Implementation Issue 19

IMPLEMENT
>>>
FACTORY
On 14th – 16th June this year, almost
2000 people representing some 34
nationalities were introduced to the
new SULKY factory in Châteaubourg
near Rennes in Western France.
This independent family company,
which specialises in drilling and
fertilising equipment, is continuing
on its well established path of
innovation and unique product
developments.
50% of the business will be in
export by 2015
>>
The new factory provides 20,000m2
of covered space. It represents an
investment of 20 million Euros
completely dedicated to customer
satisfaction, both in terms of
product quality and of flexibility in
production. “We are restating our
objective of realising 50% of our
business in export by 2015” said
Julien Burel, the Chairman and
Managing Director of SULKY.
Gilbert Jouan, General Manager,
reminded everyone that the secret
of a company the size of SULKY rests
The new Sulky factory - opened in June 2012
in its ability to innovate. With its new
research centre, SULKY is devoting
more than 5% of its turnover and
10% of its staff to Research and
Development.
This new, modern production tool
also takes environmental concerns
into consideration: “A year after it
was put into service the new factory
which is 50% bigger than the old
one, uses no more electricity”.
The new cataphoretic painting
production line, which in itself
involved an investment of 3.5
million Euros, also reflects this
double objective of performance
and environmental friendliness.
Requiring very little energy, it
uses water-soluble paint, while
guaranteeing increased equipment
durability.
Solid, shared values
The factory tour, marked with
comments from the teams at their
respective workstations made it
possible to verify that the company’s
values (quality, respect, simplicity,
etc) are not just displayed for the
occasion but have really been
applied over a very long time.
It should be remembered that
the first ISO 9001 certification at
Châteaubourg dates back to 1994.
Three new drilling products
In the afternoon a parade showed
off 24 seed drills and fertiliser
spreaders in the SULKY range and
three totally new products never
exhibited: the EASYDRILL Fertisem
(sowing and fertilising) in a 6m
pneumatic folding version; the
KRONOS, a pneumatic folding seed
drill with tines and integral soil
firming offered in 4.80, 5.60 and
6m versions; and the XEOS TF with
a front hopper and rear seeding bar
on a power harrow.
In 2011/2012 SULKY had a
turnover of 42 million Euros - up
by 28% despite production being
transferred to the new factory last
summer! - and employs 250 people
in total.
David works with his eldest son
Sam, while his younger son Chris
is set to work fulltime for the
business once he finishes school
at the end of the year. In addition,
David also owns and operates
Westown Haulage, which primarily
transports waste timber products
from sawmills to local dairy farms
for use in herd homes, wintering
pads and calf rearing sheds.
He got seriously into fertiliser
spreading five or six years ago and
bought the Sulky DPX Vision after
trying several other machines.
“The Sulky did a good job and was
able to achieve lower spreading
rates. We deal with Norwood
Farm Machinery Centre in New
Plymouth a lot so a lot of our gear
has come from them. We also run a
fleet of New Holland tractors. The
Norwood team are close to us and
always provide the reliable backup
service we need.”
David was looking for a mounted
spreader to complement the
trailed spreaders he owns. “We
wanted the Sulky more for hilly
work. We do quite a bit of wet
country and hill work and the
Sulky is easier to handle on the
tractor, rather than being pulled
or towed. We do quite a bit of
urea when it’s wet,” he says. “Being
mounted on the tractor means
you haven’t got it pushing you.
The weight is on the tractor, which
is safer on the hills. If you’re doing
slower work, the rates adjust when
you slow up.”
The Sulky DPX 28 Vision WPB
mounted spreader with a capacity
of 2700 litres can carry 2.8 tonnes
which therefore allows operators
to load up to four big bags for
increased duration of application.
It has a working width of up
to 28m, and even low-density
fertilisers such as granulated urea
can be spread up to 24m.
