Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 387 i Farms and Farm Machinery

John Deere has added to its S700 series of combine harvesters with a new combine harvester range designed specifically for big properties. Deere says the new X9 1000 and X9 1100 will complement the existing models by helping large-scale farmers to thresh, separate and clean more grain every hour, even under changing conditions. John Deere tactical segment manager Marko Koelln says X9 Harvester models adjust automatically to handle damp or dry straw, making threshing and separating easier without the operator needing to adjust harvester settings. “At the heart of the new combine is the X Series Dual Separator (XDS) with the largest threshing and separation areas Deere has ever offered,” Koelln says. “Crop in the XDS is threshed and separated during nine revolutions, resulting in less grain loss and increased…

CFMoto has met the government’s challenge head-on, announcing it will affix operator protection devices on all new all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) sold from October this year amid the release of a new model. It’s got 30 horsepower (22kW), a 400cc single cylinder engine, CVTech transmission, electronic power steering, a 70kg rear carrier rack capacity and a tow capacity of 350kg. But arguably the most important feature of the new C Force 400 EPS ATV is its operator protection device (OPD) – set to come as standard on all CFMoto ATVs sold in Australia after October this year. The move comes after ATV manufacturers Polaris, Yamaha, Honda and Suzuki all announced plans to withdraw ATVs from sale in Australia from October 11, 2021 if not sooner, saying they were unwilling to meet…

John Deere will incorporate the CommandDrive all-wheel drive system into the 2021 versions of its R4038 and R4030 self-propelled sprayers as part of a series of upgrades. While already available on R4045 and R4060 sprayers, the addition of John Deere’s all-wheel drive system now allows operators of the R4038 and R4030 models to cover tricky terrain like hills, soft ground and wet surfaces more easily. For example, if one or more wheels lose traction, the sprayers’ system adjusts to slow the slipping wheel and directs more flow to the other wheels with traction, propelling the machine over the terrain. It does this thanks to its powertrain, which uses a single hydrostatic pump that powers all four variable-displacement motors. John Deere production and precision agriculture tactical segment manager Marko Koelln says…

The news comes just a few months after Roylances announced it was the new Kubota dealer for the Forbes region of New South Wales. Roylances, which started out in the automotive and earthmoving industries before recently expanding into the agriculture market, says it’s excited about the addition of JCB machines to its offering. “JCB is amongst the top three manufacturers of construction equipment in the world,” company representative Justin Roylance says. “There are very few worksites around Australia you can drive past that wouldn’t feature the iconic JCB backhoe, but more than that, they have a fantastic range of tractors, excavators, wheel loaders, forklifts. “The list is extensive, stretching to 300 different products. We already have some monster machines on site, with the impressive 455ZX Wheel Loader arriving first, whilst…

Farmers are still upbeat about the future outlook for agriculture and their own businesses in 2020, according to the latest Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey, released in June. The survey, which takes in the view of about 1,000 primary producers across Australia on a quarterly basis, found 33 per cent of farmers were expecting conditions in the agricultural economy to improve in the 2020-21 financial year. This was a fall from the 46 per cent who expressed a positive view in the March quarter, while the numbers of those expecting things to get worse increased from 15 per cent to 23 per cent in June. Of those, 47 per cent were most worried about a fall in commodity prices, while the impact of COVID-19 was identified by another 28 per cent…

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 Australian tractor sales lifted for the third consecutive month as the industry, driven by better weather prospects and the increase in the Instant Asset Write Off program to $150,000, continues to manage its way through the COVID-19 pandemic. While the full impact of COVID-19 on the supply pipeline is still to play out, the industry has resumed a solid level of activity after a torrid two year period, thanks to good weather and strong demand for commodities, even despite some trade tensions with China. Nationwide tractor sales are up 30 per cent year on year for May and are now 12 per cent ahead on…

