Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 358 i Farms and Farm Machinery

Tractor giant Massey Ferguson has introduced three new tractors to the Australian and New Zealand markets. Ranging from 75hp to 132hp, the tractors are part of the new MF 6700 Global Series. “The MF 6700 Series is the culmination of Massey Ferguson’s significant investment in developing the Global Series,” product manager Paul Morris says. “These completely new tractors are the first and only in the sector to be developed in the 21st century using the most modern design and manufacturing technology. “The modern, straight-forward Global Series tractors are purpose-built for ease of use, cost-effective operation and superior reliability without compromising on comfort or performance.” The company says the new MF 6700 Series is an ideal loader tractor capable of handling heavy loads thanks to its 2.5-metre wheelbase and 5.2-tonne linkage…

We’re confident growers will appreciate the improvements in these new machines. As the nation’s cane farmers prepare for the annual crush later in the year, Case IH is giving them something else to consider in their planning for the season. The release of the Austoft 8010 Series is a major update to the company’s sugarcane harvester product offering, with 28 new features and improvements that came out of more than 18,000 hours of field testing. “The last Austoft series release was the 8000 Series, and we’re confident growers will appreciate the improvements in these new machines and what they have to offer in the testing environment of an Australian cane paddock,”Case IH general manager for Australia and New Zealand Pete McCann says. Among the new features are LED work lights,…

The 2018 agricultural field days calendar kicked off recently with the 55th annual Wimmera Machinery Field Days at Longerenong near Horsham. Here are some machinery highlights from this year’s event. AMAZONE CONDOR 12001 SEED DRILL The standout was the Wimmera Machinery Field Days 2018 Machine of the Year – the Amazone Condor 12001 seed drill. The crew at the Claas Harvest Centre tent were keen to show us around the Condor seed drill, which is the first in Australia. “The Condor has garnered great interest here at the show and at the demonstrations it’s been at,” Claas Harvest Centre – Lake Bolac representative Steffen Berkemeyer says. The machine is designed specifically for use in stubble and is offered in working widths of 12m-15m. We’re told the Condor is a hit…

The WP 3010 compact pallet truck is the smart solution for a wide range of tasks. Crown Equipment has boosted its pallet truck line-up with an economical yet strong-performing new model. The WP 3010 Series features all the Crown WP Series quality hallmarks in a more compact and economically priced package and is now available Australia-wide through Crown’s national branch network and its online store. Designed and manufactured by Crown Europe in Roding, Germany, the WP 3010 features an AC drive motor combined with the e-GEN regenerative braking system for performance, reliability, long battery life and maintenance-free braking. The WP 3010 Series’ short (500mm) head length, fork length of up to 1150mm, built-in charger and low weight (279kg without battery) make it nimble and convenient, perfect for back-of-truck work. However,…

I am often contacted and invited onto properties or job sites to view and test run some of the old equipment that is still out there in a working mode and making good money for owners. Such was recently the case when I was informed of a 1982 Komatsu D65E-6 bulldozer, in excellent condition, working on a job just over the Queensland-New South Wales border ranges. It is always a pleasure to witness old gear still making good money either on a construction site or in the bush, however, due to its age there are very few fully fledged current construction jobs the old girl would get onto. Not so up here in the bush; this old dozer is still pushing way above its 13.5-tonne weight when it comes to…

Adrian O’Connell wants me to choose – goddamit! I’m torn. I mentally hop from one foot to the other as I try and make a decision. Parked before me sit a pair of iconic trucks – and I can only drive one, which I think is a little unfair. I mean, how am I meant to choose between a Cumminspowered 1980 model W924 Kenworth and a Detroit-powered 1982 S2 Kenworth for a drive? Not only that, behind me in the shed also sits a 1968 Flintstone Mack tipper that looks like it could use a run. The expression on my face probably looks a little like one of those Facebook videos where people tease a kitten with a laser pointer. Of course, I should be thankful Adrian is giving me…

