Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 380 i Farms and Farm Machinery

John Deere says a “significant makeover” for its 6M tractor range will bring improvements in comfort, visibility, performance and technology in 2020. The company says a redesign of its Cornerpost display will eliminate the cluster of instruments that surrounded the steering column, while increasing forward-facing visibility and functionality. Up to four selective control valves (SCVs) will be available on the new models – with electronic valves being offered in the 6M range for the first time. Switches on the electrohydraulic joystick are fully programmable, and direction of travel can be changed on both this and the mechanical joystick via the PowrReverser push-button, Deere says. Deere’s AutoTrac precision guidance system will be available on the small-frame models for the first time, with JDLink telematics also included to assist customers with fleet…

Australian agricultural technology company Farmbot can combine data from its water monitors with data from devices including soil moisture monitors, electric fences, pumps and water tanks with its latest technology upgrade. Company managing director Andrew Coppin says the sixth generation Farmbot will be able to monitor water pressure, flow rates and rainfall, among other variables. “46 per cent of our customers now have rain gauges attached to the Farmbot,” he says. “We are monitoring pressure and flow in pipes, doing water quality, electric fence monitoring – by proximity the device can pick up that there is an electric fence near it and make sure the farmer knows the electric fence or the hotwire is charged and is doing what it is meant to be doing.” The Farmbot features two-way communications,…

Anew range of mechanical self-levelling loader (MSL) attachments for John Deere’s compact utility tractors will be available in Australia from mid-2020, the company has announced. The MSL loader range will prevent material from falling backwards onto the tractor bonnet and operator station when lifted by automatically maintaining the front implement position from the ground to the loader’s maximum height. Deere says the 120R, 220R and 300E loaders will be compatible with its 1E, 1R, 2R and 3E compact utility tractors, and will be made available with a third function kit, which enables the use of additional attachments such as a 4-in-1 bucket. Operators are given the ability to easily install and remove implements as needed thanks to the Quik-Park loader mounting system and Quik-Change attachment carrier available on the 120R…

Gary Northover is executive director of the Tractor & Machinery Association of Australia (TMA). He can be contacted on (03) 9813 8011 or at gary@tma.asn.au Sales of agricultural tractors suffered another large decline in November, down 16 per cent compared to November last year, with overall sales now 11 per cent behind their 2018 level. Full year tractor sales for 2019 are forecast to be less than 11,000, and the promise of reasonable sales in 2020 is diminishing, with a forecast in the range of 9,000 tractors predicted for the new year. NSW suffered the greatest sales declines with a further 28 per cent drop in November, now 20 per cent behind last year. Queensland slipped another 19 per cent in the month and is now 8 per cent behind…

Geelong Classic Truck & Machinery Show, Breakwater, Vic January plays host to one of the biggest and best displays of classic trucks, tractors, cars and machinery, plus much more. As well as having a range of visiting clubs and displays, the event also showcases the Vintage Machinery Section’s own pavilion with more than 15 fully operational steam engines, 12 permanently installed oil engines, a 1,000 horsepower marine steam engine, a wool scouring machine and a large collection of steam models. WHEN: January 11-12, 2020 MORE INFO: www.classictruckandmachinery.com.au IDW Australia, Tatura Park, Vic Australia’s International Dairy Week, held in Tatura Park, Victoria, is a forum to showcase the latest developments in Australian dairy cattle, farming practices, dairy knowledge, breeding and genetics, machinery, equipment and technology, environmental management and services. Held during…

Some of the largest amounts allocated under the most recent Smart Farming Partnerships grants have gone to groups aiming to build a sustainable future for Australian agriculture. The grants, which are capped at $4 million, are awarded to partnerships between experienced and skilled organisations aiming to develop new tools to make agriculture more productive and to improve natural resources. Meat and Livestock Australia was one of the biggest beneficiaries of the most recent round, announced earlier this year, being awarded $3.73 million to carry out an assessment of their sustainable land management practices Agriculture minister Bridget McKenzie says the project will help equip graziers with evidence to present to international markets requiring they demonstrate sustainable production credentials. “Validating against internationally recognised sustainability credentials such as drought resilience, soil conservation and…

A national set of regulations for grain transport during harvest season should be widely adopted, easy to follow and have due consideration for safety across the board, a major industry group has said. The Grain Transport Safety Network (GTSN) is an umbrella group representing major bulk grain handlers and end users, including GrainCorp, Viterra, Ridley, Cargill, Emerald Grain and Quattro Ports. It is one of a series of groups to make a submission last year to a review of Grain Harvest Management Schemes (GHMS) conducted by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) as it considers the possibility of developing a harmonised national scheme under the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) that it administers. GHMSs exist to offer a solution to some of the difficulties in grain transport – including the…