Titan Australia says its new tyre design can reduce both soil compaction and road lope – the swaying and bouncing of a machine during road transport. The company, which sells tyres under the Titan and Goodyear Farm brands, introduced its range of low side wall (LSW) tyres to the Australian market in 2017. Available in a variety of sizes, the LSW tyre design has a larger rim diameter and smaller tyre sidewall than a regular tyre – while the outside diameter and weight load capacity remains the same. Titan says this allows the tyres to run at about 40 per cent less inflation pressure than standard tyres, minimising soil compaction, while the smaller side wall reduces the recoil and bouncing that results in road lope and power hop. Titan tyre…

State coroners rarely make public statements – instead mostly reserving comments for hearings and inquests, when they recommend how similar incidents may be avoided. But South Australian coroner David Whittle bucked the trend last month when he issued a public warning about inflating tyres on multi-piece and split vehicle rims. He did so at the request of a grieving family, after formally recording that a man had died of “severe traumatic brain injury” when using an air compressor to inflate a tyre fitted to a multi-piece rim. “The tyre exploded and a piece of the rim struck him in the head,” a statement from the coroner’s office says. “The cause and circumstances of the man’s death were clear and the state coroner determined, following consultation with the man’s family, that…

Servicing an expanding dairy community, fertiliser supply and spreading company Webber & Chivell recently bought a Kuhn Axis 50.1 H-EMC-W linkage spreader and mounted it up on a new 310hp (231kW) JCB Fastrac 8310. H is for hydraulic. EMC stands for electronic mass flow control and W indicates weigh bars. The Axis 50.1 spreader is a single bin unit with two delivery outlets. Because its main use is spreading urea, Webber & Chivell added an extension to bring its 4,000-litre capacity to more than 5,000 litres. I am pleased to see a full mesh screen is mounted inside the bin to prevent lumps of fertiliser or other foreign matter blocking the outlet chutes, while a set of steps on the side makes it easy to monitor the filling process. Kuhn…

The Amazone ZA-TS spreader combines new technologies with clever design features to offer huge savings and benefits to farmers. Built from a single piece of steel to better resist corrosion, the 700-litre base for the main hopper is actually made up of two hoppers, which deliver material separately to each spinner. An aggressive-looking agitator is positioned in the bottom of each hopper to keep material flowing freely – reversible if necessary – while a grate prevents lumps from reaching the spinners. A welded steel bin above the hopper gives the machine I tested its 3,200-litre capacity, while a safety ladder on each side of the machine gives access to a large top opening, with a canvas cover to keep moisture out. Safety panels and road lights are neatly incorporated into…

Leaning fertiliser is more effective on sugar cane when applied directly into the rootball – splitting the sugar stool – Innisfail sugar cane grower and engineer Michael Camilleri of Maalacan Engineering teamed up with fellow growers David and Paul Cecchi to create a new spreader. Inspired by a Caterpillar dozer’s ripper, Camilleri came up with the idea of incorporating a parallelogram system for mounting the coulter, tine and depth gauge wheel that keeps the working angle of the disc and tine consistent. It’s the key feature of the Reefa – Responsible Economical Environmental Fertiliser Applicator – a three-row stool splitting fertiliser applicator with dual delivery metering units. The Reefa can also be raised and lowered at the rear on the transport wheels and also at the front on its dual…

The new 60hp (45kW) T613 tractor launched by Korean manufacturer TYM has new styling, improved ergonomics and a new ‘smooth and quiet’ TYM four-cylinder diesel engine, local distributor Inlon says. Currently only available as a rollover protection system-equipped model, the T613 replaces the T603 – which Inlon says is the oldest model in its lineup. The T613 has a full synchromesh 12-speed transmission – unlike the T603’s 24 speed transmission – with a synchro-shuttle lever located under the steering wheel. It also comes with a two-speed independent power take-off (PTO) as standard with 540 and 540 Economy and two double acting remotes, along with an Auto-PTO function that automatically disengages the PTO when the linkage is raised, and automatically re-engages when lowered. The new model is smaller than its predecessor,…

Australian farmers have been among the top buyers of Massey Ferguson’s Global Series tractors since they were first released in 2014, and demand is showing no signs of slowing down. Massey Ferguson Australia and New Zealand product marketing manager Simon Van Kruining says the company set out to create something different in the three, all newly designed MF 4700, MF 5700 and MF 6700 ranges. “Locally, we have seen our order intake double in 2020 thanks to the Global Series’ rugged design, premium comfort and class leading performance,” he says. These traits come from a US$350 million (A$508.4 million) investment in tractor design, with more than 90 per cent of parts redesigned and manufactured specifically for the 70–130 horsepower (52–97kW) range. EFFICIENT ENGINES Described as “the epitome of reliability and…

