Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 342 i Farms and Farm Machinery

Five new John Deere ZTrac Z300 mowers are now available in Australia, specced to suit a range of budgets. Suited to smaller properties and with a varying range of power and prices, the new additions are the Z335M, Z345M, Z345R (pictured), Z355R and Z375R. The new Z300 series mowers will be able to have the deep, flat-top Accel Deep mower deck fitted, with 107cm, 122cm and 137cm cutting widths available. These mower decks, which were introduced last year, will provide users with better grass dispersion and improved cut quality at faster ground speeds, according to John Deere. They’re also compatible with John Deere’s MulchControl kit, which allows operators to switch between side discharge and mulching using a lever. John Deere tactical marketing manager Kim Ridel says the new models will…

We have the renewable resources to match or surpass Texas if we just get off our butts and do it. Jack Fletcher, a Texas boy who untapped the agricultural riches of the Kimberley, has been awarded the Order of Australia ‘for service to the primary industry sector in Western Australia’ in the Australia Day honours list. Fletcher, now 91, was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in the General Division and can use the initials OAM after his name. “Jack Fletcher’s achievements in the Kimberley region read like a fictional account of someone’s dreams,” friend and associate Ron Horner wrote in a profile of the pioneer for our website TradeFarmMachinery.com.au. He formed the Australian Land & Cattle Company (ALCCO); developed seven cattle stations covering 17,400 square kilometres (4.3…

Mercedes-Benz G-Pro ute pricing Mercedes-Benz has just launched a work-focused 4x4 cab-chassis spin-off of its capable yet premium-priced 4x4 G-Wagon – the G-Professional. The new $119,900 ute brings a 2-tonne payload (4490kg GVM without tray) to the table as well as a formidable off-road pedigree. The Benz G-wagon is already the light vehicle of choice for the Australian Defence Force. The G-Pro sits on 16-inch alloys and has 245mm of ground clearance and a 650mm wading depth. It uses a full-time 4x4 system with front, rear and centre diff-locks. Drive to the front and rear wheels is split 50:50, and live front and rear axles are suspended by coil springs all round. For those who like to strut up and down their bonnet while in the bush, the engine lid…

Deutz Australia’s new Deutz Drive engine package is a ‘plugand-play’ unit that can be put straight to work in a variety of agricultural and industrial applications with a minimum of fuss. It comes complete with mounting feet, engine mounted exhaust system, muffler and air cleaner, and a wide selection of engine control panels. This means the new engine package is able to run stationary machinery ‘out of the box’ and is easily transferred from one machine to another. The company says the Deutz Drive system was developed after consultation with customers and has been designed locally and specifically for the Australian market and conditions. The Deutz Drive engines are based on the 912 and 914 series for air-cooled engines, the 2011 series for air-oil-cooled, and the 1013 series for water-cooled…

HITS Active float suspension Quick change blades 2.95m transport width ISOBUS compatible Complete in cab operation On-board blade storage boxes Doesn’t require a massive amount of horsepower to run it Can be operated at 850rpm Four-point wear protection Automatic hydraulic locking device MISSES Manual suspension on front mower SPECS It’s an Aussie tradition: If you want to get the job done faster you get a bigger machine, and too big is never big enough! Steve Lewer of Lewer contracting previously used one rear mower, but one mower just won’t keep up with a busy contractor’s workload any more. He thought about taking on a front mower to double his output but, hey, if you’re going to get bigger you may as well go really big. So he lashed out and…

Quick Search To find these products online, go to TradeFarmMachinery.com.au and enter the TA code shown below in the Keyword search panel. ROGATOR RG1300 Self Propelled, 339 horsepower, 1129 hours, 36 metre boom, 5000 litre tank, Autofarm steering 10cm, 480/80R42 tyres 30 per cent QLD 0488 057 206 $374,000 inc GST JOHN DEERE 4920 Autotrack ready,self propelled, 800 gal tank, 120ft stainless steel boom plumbing,420/80r46 tires QLD 07 3171 1832 $125,000 CASE IH 4420 SP boomsprayer, 6621 Hours, 4560 Litre, 120ft Boom, Trimble FM 1000 with field IQ, Boom Inline Filters, Self Clean Filters, excellent condition VIC 02 8316 1677 $165,000 HARDI PRESIDIO Tank 2700, Pumps, type - l/min680L/m WetSeal run-dry centrifugal, Booms EAGLE 24, Control Type HC8500, Section distribution standard5 section, air-bag suspension NSW 02 8315 0021 $220,000 MILLER…

