how different these feeders can be. After all, isn’t a verticalauger wagon no more than a gearbox, an auger and a tub with a hole in its side, middle or rear? Of course, this is a gross oversimplification and, in reality, some way off an accurate assessment. Most of the designs have their own quirks and slightly different approaches to the feed mix/chop function, and then there is that broad choice of tub discharge options to consider as well.
So what are the stand-out features of the JF-Stoll wagon profiled here? According to the manufacturer, the main principles that set its machines apart are the use of S500 and S650 high-grade steel – 6mm thick tub walls on units up 20m3 capacity, while models over this size increase the lower 65cm of their walls to an 8mm spec
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