German manufacturer Lemken will focus on crop care, cultivation and weed control, after announcing it will stop producing sprayers due to increasing regulatory requirements and lack of market relevance. Lemken chief executive Anthony van der Ley says that despite producing several new models for the most recent Agritechnica, the barriers for chemical crop care products were still getting higher. “After over 10 years operating in this segment, we have not reached a market-relevant size,” he says. “The legal requirements in each of our markets are increasing and becoming more and more disparate. “This means that there is no single Lemken field spraying standard that can meet our quality standards and the variety of customer preferences, with which we could achieve a satisfactory production run,” Van der Ley adds. The company…

Australian agricultural production will be impacted more by the process of recovering after years of drought than from the effects of COVID-19, according to the latest report from the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES). In its June Agriculture Commodities report, ABARES predicts the value of farm production will increase “modestly” to $61 billion in 2020–21, which acting executive director Peter Gooday says will be the third straight year over $60 billion. “This is driven by a strong forecast rebound in grain production, up 15 per cent to $30.8 billion,” he says. However, he adds that the higher production will coincide with a global economic slowdown – meaning most commodities will likely fall in value – with the exception of red meat, still boosted by the…

Ag-Grow Field Days – Emerald Ag-Grow dates back to 1989, servicing central Queensland with some of the best the agriculture and mining sectors. Attracting over 1,500 companies and crowds in excess of 28,000 visitors Ag-Grow is more than a field day – it is a complete marketing package. WHEN: August 6-8, 2020 MORE INFO: www.aggrow.com.au Riverina Field Days – Griffith Riverina Field days is held at the Griffith Showgrounds and attracts over 5,000 people each year. The event showcases the best agricultural machinery and products from the region. WHEN: September 4-5, 2020 MORE INFO: http://riverinafielddays.com Saputo Dairy Expo – Korumburra The Saputo Dairy Expo provides an opportunity for members of the dairying fraternity to be able to showcase the latest in dairy innovation and technology to local farmers. WHEN: September…

TKV Group has forged ahead since emerging from a merger of Tuff Stuff and Big Moose Tyre & Track in January 2020, standing true to its motto of “keep moving”. The company has very recently become the sole Australian independent distributor of the complete range of Camso track and undercarriage products. When the opportunity to distribute such a high quality and reputable brand to Aussie farmers came available – TKV seized the moment and here we are. Camso produces construction tracks for mini excavators and track loaders and agricultural tracks for tractors, including all the undercarriage components such as drive and idler wheels, mid rollers and track frames. TKV says in recent years there has been a well-founded trend to put other farm equipment onto tracked undercarriage and Camso has…

I recently caught up with Lynskey Agriculture and its newly purchased Moore Unidrill, imported in Australia by Seeding Solutions Victoria. The team opted for the Moore Unidrill, as most of their work is a combination of direct drilling into existing pasture or re-drilling crop ground with a variety of seeds (from oats to grass, and small seeds like plantain and clover). The beauty of this bit of kit and the main reason it was purchased is because of the 90mm row spacing. This not only eliminates the need to cross drill in crop paddocks but also allows for fast establishment into existing pasture, competing with the existing sward and fighting off weed competition. UNDERCARRIAGE The Unidrill get its name from its single disc design, which has two major benefits. Firstly,…

Italian manufacturer Agrex is well recognised for its wide product range, which apart from fertiliser spreaders consists mainly of grain handling equipment. Italian equipment hasn’t always been well renowned for outstanding build quality in the past and, when coupled with the corrosive nature of fertiliser, would have most running scared. However, this Agrex machine looks to be well designed and built using stainless steel components on the bottom third of the machine where the most corrosion traditionally takes place. Lucerne growers Sam Pye and his son Andrew, who operate a 250ha property in South Canterbury, are predicting the new Agrex spreader will mean they can eliminate the expense of external contractors and use features to help use fertiliser better on the rolling hills that make up a large portion of…