The Vision WPB continuous
weighing
options
provide
application rate control at your
fingertips. David says the spreader
offers very accurate spreading
rates, with everything controlled
from the cab. “It’s all computerised
>> CUSTOMER
With his Sulky DPX 28 Vision
WPB mounted fertiliser spreader,
New Plymouth contractor David
Thomas can tackle the wet
Taranaki hill country with greater
speed and confidence. David has
owned the DPX 28 for two years
and operates it in his contracting
business, Westown Agriculture,
which undertakes hay, silage,
fertiliser spreading, seed drilling
and cultivation. “We also buy a lot
of grass, which is a key part of the
business. We buy it standing, bale
it, then store it and sell it when the
farmers need it,” he says.
for rate adjustment relative to
ground speed. When you’re going
around doing tracks on the side
of hills you can shut one side off
so you’re not throwing it into the
bank. The screen in the cab shows
the hectares you’ve done. It will
tell you how many tonnes you’ve
put on and at what rate it has gone
on at.”
The feed chutes of the DPX system
accurately regulate the spreading
width by modifying the point
where the fertiliser drops onto
the discs. This means you never
need to change cogs, plates or
vanes, even when spreading
late in the season. To control the
application rate, the shape of the
stainless steel hopper creates a
constant flow down to the last
kilogram of product. Oscillating
regulators ensure the fertiliser
flows smoothly, no matter what
the quantity in the hopper.
Whilst the two machines are
designed to perform both
incorporation and sub surface
loosening they are very different
in their application.
TIGER MT
The Tiger MT is designed to handle
and incorporate high volumes of
surface residue such as grain maize
stubble and utilises two rows of
hydraulically adjustable large
diameter (650mm) discs spaced at
400mm. This arrangement allows
extremely high volumes of residue
to be incorporated very efficiently
without any fear of blocking. In
addition, the discs are protected
by a hydraulic break-away system
which allows the discs to skip over
immovable obstacles.
>>>
PRODUCT
Designed to incorporate stubble
and crop residues in a broad range
of applications the new Tiger MT
and Terrano MT from Horsch offer
true one pass capability in most
conditions.
A set of hydraulic reset tines with
a deep staggered arrangement
provides a huge clearance of 94cm
in each row allowing free passage
of the mixed soil and crop residue.
Fitted with 80mm wide Mulch
Mix points the tines provide full
sheltering of soil across the full
machine width to a depth of up to
40cm.
At the rear of the machine is a full
width rubber tyred packer roller
for optimum re-consolidation and
transport. All in all, the Tiger MT is
ideal for incorporation of all high
residue crops without the need to
plough.
TERRANO MT
In a similar vein, the Terrano MT is
also designed to both incorporate
and alleviate sub surface damage
however the Terrano MT is
designed to work a shallow soil
profile and incorporate lower
levels of surface residue. In doing
so, the three rows of tines work just
below the disc profile to maintain
surface tilth but assist drainage
and soil stretching.
Fitted with 520mm diameter front
discs the Terrano MT is the perfect
tool for the incorporation of cereal
stubbles to a depth of about
125mm. Disc depth is hydraulically
adjustable and the trip reset tines
spaced at 40cm work down to
about 30cm.
A set of 380mm levelling discs
provide an optimum level surface
which is consolidated by the
580mm rear steel/disc packer
roller.
In summary, the Terrano MT is
both simple to set up, adjust and
operate and is the perfect tool for
optimum incorporation, levelling
and consolidation in one pass.
MS1346
Large diameter discs (680mm) to handle all levels
of crop residue.
Full hydraulic reset protection of all elements
- discs and tines.
Disc, tine, roller combination for effective, one pass
operation.
Roller and seeding options available.
When Rod Parsons was looking for
a high output system drill for his
Middle Hills Contracting operation
some seven years ago he looked
at all offerings from a variety of
manufacturers.
order to achieve the high output
required, the Pronto utilises a full
width rubber tyred roller ahead
of the seed coulters which in
turn is preceded by two rows of
adjustable shallow working discs.
The Middle Hills operation already
ran a Lemken Solitair/Zirkon
power
harrow
combination
which worked extremely well in
producing a perfect seedbed with
highly accurate seed placement.
The only downside with the system
however was time and as with all
intensive seedbed preparations,
the relatively slow output
combined with a reasonably
high power requirement could
be prohibitive in broadacre and
stubble operations.
