Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 365 i Farms and Farm Machinery

Claas has become the first manufacturer to release a forage harvester with factory-integrated crawler track. First revealed at last year’s Agritechnica expo, the new Claas Jaguar 960 Terra Trac has its manufacturer very excited. “Claas first released Terra Trac for use in combination with Lexion combine harvesters in 1996,” Claas Harvest Centre product manager Luke Wheeler says. “This technology has revolutionised grain harvesting by significantly reducing soil compaction, improving driving comfort and improving field access. “It is no exaggeration to say Jaguar with Terra Trac is set to redefine forage harvesting performance,” Wheeler adds. Available in 635, 735 and 890mm track widths, the Terra Trac system, when combined with the tyre pressure adjustment system on the rear axle, will allow for improved field access and reduce damage to croplands and…

Designers of the Integrated Harrington Seed Destructor (iHSD) have redrawn the unit’s bearings and housing and incorporated a wider mill following feedback from grain growers. The iHSD, consisting of two hydraulically-driven cage mills retrofitted to combine harvesters, into the chaff stream just below the sieves, was launched in 2016 and upgraded last year to improve its cooling capacity and allow better feeding to mills. The new upgrades, developed by SKF Engineering and De Bruin Engineering, also include a relocation of the cooler in order to assist with the unit’s oil cooling. Distributor McIntosh Distribution led the grower consultation campaign, with agent Johnny Inferrera saying the changes are currently being rolled out to existing clients. “Even before these upgrades, we’ve maintained kill rates at up to 99 per cent and growers…

Say hello to the new Deutz-Fahr 6135G PowerVision, the German company’s latest addition to the Aussie market. Like the majority of Deutz tractors released over the past two years or so, this is a sleek looking machine, and the best part – it’s been designed especially for Australia. That’s right; the word on the block is that the design brief for this new 6G series was to create a tractor that could handle the Australian conditions. An imposing machine, with that distinct European styling. Could there finally be a new Green machine in town? ENGINE Let’s start with the power source. The 6135G uses a Tier 3 Deutz common rail 6.1-litre six-cylinder Deutz engine that pushes out a maximum of 141hp (105.1kW). This gives the 6135G plenty of punch, though…

If you’re a farmer looking at using new technologies to get more out of your land, a little knowledge goes a long way, one of Australia’s leading experts in the field says. Rohan Rainbow, who was once the Society of Precision Agriculture Australia’s executive officer and today is a leading industry consultant, told Farms & Farm Machinery that an investment in digital or precision agriculture needs a solid foundation – and that the complexity of the field itself made this difficult to come by. “To make it work well, especially for a business, I would say that some of the best advice I could give is to get some professional help in setting it up,” he says. While a number of machinery dealership networks are offering paid service provision to…

Today’s popular dual-cab utes are far bigger and can carry and tow much more than ever before, but even the biggest and brawniest of them look decidedly small and puny compared to the newly released Chevrolet Silverado. This is a ute from another and altogether different world. The Silverado comes to Australia courtesy of Holden Special Vehicles (HSV), the official performance-vehicle partner of Holden. Not that the monster-sized Chev ute is a performance vehicle in the mould of the tweaked Commodore V8s more commonly associated with HSV, but it nevertheless has a set of numbers that make a very big statement. How does 1,234Nm of torque sound? Or a towing capacity close to 6,000kg? CLIMB ABOARD As you walk up to the Silverado you can’t help but be impressed its…

Scottish machinery manufacturer Bryce Suma has produced a new heavy-duty post driver suitable for lower horsepower tractors. Driving in fencing posts can be a real strain on the back, but more often than not the tractor-mounted post-drivers need a large tractor to drive them. However, Bryce Suma has just introduced the new Suma TR400 that can be driven by a small utility tractor. Tests on smaller tractors around 45 to 50 horsepower (33.6 to 37.3kW) have already been completed and the results proved favourable. Jock Bryce of Bryce Suma said the company’s regular heavy-duty post drivers carried on the rear three-point hitch need a substantial tractor to maintain secure stability on site and during road travel. “However, not everyone has need of a 120–150hp (89.5–111.9kW) tractor, so our new Suma…