The new Case IH WD4 Series self-propelled windrower is now available, with several improvements and redesigned features from its predecessor. The most significant improvement over the successful WD3 Series is an updated hydraulic system, a remodelled cab, and a new steering system. After its debut at the Case IH Red Excellence Tour, the WD4 has now been released as three different models: • 120hp WD1204 • 190hp WD1904 • 226hp WD2304. Case IH hay and harvest product manager Tim Slater says the WD3 is still the basis for the WD4, but with several major improvements. “Following the success of the WD3, we’re pleased to introduce the new and improved WD4 Series, which lives up to our goal of continually improving our products to meet changing customer demands,” he says. “The…

Czech tyre manufacturer Mitas has released two new Cyclic Harvesting Operation (CHO) tyre sizes as part of an extension of the CHO range. The CHO range is specifically designed for combine harvesters to reduce excessive soil compaction during a harvest. Mitas says the ‘hexacore’ technology, as well as steel breakers and flexible sidewalls, allows larger loads to run on lower-pressure tyres, protecting the soil. Product manager Pavel Kott says that the difference between a full and empty load on regular tyres is greater than many people would expect. “Cyclic loads – when filling and emptying corn tanks, for instance – can vary significantly, by more than twice in some cases. At high inflation pressures, this leads uncompromisingly to soil compaction. The solution is a Mitas CHO tire as it is…

Island living can be an inconvenience for some, but waking up to a gorgeous Flinders Island countryside each morning could probably convince most people. Coral Glen, a freehold grazing property covering 377 hectares (933 acres) of the island’s Memana region, has been owned by the same family since it was first developed in 1966. Elders Real Estate, which has the property currently listed on our sister website Farmbuy.com, says the property’s location is “warm and slightly elevated”. The grounds are securely fenced. Features include woodshed with concrete floor, fenced vegetable patch, solar hot water, wood heater, large verandah for entertaining,” the listing says. “The land is fenced into 30 paddocks fed by a lane system. Cattle yards are railway iron and timber with protective rubber on the race. The crush…

Last year was the fourth warmest on record in Australia, with the country also recording unusually high rainfall, according to the Bureau of Meteorology’s 2016 climate summary. The effects of a strong El Nino were felt early in 2016, the BOM says, though it broke down in Autumn, leaving the drier weather behind with it. From May onwards, higher-than-average rainfall was recorded in most parts of the country, coinciding with the central tropical Pacific Ocean approaching La Nina thresholds. Also affecting the weather between May and November was a strong negative Indian Ocean Dipole, causing warmer waters off the west coast and contributing to higher rainfalls. Much of Australia saw its highest rainfall on record for the month of September, making the spring season abnormally wet. In his review of…

Australian agriculture students are being encouraged to spend a semester of their undergraduate studies in Indonesia, helped by funding from the Australian Government’s New Colombo Plan – a Commonwealth initiative which aims to lift knowledge of the Indo-Pacific among Australian undergraduates. “There has never been better time – from the perspective of the financial assistance available – for Australian agriculture students to head up to Indonesia for a semester,” Australian Consortium for InCountry Indonesian Studies (ACICIS) director Professor David Hill says. “The New Colombo Plan provides students with up to $7000 to subsidise a student’s program expenses.” ACICIS has secured over $400,000 in New Colombo Plan funding to support 68 science and agriculture students from across the consortium’s 24 Australian member universities to study in agriculture in Bogor, West Java,…

GENERAL SAFETY PRECAUTIONS • Read and follow all of the manufacturer’s operating instructions • Ensure tractor drivers have completed specialised training for the particular farm needs • A rollover protective structure (ROPS) must be fitted to the tractor in accordance with state WHS regulations • Wear comfortable, well-fitting clothing and boots • Wear hearing protection when driving tractors without cabins • Wear a seat belt where fitted • Adjust the seat so that all controls can be operated comfortably and safely • Keep children away from tractors and machinery • Keep all guards in place, including power take off (PTO) and master shield guards • Do not carry passengers unless there is a designated seat and seat belt within the protective zone of the ROPS. HITCHING IMPLEMENTS • Fit attachments…