It is the combination of the discs
at high speed which incorporate
crop residues and provide a level
surface to be consolidated by
the rubber roller which offers
significant gains in output without
a loss of drilling quality. Disc
coulters working in a firm and
level seedbed are the key.
In addition, the seed and fertiliser
rate can be simply adjusted on the
move or connected directly to a
GPS receiver for fully integrated
crop management.
In addition, Rod and the Middle
Hills team identified a requirement
for fertiliser placement at drilling
and therefore specified the last
two Pronto DC’s with the seed and
fertiliser option.
The latest Pronto DC (as shown
in the picture) is a 6 metre model
with a double hopper and dual
The Horsch DrillManager control
metering for seed and fertiliser
system enables very high, as
operations.
well as very low seed rates to be
metered with extreme accuracy Rod says that the Horsch Prontos
and this combined with the have performed extremely well
double disc coulter and press and have given his contracting
wheel allows a consistently high operation the edge when it comes
output to be achieved. Seed rate to efficiency and seed placement
is governed by a highly accurate with the added bonus of targeted
ground speed radar controlling fertiliser operation in one pass.
a directly coupled electric motor
and single metering roller. The
(From left): Peter Henderson (NFMC Hastings), Ben Whaitiri (Driver, Middle Hills),
Rod Parsons (Owner, Middle Hills Contracts) and Traugott Horsch (Horsch Germany)
>> CUSTOMER
The answer was to be found in
the form of the Horsch Pronto
DC, which like the Lemken Solitair
uses a double disc seed coulter
with press wheel for accurate seed
depth control. That however is
where the similarity ends and in
system is simplicity itself Rod says.
>>
PRODUCT
Fast and efficient neatly sums up
the new TS 10055 central rake from
German grass harvest specialists
FELLA, which has 15 tine arms
each with five dual tines and an
impressively high work rate. It is
the only machine currently on the
market to have 18-inch wheels on
the rotor chassis. Its operational
speed of up to 50 km/h and a
huge working width of 8.80 to
10.0 metres, which is hydraulically
adjustable, are the underlying
features that make the TS 10055 so
special.
Design Manager Bernhard Kohl
says, “This model is a completely
new addition to our product
portfolio. The machine satisfies
the demand for greater working
widths and has a particularly high
work rate. It made complete sense
for us to develop a central rake that
satisfies all these requirements.”
It is also why FELLA will also
be concentrating in future on
designing machines with increased
working widths – in order to be able
to process even greater volumes
and make the work of following
harvesters even more efficient.
enabling it to handle large swath
volumes with optimum efficiency.
This rake head with enclosed cam
track is particularly impressive
for its two maintenance-free ball
bearings per rotor arm, arranged
at a generous interval of 43 cm,
thus ensuring maximum stability.
The twin bearing of the input
shaft ensures optimum power
transmission and smooth running.
The jet effect – as on an aircraft,
when lowering first the rear, then
the front wheels are lowered, and
vice versa when lifting – prevents
tines from getting caught in the
ground. This gives substantial
protection to both sward and
machine. The fully floating
suspension of the rotors provides
for outstanding ground following
– despite the huge rotors diameter
of 4.20 m.
The rotary shaft steering on the
TS 10055 is protected within
the frame. Unlike on other
manufacturers’
machines,
it
does not require several joints to
transfer the steering movement to
the transport wheels. This results
in precision steering, even after
The TS 10055 has a newly- several years’ use, and reduced
developed larger rotor head wear.
The new central rake is also
characterised by a swath guard
that swings upwards automatically,
overload protection for each rotor
and a wide angle drive shaft with
free wheel fitted as standard.
The headland raising mechanism
has an automatic height limiter,
The working width is adjusted
hydraulically.
Like all FELLA products, the
TS 10055 has outstanding
precision, a long service life and
excellent performance - just as
you would expect from our motto,
“Harvesting Energy”.
The name FELLA has been a
byword for innovative agricultural
machinery from Germany for
over 90 years. FELLA-Werke
GmbH of Feucht near Nuremberg
currently holds a top position in
the demanding crop harvesting
machinery
sector.
With
a
comprehensive range of drum and
disc mower units, tedders and rakes,
FELLA an undoubted specialist
in grass harvest machinery and is
in an excellent position to enjoy
sustainable growth on the world
market.