The Case IH Patriot’s latest Aim Command Flex technology is improving wastage for the Krieg family’s cropping operation. Robin and wife Robyn farm with son Josh and his wife, Caitlin, at Kangaroo Flat, about 40km north of Adelaide and produce a wide variety of crop types from wheat, barley, canola and oats to chick peas, lentils, hay and faba beans. Onto their third Patriot sprayer in seven years, the Krieg family relies heavily upon the Patriot for their 3,000-hectare farming operation as well as their contract spraying business. Case IH says the new Aim Command Flex offers more advantages than its predecessor, the Aim Command Pro. “It offers consistent, flexible and accurate application, regardless of speed and terrain,” the company says. Robin Krieg says the new 25th anniversary Patriot sprayer…

Branson has released the 3100h 30hp sub-compact tractor through local distributor Midway Sales. The 3100h is ideal for tight work in vineyards, orchards and lifestyle properties yet has enough grunt to tackle some of those bigger jobs with a very capable four-in-one front-end loader. Midway Sales’ Scott Spring-Brown says the increased engine performance is being well received by owners “and we know from previous models that the hydrostatic transmission is very popular with our customer base”. “Our research shows that this model has also had great success in the US and European markets,” he adds. The front-end loader features single joystick operation four-in-one bucket and self-levelling functionality with a lifting capacity of 265 kg. The operator deck is easy to get on and off. A high-back and wide suspension operator’s…

Allu is really exciting, we can see a lot of potential for this product. Brisbane-based earthmoving equipment company RD Williams (RDW) believes it has a revolutionary new product to unleash down under. The product is the Allu Transformer and it’s a hydraulic bucket attachment for wheel loaders, excavators and skid steers, making it extremely versatile. From Finland, the Allu Transformer is designed to screen, crush, pulverise or aerate materials, removing the need for multiple machines, and can be used not only in earthmoving but also in the mining and agriculture sectors. Originally brought in for the pipeline industry, RDW and its subsidiary Queensland Rock Breakers (QRB) has decided to ramp up awareness of the Allu Transformer. “Allu is really exciting, we can see a lot of potential for this product,”…

Cervus Equipment recently celebrated 100 years of John Deere tractors by hosting a tractor training day. The day consisted of John Deere 5R, 6M/6R 7R and 8R tractor test drives, the latest technology information sessions and servicing questions. Besides the giant John Deere green cake, the star of the show was the 100-year-old Waterloo Boy tractor on display. Purchased by machinery enthusiast John Kirkpatrick four years ago, the century-old Waterloo Boy is a part of Kirkpatrick’s extensive collection of antique machinery. Kirkpatrick’s Waterloo Boy rolled off the production line very soon after John Deere bought the factory in 1918, in a time when farmers were transitioning from horses to tractors. “This particular tractor was put on a train on April 2, 1918, headed to Winnipeg Canada where it commenced its…

The Arion 400 range has been primarily designed as an all-rounder and loader tractor and so was comfortably at home on the day of the test loading a mixer wagon with grass and maize silage. ENGINE The powerplant under the bonnet sees an interesting change for Claas with the use of a four-cylinder, 4.5-litre FPT (Fiat Powertrain Technologies) engine with an intercooler and a turbocharger to deliver the maximum rated 140hp. Although we were only loading a mixer wagon on the day of the test, most reports I’ve seen on this engine say that it is very responsive and performs exceptionally well on the dyno and a range of other tests for power and efficiency. To meet Tier 4 final emission standards, Claas has opted to solely use SCR AdBlue…

One of the first things to impress me about the Yamaha Kodiak was the comfort it provided, both in riding position and the smoothness of its suspension. We test drove the Kodiak at an ex-orchard, with plenty of challenging terrain to put the bike through its paces. Property owner Murray Firth was happy for us to use his place. His answer was swift and simple: “So long as I can have a ride when you’ve finished testing the machine.” Turns out he was just as keen as me to see the latest offering from Yamaha in action. Both of us appreciate a functional, well-performing ATV, having driven many of them over the decades in a variety of situations. I’m not quite sure what planet I was on when I was…

Massey Ferguson’s new 9130 self-propelled sprayer is sure to be a hit thanks to its competitive price and simple operation. Farms & Farm Machinery jumped behind the wheel of the Brazilian-made 9130 at a recent AGCO demonstration near the Melbourne airport and were impressed with the product. The MF9130 was originally built and designed specifically for the Brazilian market as they were looking for a simple and heavier duty machine. “It’s been designed in conjunction with the engineers in Jackson, USA, who also build the RoGator sprayers for AGCO,” AGCO product manager Tim Oldaker says. “So, there is a lot of influence from RoGator in the MF9130. Everything has basically been beefed up, strengthened and simplified,” he adds. Oldaker says the MF9130 has been well received by customers. “We had…