HITS Well-built frame that provides a solid base for the machine Interlocking disc chain is trouble- and maintenance-free Long lifespan on wearing parts Choice of disc chains to match requirements High work rates for minimal costs MISSES Transport width may be an issue for some at 3.5 metres Depth adjustment is limited KELLY DIAMOND HARROW It seems to be pretty common with all farming enterprises that profit margins are constantly being squeezed. As cost inputs rise and sale prices fall, often both at once, luckily there are businesses looking at ways to help farmers decrease costs. In the arable sector, any machinery that can decrease the number of passes required to create a seed bed while improving the end result will be of interest to most. I recently had the…

We will be stocking and heavily promoting the Hawk, Falcon and Buzzard ranges of reach arm mowers in several different configurations. British vegetation management and cultivation equipment specialist Bomford Turner has appointed New South Wales-based machinery importer Ag Pride Australia as its new national distributor. Ag-Pride Australia product manager Lance Hills says Bomford has been a leader in green maintenance technology for over 100 years. “Bomford is recognised around the world for its high-performance reach arm boom mowers, mower attachments, hedge-cutters, rotary pasture toppers, tri-wing rotary slashers, and cultivation machinery,” Hills says. “Bomford has always been the leader in its field.” A British company that has been in existence since the late 1800s, Bomford has a design team with over 200 years of collective experience. The company says its machinery…

In 2013, only 23 per cent of sugarcane land was managed using best management practice systems The most recent report card on the Great Barrier Reef’s water quality highlighted major changes that need to be made to meet targets by 2018. Sediment and pollutant runoff from land use have increased two-threefold since 1850, largely driven by agricultural land clearing and grazing, while fertiliser used in sugar cane farming contributes to nitrogen runoff. Runoff increases coral’s sensitivity to bleaching and disease, shifts the balance between coral and algae, leads to a build-up of pollutants in marine species that are long lived or high in the food web, and also increases the chances of crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks. Improving water quality will likely increase the health of reef organisms, and help reefs to…

The cabin on the Pantera is the same as that used on the Claas Axion combine harvester and Claas forage harvesters. HITS Front-mount cabin Automatic suspension management Self-adjusting 50/50 weight distribution Easy to use AmaDrive touchscreen Tandem Chassis External wash-down kit Tier 3B engine Plenty of storage MISSES None I can think of AMAZONE PANTERA 4502-W Initially I believed that self-propelled sprayers were a costly piece of machinery that only had one use on the farm, as opposed to a trailing unit where the pulling tractor could also be used for other purposes throughout the year. However, with spraying becoming such a major part of cropping operations, large properties can keep a spray rig busy for most of the year, which makes the self-propelled unit a more viable option. With…

UD PW 24 280 6X4 After many months putting the final touches to well-publicised plans for the launch of a dedicated tandem-drive rigid truck, UD has now revealed its new Condor PW 24 280, a model with a low tare weight and high payload. First impressions from short stints behind the wheel of several versions on sealed and unsealed roads at Brisbane’s Mt Cotton Driver Training Centre were highly positive. They revealed a simple yet smart specification designed to satisfy a broad range of roles from livestock and agriculture to building, construction, waste and local distribution. In fact, so good was the truck’s performance around Mt Cotton that we asked UD for a re-run, this time in the real world. We’ll get to that shortly. ON THE RISE There’s an…

Quick Search To find these products online, go to TradeFarmMachinery.com.au and enter the TA or DIY code shown below in the Keyword search panel. 2007 UD PK265 PKA265 4x2 12 PALLET CURTAINSIDER, 265hp 6 cylinder turbo intercooled engine, 9 speed Roadranger transmission, indicating 519,158kms, adjustable airbag suspension, A/C, AM, FM radios, CD player + more QLD 07 3073 8148 $69,000 2009 UD PK9 270HP 6 speed manual fitted with a 4.4M long dropside tipper and bartlett ball towbar ex local council unit only 289,169klms NSW 02 8279 7050 $84,700 2006 UD PK265 6 cy turbo diesel air con Ex Gov vehicle Fitted with steel tipper and front mounted crane Tow bar Only done very low km’s workshop inspected and serviced Tidy truck NSW 02 8315 0013 $89,990 2007 UD MK245…