One such example is a Lemken
Juwel six-furrow reversible plough,
that he says averages two hectares
per hour.
The Juwel is made from high quality
steel and fitted with Lemken’s
new DuraMaxx bodies which are
considerably longer wearing so he
doesn’t have to change the points
as often. “Canterbury ground is
abrasive. With our old plough, we
were going through a set of points
in 100ha; and then it took half a day
to change them. Now we go up to
300ha before changing or turning
the points, and it only takes us an
hour or two.”
It is also quick to turn the Juwel
around at the end of a run. “It takes
just 18 seconds to lift and turn and
be back in the next furrow. The
more the plough is in the ground,
Rural Fields Ltd’s new Pronto 6 AS drill .
the more I can keep costs down for
my clients.”
In addition to ploughing David
offers a reduced tillage option and
following extensive research is
now the owner of a set of Lemken
Rubin compact discs. One of the
Rubin’s big attractions is they are
excellent in stony ground. “We rip
the ground down to 30cm, then go
in with the Rubin. The discs push
the stones in and bring up the soil,
unlike a maxi-till which brings the
stones up,” David says.
The individual springs on large
discs are another attraction. “I’ve
tried out all types of discs but
these have bigger discs and ride
over stones better than anything.
Others are rubber sprung and
break a lot of gear.” David’s Rubin
9 has a working width of 5.0m.
He wanted big discs that are easy
to pull. It has two rows of 20 discs
and does a good job of integrating
organic matter and soil. He uses
the Rubin both after ploughing or
to go straight into stubble. It’s a
trailed model and folds up for road
transport at the pull of a lever.
“On one job we broadcasted oats
on stubble ground, ran the Rubin
across it, then ran the roller to firm
it up. It was sown and finished for a
winter feed crop.”
For drilling David has added a
6.0m-wide Horsch Pronto drill. It’s
a minimum tillage machine with
an air seeder, and he opted for it to
lower the cost of establishing kale.
“We have cut the cost of drilling
from $380 or $400 per hectare last
year to $340 with the Horsch. It
also applies granulated fertiliser, so
farmers don’t have the added cost
of a fert truck. “This season it will
cost farmers $700 to $800 to plant
a hectare of kale, compared with
$1000 last year, and we can do the
whole job.”
>> CUSTOMER
Trading as Rural Field Ltd and
based in Darfield, Canterbury
contractor David Buckley is always
asking himself “How can I do the
best job, most efficiently?” The
answer he generally comes up
with is to have good staff using the
right gear. Through a constantly
developing close relationship with
Norwood Farm Machinery Centre,
Christchurch, David has added a
number of Lemken, Horsch and
Fella implements that are adding
considerable value to his business.
Silage is another service David
offers, and he says the Fella mower
is key part of the operation. The
way the mower presents the crop
to the chopper can make the job
faster and better. When he went
looking for a new mower, once
again Norwood Farm Machinery
Centre, Christchurch provided the
solution. This time it is a Fella triple
mower with roller conditioners and
groupers.
“The Fella triple mowers cut 8.0m
and group it into a row. The chopper
isn’t going around like a headless
chicken looking for crop because
everything is in front of it. It’s safer
for workers, and a better crop. “I
wanted the roller conditioner on it
because it is easier on lucerne, so
more leaf ends up in the bale or pit.
David covers 700 to 800ha a year
with the mowers and can cut a
10ha paddock in an hour. They’re
also good on slopes. “I can cut
paddocks that balers can’t get to.”
David wanted the grouper because
he didn’t want to rake and get dirt
and other contaminants in the
silage. Getting the crop too dry is
usually the issue around his neck
of the woods but if it does need
drying, it can still be flicked over.
PRODUCT
The latest generation (completely
remodelled) MX Multipurpose
Buckets are available in six new
widths. Fully strengthened for
maximum service life, it is also
more versatile thanks to a grab
linkage and increased capacity. A
safe bet, and no questions asked!
>>
Where versatility and
performance meet cutting-edge
design...