John Deere says the standard channel width self-propelled forage harvester (SPFH) it will launch in 2019 will meet market demand for more powerful harvesters with a sub-3m transport width. The new model, the 8600 SPFH, will top the company’s current range of standard crop channel SPFH models, which currently ranges from the 280kW 8100 to the 430kW 8500. “Due to producer demand for higher horsepower in standard cutterhead machines, the 8600 has been re-introduced as a standard cutterhead machine in the model year 2019 8000 Series SPFH lineup,” John Deere says. “Even fitted with large 2.15m 710/75R42 front tyres, all the 8000 Series models remain within the critical road transport width of 3m.” Previous models of the 8600 SPFH were wide cutterhead machines, before being replaced by the 9600 wide…

Automated Mercedes-Benz trucks are being used for the first time in the Brazilian sugar cane harvest. Brazilian agricultural technology manufacturer GrunnerTech and Mercedes-Benz Brazil have partnered to configure 18 Mercedes-Benz Axor 3131 trucks for automated use during sugar cane harvesting. The Axor comes equipped with all the technological components required for automated Level 2 driving. This means that the Axor automatically controls the speed and proximity as well as longitudinal and lateral guidance. Mercedes-Benz says that although the driver retains control of the truck at all times, hands do not have to be permanently on the steering wheel. Other features of the Axor include an additional front axle, extended tyre spacing, ‘high flotation’ tyres for agricultural use and antennas to receive satellite signals. Before work begins to harvest the crop,…

Taking place over three days at the beginning of October, Elmore Field Days is one of Victoria’s premier agricultural events. It combines the best machinery available with a fantastic family atmosphere, making it a must-see event. Here are some of the highlights of the show: JNR LEOPARD EJECTOR I’m not sure what makes the new Leopard Ejector by JNR stand out like the proverbial, but it must be something to do with its Aussie green and gold paint job and Hulk-size appearance. But does the Leopard walk the walk? Well the Kyabram, Victoria-based engineering company certainly thinks so, having spent over 1,000 hours of testing and years of research and development going into the machine. Replacing the popular LE series, 21 Leopards have been made over the last 12 months,…

Preparations for the 2019 Brisbane Truck Show are up and running. Tickets are now on sale for next year’s event and there’s more reason than ever to start making plans to be there. It’s no surprise that the exhibition halls will be jam-packed with all the latest and best trucks, trailers, components, equipment and technology. We’ve come to expect that. In record time every nook and cranny has been contracted to exhibitors wanting to put their best foot forward at the southern hemisphere’s largest automotive showcase. The 2019 show is the fifth at Brisbane’s world-class Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre. Last month we announced the addition of the National Road Transport Association Conference on the eve of the truck show. The conference program will provide insightful content combined with great…

While FencePro has covered the market from the entry-level Farmtek through to the top-spec side mount Ultra G3 model, there was always a slight gap in the line-up without a rotating base model, until this year. I first spotted the new rotator base RB800 model at this year’s National Agricultural Fieldays and was keen to see one in action. The opportunity came about soon with a visit to Campbell Bryce, owner of Hill Country Fencing, which operates in western Waikato between Tuakau and Huntly. During my visit, Campbell and his team were building a new set of cattle yards near Glen Murray – an ideal situation to see just how well the manoeuvrability of this new model works in confined spaces. Campbell purchased his new post driver around four months…

Tractor sales fell by “their greatest amount in recent memory” in September as the impacts of drought were felt, though many in the industry believe the dip will resolve when rains arrive.September sales data released by the Tractor & Machinery Association of Australia (TMA) showed tractor sales were down 18 per cent across the board after a year of strong sales – defying wider expectations. “Tractor sales have surpassed the 12,000 unit mark in each of the past few years and it now appears highly unlikely that that number will be reached in 2018,” the Association says, adding that many dealers believed confidence should be restored when and if it rains. “We expect, however, that the combination of exchange rate declines, interest rate increases and possible trade war backlash will…