I am not sure where the rationale lies for Giltrap’s numbering system, but the 5001 spreader is a beauty – with capacity for six tonnes of super, 7.8 tonnes of lime and 4.3 tonnes of urea. The spreader is a user-friendly, sturdy machine that can adapt to a number of tasks while fighting corrosion as well – if not better – than any machine on the market. Key features include its hydraulic drive, which drives the 850mm belt directly from the rear of the machine, with no chains or sprockets to create downtime, with speed set by a cab computer into which the operator will punch kg/ha rates, etc. The proportional hydraulic control valve sends a precise amount of oil to the hydraulic belt drive, which is determined by the…

The refined design of Haze Ag’s Toogong Farm Spreader allows for a spreading width of about 50m for superphosphate without causing any damage to the structure of the granulated product. Approximate spreading widths for each product are: urea (36m), super (45 to 50m), lime and gypsum (15 to 16m), chicken manure (16m), and feedlot waste (15 to 16m). These figures can vary depending on moisture content and product type. McDonald Agrimax Fertilisers owners Damian and Sidony Kelly say their 10-tonne spreader and JCB 3230 tractor give them the accuracy of a small linkage spreader, but over a larger width. “At the moment I am spreading lime at three tonnes per hectare, travelling about 30km/h at about 16m wide strips, which equates to around 40ha, or 120 tonnes per hour. The…

Known for its range of truck trailers and tankers, Aussie manufacturing company Duraquip has launched into the agricultural implement market with its new Seed Storm seeding bar. After 10 months of rigorous field testing, the Aussie-made Seed Storm was recently debuted to the public at a demonstration day held in Duraquip’s native Gnowangerup in Western Australia. Duraquip director Garry Richardson says there is a growing market for 80ft (24.3m) seeding bars and thinks the Seed Storm could be the solution. “The 80ft seeding bar market is growing, there are farmers out there who want to get more done, and we now have tractors that can pull these machines,” he says. “Farmers are chasing efficiency. Times and seasons are changing, to the point that what was once considered a good start…

It won’t be on sale in Australia until the fourth quarter of 2020, but the team at Mazda has taken a different approach with the 2021 Mazda BT-50 – not least through working with Isuzu. It’s no secret the new BT-50 shares its platform and drivetrain with the new 2020 Isuzu D-Max, after many years of sharing pick-up platforms with Ford. The 2021 BT-50 is essentially a reskin and refit on the Isuzu architecture, as Mazda gives the ute a more conservative look, with a broad grille and slimline headlights reminiscent of the company’s current passenger car and SUV range. Fog and marker lamp clusters low in the front bumper emphasise that broad appearance, while heavy castellated ridges running up the bonnet give a muscular look. Large tail-lights that wrap…

Miller Nitro front-mounted sprayers have long been the preferred option of Reece Stratford’s family, which operates a wheat and barley farm in Minnivale, in Western Australia’s northern wheatbelt. The family upgraded last year from a 4365 model to a 7380 machine to tackle annual ryegrass, wild radish and capeweed on their property – the third Nitro model that the family has bought. Using the sprayer with a 36m mono-boom, Stratford says he has seen the value of the upgrade almost straight away, with no issues after its first 600-hour service. “The hours on the older model were getting up there and it sucked a fair bit of fuel. If we did a full day of spraying, we would be coming back to fill up during the day,’’ he says. “With…

Australia will produce 53 per cent more in its winter crops, such as wheat, barley and chickpeas, than it did last year, the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) predicts. In ABARES’ June 2020 Australian crop report, the bureau says the amount of land planted has jumped 23 per cent this year for the 2020–21 season. Wheat production is forecast to increase by 76 per cent to 26.7 million tonnes, barley is forecast to increase by 17 per cent to 10.6 million tonnes and canola production is forecast to increase by 40 per cent to 3.2 million tonnes. Among other crops, chickpeas production is forecast to increase by 135 per cent to 661,000 tonnes and oats production is forecast to increase by 81 per cent to…