Advantageously redesigned and
streamlined, the new MX BMS unit is
available in six new widths: 1.40 m,
1.60 m, 1.80 m, 2.00 m, 2.25 m and
2.45 m. Designed to improve your
efficiency, its capacity has leapt
from 800 to 1,450 litres depending
on width, a 20% increase on the
previous model. Truly versatile,
it has a very wide grab opening,
enabling it to grip all types of
materials, including round bales!
The grab’s linkage means material
can be gripped against a wall
without its tines touching the wall.
Its width is always less than the
bucket’s, which is very practical
when scraping near a wall. Finally,
the very flat base of the bucket
bottom guarantees perfect tool
stability when carrying out digging
or levelling work.
Optimum visibility at work
The new BMS is fitted with red tines
for better visibility at work: users
can see exactly where they spike.
The linkage rams are strategically
placed in relation to the centre of
the bucket, axially aligned with
the loader arms, thus providing
the driver with a clear operating
view. It is also worth noting that
the bucket’s rectangular shape
is a simple and effective visual
indicator to ensure a horizontal
level during operation.
A bucket shielded from all shocks
The fully reinforced bottom of
the new MX BMS unit guarantees
a long service life, even in the
most intensive usage conditions.
Pads underneath the bucket and
large hitch connectors correctly
positioned along the width
remarkably surround the body
for optimum rigidity. Likewise,
the bucket’s upper profile, with
a very heavy section, protects it
effectively from twisting. What’s
more, this new multipurpose
bucket has great kink protection:
the internal supports are gone,
replaced by a box-section at the
base of the bucket, and a very
thick shoe-type wear plate of
300 HB hardness. A wide-section
backer plate is placed underneath
the bucket, right in the centre, to
avoid any deformation during piledriving operations, for instance.
A grab that passes the test with
flying colours
Perfect rigidity of the grab is
guaranteed by side brackets
positioned evenly along its entire
width. Its extensively designed
shape also means that the ram
hoses can be protected thanks to
a shrewdly mounted guard under
the grab. The side brackets are
intentionally higher to allow the
ram rod to be better integrated.
The hydraulic pipe system is set
horizontally, providing shelter
from any falling objects.
In addition, the grab tines are
inserted in a heavy section tube
and fitted with sockets. This is an
exclusive MX system that allows
holding without initial movement,
ideal to protect material over time.
MX is also the only manufacturer
to equip this type of tool with
tines of 30 mm in diameter along
its full length and bevelled at the
end, for improved resistance when
gripping very hard materials.
What’s more, the relatively short
tines provide a good grip against
kinking, and total penetration. As
for the pivoting system, all the pins
are fitted with dual-metal wear
bushes.
Easy to use, and time-saving too
The new MX BMS unit hitches
at a stroke thanks to the large V
guides fitted behind the bucket.
The absence of internal supports
means cleaning is easier and faster,
materials do not stick and loading
bulk materials and concentrates in
buckets finally becomes practical.
In terms of the grab, changing a
tine can be done very easily thanks
to its non-conical mounting
that does not require seizing or
jamming. Lastly, a parking system
is fitted as standard to comfortably
and hygienically position hoses
once the tool is unhitched.
Two options for an even higher
performance, robust tool
1. The side flange kit: easy to
bolt on, it allows the bucket’s
capacity to be optimised
while preventing materials
from being lost at the sides.
The kit is compatible with the
grab’s lateral tines, without
dismantling.
2. The wear counter-blade with
400 HB hardness: welded
during manufacture of the tool
in the factory, it is essential for
very intensive use, on concrete
for instance.
The new MX BMS unit is available
in a welded MX hitch version or
welded Euro hitch version.
BMS 245 multipurpose bucket, a robust and
versatile tool for maximum efficiency.
feed during winter is total mixed
ration.” “The beauty of the mixer
wagon is that it is a big metal tub
that is completely sealed. We can
dump whatever we are going
to feed them in it. It thoroughly
mixes it up and doesn’t spill when
we feed out.”
With the Tally and McCain
processed vegetable factories
nearby, the Williams have access
to a steady stream of vegetable
material that makes an economical
but high quality feed for their
cows. “We add a lot of potatoes
and maize silage to grass silage
to make up the ration. The beauty
of the JF-Stoll is that it thoroughly
mixes the potato in with the rest of
the feed so one cow won’t gorge
on it and get too much.” In addition
to the potatoes, the Williams have
added carrots, beans, corn and
even onion to their cows’ mixed
rations. They also add in wheat
treated with caustic soda.