Maize planting season always involves a burst of intense labour, needing to happen in a relatively small window of time, ideally as soil temperatures start consistently hitting 10 degrees plus for best establishment. With an eight-hectare block in Matamata on the North Island cultivated and ready for maize planting, the early season timing presented a good opportunity for us to assess the Kverneland Optima TFprofi SX 8-row maize planter’s latest features and design enhancements; sussing out whether the machine will make the busy period of maize planting a bit easier for contractors and farmers (in Australia Kverneland products are distributed by PFG Australia). TEST TIME As with any new machine, choosing the right machine for the job is key; as is ensuring it has all the features and capability required…

PFG Australia will equip all 2020 model Versatile brand tractors sold in Australia with the latest display and receiver technology produced by precision agriculture giant Trimble. The distributor signed an original equipment manufacturer partnership deal with Trimble’s Australian distributor Vantage NSW to guarantee that the new products included fresh from the factory floor. PFG’s product manager for Versatile and Precision Agriculture products Jeremy Duniam told Farms & Farm Machinery the arrangement would apply to Trimble’s new products being distributed in Australia, rather than legacy items. These will include the new GFX-750 display – equipped with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity – and the roof-mounted NAV-900 guidance controller, designed to keep the tractor cab clutter-free. The devices, both of which are backwards-compatible, will be supplied by Vantage NSW and fitted at PFG’s…

Released earlier this year at the Henty Machinery Field Days, the new, wider Speed-Forma CG2000XL has been designed to work quicker while conserving as much topsoil as possible. Measuring 6.2m-wide and with a 3.5m transport width, the CG2000XL finishing machine has a carrying capacity of 11 cubic metres and weighs 12,500kg empty – needing a machine of more than 300 horsepower (224kW) to tow it. Its new design can finish grade and regrade over 10 hectares per hour, using its 24 rippers and scarifiers positioned in front of the blade that can be used while levelling. Speed-Forma manager Troy Litchfield says the company had aimed to create a wider machine with a lower storage capacity – meaning the machine could cover more ground more quickly. “Basically we are reducing the…

With years of experience in farming, Rapid Spray’s founders set up shop in the heart of the Hunter Valley with the sole purpose of making farming equipment more effective, efficient and durable for harsh Australian conditions. Loaded with innovative features, the FieldLink three point linkage sprayer is the latest product to continue this tradition. Available in 400-, 600- and 800-litre tank sizes, and with a range of boom sizes up to 10m wide, the FieldLink is the perfect fit for fruit and vegetable producers, cereal farmers, pasture growers, the hobby farmer and many more, from small acreage to large-scale operations. The tanks are designed to contour to the back of the tractor to bring the weight up and close over those back wheels, with its low centre of gravity increasing…

The 2019 Tranzmile Truck of the Year Award marks the culmination of the second year of the highly-popular Truck of the Month feature in Owner//Driver. The team at Owner//Driver has chosen the 12 finalists, but the responsibility of selecting the winner is now turned over to you – our valued readers. Among the nominees are some amazing trucks – so we don’t envy the job ahead of you! Read on to find out how to vote, and what you can win for your efforts! HOW IT WORKS To be eligible, trucks must have appeared as a Truck of the Month in Owner//Driver magazine over the past 12 months. The outright winner will be decided by popular vote – with the winner featured in the March 2020 issue of Owner//Driver magazine…

This May, Western Sydney will once again be the stage for Australia’s largest construction industry Expo. The National Diesel Dirt & Turf Expo is Australia’s major showcase for heavy equipment, specialised vehicles, mowers, attachments and other equipment for public space management and supporting services. For the fifth year the Expo is being held at the popular Panthers Penrith venue, and with a huge number of high-quality exhibitors, the expo looks certain to set new visitor attendance records. This great event attracts growing numbers of visitors from throughout New South Wales, interstate and overseas. Panthers has everything needed to make a visit well worthwhile and memorable, with easy accessibility, free entry and plenty of free parking, as well as lots of great food, hospitality and entertainment. Each year, exhibitors mount larger…

Australian farms will produce roughly 1 million tonnes less of grains in 2019–2020 – a 3 per cent fall to 29.24 million tonnes following an unexpectedly hot and dry spring, according to the Australian Bureau of Agriculture and Resources Economics and Sciences (ABARES). Released in December, the Australian Crop Report forecast is 13 per cent down from the Bureau’s production forecast in September 2019 – reflecting bad news for Australia’s winter crops. ABARES acting executive director Peter Gooday says bad spring weather in Western Australia and southern New South Wales was behind the fall, which is the third consecutive year the total volume of agricultural production has fallen – a trend which has not occurred for more than 60 years. “[Total] forecast winter production is around 27 per cent below…

New South Wales ag machinery group Geronimo Farm Equipment has taken on distribution of Finnish company Elho’s range of hay raking and rock picking equipment in Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia. Geronimo’s new Cowra sales manager Chris Sweeney says he is seeing more farmers move into hay cutting – hence the decision to add Elho’s twin swather range, such as the Elho V-Twin 950 Super, the V-Twin 750, the V-Twin 600 and the Twin 4600, to its product range. Elho’s hayraking equipment can handle anything from very heavy silage to a lighter hay crop in a variety of conditions, Sweeney says. “It is that extra width, the ability to adjust that width as you need it, the finger tine arrangement and the drive system on there that allows…