The National Diesel Dirt & Turf Expo is on the move. After its first four great years at the Panthers Penrith, residential development on the Panthers site meant a new home for the national Diesel Dirt & Turf Expo was needed. After being postponed from its originally scheduled May event, the 2020 Expo is being staged from October 16-18 at the Sydney Dragway. Conveniently located at Ferrers Road, the move to the new Sydney Dragway has been warmly welcomed by exhibitors who appreciate the many benefits of the site. Benefits include 8.4 hectares of flat, all-weather asphalt surface, easy access to power and other infrastructure, expansive car parking, a great machinery demonstration site and indoor pavilion facilities of a similar size and configuration as those at Penrith. Expo manager Marti…

Tianli Tyres’ Agro Grip range has won a number of admirers across Victoria since local distributor Spider GT introduced the range to distributors in Warrnambool, Colac and Port Fairy in mid-2018. Spider GT’s manager for agriculture and OTR tyres Changa Alahakoon says the tyres’ reduced soil compaction capacity have made it popular in wet weather areas. “Normal tractor tyres dig the soil up when they’re carrying a heavy load, whereas this one, because it is wider, the soil compaction is less, so it digs up less soil,” he says. Their large central lug and matching outer lugs ensure an ideal, quiet ride even under heavier loads, as well as offering a low rolling resistance, which leads to reduced fuel costs. Additional steel belt layers ensure robustness and safe operations with…

Having ridden farm bikes for the better part of 30 years, I’ve spent more hours than I care to admit straddling two- and four-wheeled farm bikes. As a former competitive mountain biker, in any rare spare time, farm bikes are swapped out for pure pedal power. While the days of national racing titles are behind me now, I’m still an avid fan of cross-country bike adventures, particularly with the impressive Te Miro mountain bike park virtually on our doorstep. Having recently bought an e-bike for my wife so she could better enjoy day-long outings with the kids and myself, surprisingly, I’ve become something of a fan of the e-bike myself, so the opportunity to test-ride an electric farm bike was one I was definitely keen to try. FIRST IMPRESSIONS From…

Almost all twin disc spreaders use off-centre spreading, where material is dropped on the centre side of the spreading disc and thrown outward, Danish manufacturer Bogballe has always used the in-centre spreading method. This means material is dropped to the outside of the spinner and thrown from one side and across the back of the machine in an almost 180-degree arc, giving the operator a double overlap in one pass, with even distribution across the back of the machine. So, in a normal spreading pattern at 24-metre intervals, you end up with a quadruple overlap, which builds up the spread pattern evenly and accurately. In models in Bogballe’s M-Line range, the spreading width can be anywhere from 12 metres up to around 42 metres, although conditions would need to be…

I travelled to Canterbury, New Zealand, to meet farm manager Mark McCully and check out the Bredal F8 precision fertiliser spreader, kitted out with Topcon’s X30 GPS system and nitrogen sensors. This trailed spreader will give you highly accurate spreading from a large 5,700-litre capacity bin, which sits on a four-piece (10 tonne) weigh cell incorporated chassis with an integrated tilt sensor. The sensors can perform real-time weighing even on hilly terrain, ensuring the correct amount is being dosed out both the left- and right-side belts. Each side of the spreader uses a separate belt to deliver the correct amount of fertiliser, whether it is on a field border (using the border control), a triangle (using the section control), or simply turning a corner. The door height adjustment is made…

Spreaders are constantly evolving. While some linkage machines spread more accurately than trailed fertiliser spreaders, their capacity is often a major downfall. This is where the trailing Sam Spreader eats up its opposition. The six-tonne fertiliser spreader we tested has a total capacity of 4.6 cubic metres, and can handle six tonnes of superphosphate, 7.7t of lime and 3.7t of urea. Built by the team at Coombridge and Alexander, the machine we tested is a 2015 six-tonne 400mm belt spreader with swivel coupling, 400/60-15.5 tyres (both standard on six-tonne machines). Optional extras include remote greasing, road lighting and roll top cover. Load cells or the optional fully hydraulic setup and an 800mm-wide belt for organic material are other available options. It also boasts a plastic hopper, designed to last longer…