Lyle and his parents, Doug
and Noeline Williams, have an
irrigated dairy farm just south
of Ashburton. They will milk 530
cows this season. “We came down
to Canterbury from Northland
13 years ago. We have gradually
bought land and built up the farm.
Last year we milked 480 cows on
130ha. This year we have added
Their JF-Stoll mixer wagon is a
another 40ha, so we are boosting
VM 18-2 SB model. It has two
the size of the herd,” Lyle says.
vertical augers that quickly and
“We are a pasture-based farm. thoroughly chop and mix the
With the irrigation, the cows ration. “We got the mixer wagon
are on pasture throughout the in April 2011. Once we got a few
summer but we also winter milk things straightened out on it, we
230. About 80 percent of their have worked it pretty hard and
>> CUSTOMER
When Canterbury dairy farmer
Lyle Williams spent some time
working on a dairy farm in the
UK 20 years ago, mixer wagons
were just coming into widespread
use there. So, last year when he
decided to buy his own, he rang
his UK contacts to ask which mixer
wagons have the best reputation.
The word came back that JF-Stoll
machines are top performing,
reliable machines. Lyle acted on
the advice and bought an exdemo JF Stoll from his local dealer,
Gluyas Ag Centre in Ashburton.
It turned out to be a very good
decision.
nothing has ever gone wrong with
it,” Lyle says. “It does two loads a
day in winter, and when the main
herd calves in spring it does three
full loads a day, so it is getting a
fair work out.”
Lyle says the VM 18-2 has a
capacity of 18m3 and can hold
up to 10 tonne. He operates it
with one of the family’s two New
Holland tractors, the 120hp 8260
or the 140hp TM140.
Along with the fact that it produces
such a good quality ration, Lyle
likes the fact that his JF-Stoll
makes it easy to feed out. “It has a
side feeder with extensions so it is
easy to feed onto the bins on the
concrete feed pad without getting
too close to them. I am happy to
let the farm staff feed out knowing
they are not going to be driving
close to the bins.
“It is a very strong machine and
it has never given us any trouble.
It has a shear bolt on the PTO for
safety if it is overloaded. We did a
few shear pins when we were first
learning how to use the machine.
They are simple to replace. It takes
about five minutes.”
2007 saw the creation of
a
completely
new
idea:
manufacture the mouldboard,
mouldboard slats and shin
without damaging the basic
material, and without any drilling,
punching or countersinking.
The engineers at Alpen were
convinced that they could use
very much harder grades of steel
to considerably increase the
service life of the new DuraMaxx
plough compared with the
previous Dural body. Since the
wearing elements no longer
formed part of the supporting
structure, they promised to offer
additional useful service life,
because the wearing parts could
be exploited fully.
>>
PRODUCT
DuraMaxx is a new plough body
developed by LEMKEN, which
offers significantly reduced wear
and tear costs. This is supported
by recent findings from Kiel
Polytechnic.
For some time, Kiel Polytechnic
has been running a continuous
test to establish whether the
LEMKEN engineers’ expectations
were actually achieved in the
field. A LEMKEN five-furrow Juwel
8 mounted plough with Dural
wearing parts was compared with
one fitted with the new DuraMaxx
body. About 360 hectares of
plough testing has been carried
out so far to precisely assess wear
on the parts. Reference values were
the initial weights and thicknesses
of the individual components on
the plough body. After each 100
hectares of ploughing the weights
of these parts were recorded
again and documented at the next
scheduled maintenance session.
Beyond 200 hectares there is a
clear winner for wear resistance
The Polytechnic research team’s
interim results for the practical
tests established that the wear
behaviour of the existing Dural
body compared with the new
DuraMaxx system were almost
identical for the first 200 hectares.
The Dural and DuraMaxx parts
were reduced by roughly the
same amount of weight. However,
after increasing the ploughing
area beyond 200 hectares the
DuraMaxx
system
reduced
in weight significantly less in
comparison with the standard
body, which is clearly due to the
higher wear resistance of the
harder DuraMaxx fine grain steel.