Case IH has expanded its local harvester range, relaunching its 6130 Axial-Flow Combine for Australian producers. The company’s hay and harvest product manager for Australia and New Zealand Tim Slater says the combines will suit a range of applications in the local market, being known for their responsiveness and their power efficiency. “The 6130 lives up to these high standards, with no combine simpler to operate, or more efficient around the paddock, regardless of the crop, field condition, or farm size,” he says. “The 6130 is a lower specification, efficient, cost effective unit. It takes the heart and soul of the Axial-Flow with simplicity, crop adaptability, grain quality and grain savings being at the heart of the machine’s foundations. “These combines are ideal for operators looking to replace earlier model…

A multi-function joystick, variable ratio steering and better hydraulic pump capability will be introduced to the 6R range of John Deere tractors in the new year. John Deere says the upgrades to the 6110R, 6120R, 6130R, 6145R, 6155R, 6175R, 6195R, 6215R, 6230R and 6250R models, all between 82 and 186 kilowatts, will improve their performance and make them easier to control. Chief among them is the introduction of the CommandPro joystick, which lets operators control a tractor’s speed and direction as well as implementing functions from the same lever. Configurable buttons enable operators to customise the control to best fit the job or operator’s preference, which then can be saved as profiles, such as “baling” or “mowing”. John Deere marketing manager Anne Anderson says the joystick, which has IVT transmission,…

A return to traditional tillage practices is producing results for Queensland farmer Lance Wise. Wise and his family run a large cropping operation in Bowenville, 45 minutes west of Toowoomba in Queensland’s Darling Downs region. It is one of the state’s largest farming regions, and also one of the driest. Growing everything from barley and wheat to chickpeas and mung beans on their 1,650-hectare property, Wise and his family turned back to a traditional tillage method for 12 months in order to retain soil moisture. And the change has paid dividends – with Wise linking the higher moisture levels to his Gessner Big Buck. “Basically we had a compaction issue,” Wise says. “After using zero till and not really seeing the advantages of it and seeing a few different weed…

ProAg Field Days WHAT: Held over two days in early November, this year’s ProAg will once again be held at the Macksville Showgrounds in Macksville, NSW. With its first show back in 1984, this long-running event is expected to attract thousands of visitors to view the offerings of over 100 agricultural and general interest companies on-site. WHEN: November 2-3 MORE INFO: www.fairfaxruralevents.com.au/proag/home EIMA WHAT: Taking place in Bologna, Italy, EIMA – the International Agricultural and Gardening Machinery Exhibition – is a biennial event that showcases manufacturing industries from around the world. Theme salons will focus on the areas of: agricultural mechanical engineering; use of renewable energy resources of agricultural and forestry; irrigation and water management; multifunctionality in agriculture; and gardening. There will also be focus areas concentrating on topics like…

After being in the pipeline for roughly two years, changes to the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) bringing it in line with existing workplace health and safety laws finally came into effect on October 1. Simply put, the changes to the Chain of Responsibility (COR) parts of the legislation mean that all parties in a supply chain – including farmers – have a duty to either eliminate or reduce risks faced by other parties in it, so far as is reasonably practical. And the penalties faced by groups that fail the test can be severe. Under the revised HVNL an individual can be fined $300,000 and sentenced to up to five years in prison if they recklessly expose someone to the risk of death, serious injury or illness through bad…

Tractor attachments are a farmer’s best friend. When you’ve got two that work together well, there isn’t a task too hard – and some can be downright fun to complete. Farms & Farm Machinery has compiled a list of some of our favourites from recent reviews – a useful guide for you to find the next essential attachment to help you lighten your workload. FRONT END LOADER It may be the most valuable tractor attachment you’ll ever buy. If you’re looking to get things done, then the front-end loader is probably the way to go, allowing you to scoop, move, handle and impale a range of materials around your property. One of our favourite front end loaders over the years was the Quicke Versa X-36 by Quicke. Quicke was one…