What you see here is likely to be the last iteration of the D-Max that first arrived here in 2012. But at the same time it’s also very different to the D-Max that arrived back then. Although little changed for its first five years, the 2017 model bought a significantly revised engine with a broader spread of power along with new six-speed manual and automatic gearboxes (replacing the previous five speeders). The engine revision came off the back of mandatory compliance to the then-new Euro 5 emission regulations, which means the addition of diesel particulate filter. The 2017 model also bought new engine-sound deadening and various equipment upgrades. For the 2018 model, all SX, LS-U and LS-T dual cabs were fitted with more compliant three-leaf rear springs designed to improve…

Manufacturer CF Moto released an all-electric all-terrain vehicle (ATV) at EICMA, one of the world’s top motorcycle shows, in Milan, Italy, in November. CF Moto says the Evolution A ATV showcases its ability to push the boundaries in its powersport products. “Similar to the automotive industry, the powersport industry needs to look at alternative propulsion methods including all-electric platforms to provide a zero-emission alternative,” the company says. “CF Moto global sees the world is changing, customer culture is changing and the powersports industry needs to evolve to meet new world demands.” The Evolution A is powered by an electric motor and drivetrain housed in a new chassis design, with a variety of different power modes and suspension settings able to be selected while driving. It also offers smart phone integration,…

With a unique top screen where blades spin between the combs, Finnish company Allu’s range of DL transformer buckets can turn your tractor, excavator, loader or backhoe into a mobile screening facility. Designed for compact base machines and available through distributors across Australia, the buckets can be used to screen, pulverise, aerate, mix, separate and load dry and wet materials including topsoil, peat and compost. Manufacturer Allu says the transformer buckets will remove the need to bring an excavator and screener onto the worksite, processing anything from topsoil to clay, peat, bark, compost, limestone and several other materials. “They are truly mobile, offering you the versatility and flexibility to work more efficiently in the most challenging environments,” the group says. Screened material measures between 15–25mm depending on the space between…

US-based RDO Equipment has bought out its partners in Queensland-focused John Deere dealership Vanderfield and the Australian distribution arm of Vermeer Equipment as it doubles down on the Australian market. RDO Equipment, which recently took on dealership rights for John Deere Construction and Forestry across all of Australia except WA, previously held a 50 per cent stake in both businesses. At the same time, it is forming a new umbrella brand RDO Australia Group. The new group will have 18 dealerships and more than 500 staff. Vanderfield CEO Bruce Vandersee and Vermeer Australia’s Peter Pullan and Ian Jensen will remain with the expanded RDO Australia, as shareholders and directors of the larger group. The new Australian operation will be headed by Julie Whitcombe as chief executive, transitioning from her current…

With 340 trade exhibitors in attendance, Belgium’s largest indoor agricultural fair attracted around 100,000 visitors during the six-day event in early December. The 60,000 square metres of exhibition space was packed out with machinery, some of which had made the trip up from the Agritechnica Show in Germany just a few weeks prior. Although the German show had trumped AgriBex to be the first to reveal most new innovations, there were still a number of memorable machines on the stands in Belgium. STEENO XBC PLOUGH On its home ground, Belgian machinery manufacturer Steeno exhibited its latest XBC reversible plough range with the five furrow model as the highlight on the stand. These heavy duty reversible ploughs are designed for tractors between 120 horsepower (89kW) and 380hp (283kW) and are available…

We sat on the side of the road at 5am, parked up outside Winton Raceway, watching the around-the-clock bustle of the Hume Highway in the distance. Trucks passed us, as you’d expect out there, but in this part of Victoria the trucks weren’t shifting your stock standard freight, nor were the drivers your ordinary truckies. On the back of these trucks, were more trucks. Racing slicks, livery and outlandish spoilers gave away the fact these weren’t road-going rigs. We were at Winton to witness the outrageousness that is Australian Super Truck Racing, a motorsport for people who find regular car racing … well … kinda cute. Now we’d better clear up a few rumours before we get started. Walking around the pits we heard murmurs that truck racers could undo…

Kubota, more than any other Japanese manufacturer, has until now persisted in the belief that UTVs, side-by-sides, RTVs, whatever you want to call them, are for work not play. That’s not following market trends though. Just about everyone these days makes a so-called ‘cross-over’ utility vehicle with a petrol engine and a lot more performance than your average humpy-dump diesel. To catch up with the rest of the mob then, Kubota had to break with tradition to tempt those who associate the company with tractors and nothing else. And it’s done a pretty good job of getting recreational riders as well as property managers interested in its latest side-by-side. The 851cc Sidekick is actually made in the USA, near Atlanta (Georgia) and has already been released worldwide. Three models are…