After ploughing 320 hectares,
and weighing the wearing parts
on the scales, it became clear
that the DuraMaxx wearing parts
weighed only 158 grams less than
at the start of the test, whereas
the soil had already worn down
the Dural wearing parts by 279
grams. From this they calculated
that for the DuraMaxx system an
area of 1,867 hectares would be
needed to completely wear down
the wearing parts, while those on
the Dural body would last only
1,050 hectares before the wearing
parts would need replacing. This
indicates an increased working
life of 817 hectares for the new
DuraMaxx system.
Tool-free replacement
This theoretical capacity increase
of over 75 percent for the harder
finegrained steel confirmed the
LEMKEN engineers’ predictions
of the new material’s potential.
The longer service life also means
fewer exchange intervals.
The new DuraMaxx body
design has further advantages,
because the mouldboard slats,
mouldboard and shin can be
connected by simply hooking on
to a carrier, without using fixing
screws. The wearing parts can
therefore be replaced without the
need for tools and twice as fast as
with conventional bolted bodies.
The investigations were carried out
by Professor Yves Reckleben* and
Niels Schäfer (BSc. in Agriculture)
in the Department of Agricultural
Economics at Rendsburg, Kiel
Polytechnic.
*Department of Agricultural Engineering
Richard opted for the semimounted hydraulic folding model.
It has a working width of 5.0m, and
it is doing just what he wanted it
to. “Per hectare I’m saving about 10
to 12 litres of fuel,” he says. “I have
already done 700 ha since last
spring when I bought it, so that’s at
least 7,000 litres off the diesel bill”
which is a considerable reduction.
Another good thing about the
Heliodor is that it’s very easy to
set up and operate. “You can put
any operator on it and after a five
minute lesson they’ll be handy.
You’d have to do something silly
to block it, like pulling the leveller
boards into full depth in heavy
trash.”
Richard uses the Heliodor discs as
both a primary and a secondary
cultivation tool. He has used it
straight into stubble ground as well
as a sprayed-out grass paddocks.
“After two passes with the discs
it produces a sound seed bed for
fodder. In stubble ground it does
a great job of mixing the organic
matter and difficult crop residue
into the soil,” he says.
“We also use the discs after
ploughing. It saves a lot of time.
Before we had them, we were
power-harrowing
and
then
drilling.” The Heliodor makes the
first pass before planting maize and
barley and Richard is impressed
with the very even seedbed it
creates.
Soils around the Rangitikei area
are mostly heavy clay, so the discs
really have to earn their keep. “We
tow it from the lower linkage on
the tractor so we can put more
weight on it to penetrate harder
soils. It has good, even depth
control.” Richard has towed it
with 150hp but usually it’s on his
200hp tractor. He’s found the best
operating speed to be between
9.0kph and 11kph. It’s also easy to
transport. At the pull of a lever in
the cab, it folds up to a road-legal
2.6m.
>> CUSTOMER
Everyone is looking for greater
efficiency. For Rangitikei contractor
Richard Simpson that meant a set
of Lemken Heliodor compact discs.
Richard says he was looking for
a faster cultivation method and
one that would use less fuel than
power harrowing. The Heliodor is
the solution he came up with. It is
a lightweight implement with two
rows of 20 leaf spring mounted
discs. It comes in a variety of widths
in both trailed and mounted
versions.
Maintenance is easy. The discs have
maintenance-free ball bearing
joints, and what does need to be
greased is easily accessible.
Richard’s Lemken Heliodor was
supplied by Norwood Farm
Machinery Centre in Palmerston
North. Having looked for a set of
discs he liked the Heliodor because
of its set-up and the fact it folds
up to a legal transport width. It
was also robust and reliable. “The
machine performs very well and
we haven’t had any problems with
it. The Norwood team provided
great support, particularly on
initial set-up and delivery. I’m more
than happy with the service from
them.”
Richard is based in Marton and
works within a 60km radius of
home with a variety of services
including
baling,
planting,
harvesting with a combine and, of
course, cultivation.
Richard Simpson with his Lemken Heliodor.