Recently at a privately-owned farm just outside of Finley in New South Wales Landpower’s Claas Harvest Centre launched the latest Axion 800 tractor series. The Axion 810 is an impressive tractor and I was instantly drawn to its new CIS+ cabin, which Claas Harvest Centre labels “backpacker ready” due to its simplistic and easy-to-use design. The CIS+ cabin is spacious, convenient and quiet despite the Axion 810 packing a 6.7-litre FPT six-cylinder engine under the bonnet. That FPT engine is no wimp, capable of pushing out 215hp and a top speed of 50km/h. Speed and the 810’s Cmatic transmission are simply controlled by pushing up or down on the Claas Drivestick located on the multi-function armrest – purists don’t stress, you can still use the foot pedals. The multi-function armrest…

Queensland-based Gessner Industries is expanding its business overseas. Based out of Toowoomba, just under two hours’ drive from Brisbane, it specialises in everything from agricultural machinery to construction and mining machinery. The company has been pushing its brand here in Australia for decades, but recently has seen a large expansion of its business around the world, in particular its flagship Lewis ripper. Over the past two years, Gessner has sent six to eight container loads of industrial attachments to south-east Asia – a move Gessner Industries director Michael O’Connor is obviously very pleased with. So, what is the Gessner Lewis ripper? “The Lewis ripper has been around for more than 50 years,” O’Connor says. “We build them as either a two-barrel or a four-barrel ripper.” Two barrel refers to the…

We believe that building on water is the way ahead in a country with a changing climate and ever-increasing urbanisation. It has taken a lot of time to get the green light but finally construction of the world’s first floating dairy farm is under way in the Netherlands. This innovative farm is being built at Rotterdam and will be home to 40 dairy cows when completed. The idea is that the farm will supply the city with fresh dairy products every day, produced, say the developers, “in an animal-friendly and circular manner”. Three concrete floats are currently being constructed in a drydock that together form the foundations for the floating farm. These floats are scheduled to be shipped to their definitive location in the Merwe4Haven in Rotterdam in the middle…

One of the best things about testing agricultural machinery is getting to travel around and see different equipment in action. I’m particularly keen on gear designed to suit specific areas and climates and specialised tasks. The Italian Vigolo TDFDT high-body mulcher is an excellent case in point. The journey to view this impressive mulcher in action involved heading to New Zealand’s North Island, where I met Keith Inverarity of Jacobs Contracting. Keith has been contracting around Kerikeri, 80km north of Whangarei, for 15 years after buying the business from brothers Colin and Nigel Jacobs. Offering a range of services, including spraying and spreading, full cultivation through to maize and grass silage, and baling round and square bales, contracting in the far north means Keith has always operated a mulching mower,…

The Amarok may be among the bigger utes in its class but it certainly doesn’t feel it on the road. Volkswagen’s Amarok is the oldest of the mainstream popular utes currently available in Australia, arriving here in 2010, but has been kept fresh by various updates, the most recent and the most significant being the introduction of a three-litre V6 turbo-diesel engine in late 2016. The V6 is only available in 4x4 models and only with an eight-speed automatic gearbox and a single-range full-time 4WD system. A manual V6 with dual-range 4WD has been promised for later in the year. When it initially arrived in late 2016 the V6 was only offered in the well-equipped Highline ($60,000+) and the even more luxurious Ultimate ($68,000+), but in late 2017 VW introduced…

It’s an exciting time for Victorian-based sprayer manufacturer Goldacres as it turns 40 years old this year. As part of the anniversary celebrations, the company recently invited customers to its Mitchell Park production facility just outside of Ballarat for the Goldacres Expo18, a recognition of the company’s history and success. I was fortunate enough to attend the event and couldn’t help but feel a huge sense of pride when touring the immaculately clean and intricate production facility, especially considering the current state of vehicle manufacturing in Australia. Goldacres began in the town of St Arnaud in 1978, producing trailing sprayers. Over time it has moulded to the requirements of the industry, now producing a diverse range of products including spreaders, three-point linkage sprayers, chemical handlers and its flagship self-propelled range.…