He’s been contracting for nine
years now and employs three fulltime staff. They all use the Heliodor.
“Everyone loves it,” he says. “It gets
well used from September to
April. I hope to have a working life
of 10 years from it, maybe more.
It’s well-built, so I think I’ll just be
replacing bits and it’ll last. I’m very
happy with the machine. It saves
a lot of time and effort and I’m
greatly impressed with it.”
FACTORY
Fifty years has passed since
Rune Stark developed the first
rigid tine harrow at the family
farm near Väderstad. Since 1962,
“Rune’s Mechanical Workshop” has
developed into one of the industry’s
most modern factories and the
initial marketing to neighbouring
farmers has expanded to more
than 30 countries. This is a time
period characterized by unique
product development that has
contributed to the rationalisation
of European agriculture.
Väderstads methods minimise
number of passes
>>
“The ultimate goal of our product
development is to increase the
capacity and improve the end
result for the farmers. Väderstads
efficient
technology
and
methods minimise the number
of passes and thus reduce fuel
consumption, which means that
the environmental benefits are
many”, explains Crister Stark,
Chairman at Väderstad.
Vaderstad today
An innovative culture leads to
patented inventions
Väderstad encourages creativity
in several ways and work actively
with ideas for improvement in the
organisation. Inventiveness has led
to greater customer satisfaction
in many instances and over a
hundred patented inventions.
“The first time Väderstad launched
a machine with a “dual” capability
was with a new generation of ring
rollers in 1977. A new product
family that boosted the exports
and brought Väderstad to new
markets”, said Crister Stark.
The roller folding principle
– a key patent
The roller folding principle from
1986 is one of the most important
patents for Väderstad of all times.
The solution is used for the Rollex
rollers and later on for the Carrier,
which was developed in the early
2000’s. Carrier became a real
success like the Rapid; the farmers
got a new tool that was more
effective than any other previously
presented.
In order to level the field in a more
effective way Väderstad developed
a “Crossboard.” The front tool is
now standard on most types of
machines and copied by many
manufacturers.
The Väderstad Rapid
– A true success story
Väderstad launched the Rapid drill
in the early 90’s and to this day over
20,000 Rapids have been shipped
to farmers around the world. What
makes the drill unique is the “Rapid
System” which consists entirely of
rubber suspended discs linked to
the support wheel, working as a
depth control.
Väderstad
employees
and
customers celebrated the first 50
innovative years on 26th and 27th
May 2012.
The drilling side of the business
covers grain, winter brassicas,
and grass. In order to make
this part of the operation more
efficient and cost effective, three
years ago Wayne bought a 3.0m
Vaderstad Rapid 300C box drill.
“There is plenty of competition in
the contracting business so to cut
down costs we got the Vaderstad
Rapid. It does everything. We can
direct drill grass seed with it or
plant grain and winter crops in
worked ground,” he says.
“We are very happy with the Rapid.
The discs and paddles in front of
the drill make a good level seed
bed. We can go straight in after
Wayne Pilgram (left) and employee Mike Batt.
the plough whereas, before we
got the Rapid, we used to plough,
level with the rotor spike, and then
drill. When we use the Rapid as a
direct drill for re-pasturing, we just
lift up the front discs and paddles
and use the drill by itself.” The
Rapid drill itself has disc openers,
and offset tyre packers. It has a
depth control system that allows
you to drill accurately at speeds up
to 20kph.
Among the features that attracted
Wayne to the Rapid 300C are its
narrow 140mm spacings and
its large capacity tank that can
be adjusted to hold different
amounts of seed and fertiliser.
“The tank can hold up to 2.5 tonne
of fertiliser and seed. You can
adjust the divisions in the bin to
take different amounts of seed or
fert. We use the main tank when
we are doing grain or grass, and
there is a separate small seed tank
for brassicas.
Switching between the main tank
and small seed box is easy. You just
switch the main box off and the
other one on. The small seed box
has tubes that go down to the disc
openers. It works as good as gold,”
Wayne says. The large tank comes
in handy when drilling grain,
and Wayne has been doing a lot
more of that in recent years as the
demand for supplement feed from
dairy farmers has grown. He crops
200 acres of barley on his own
farm and leases additional land
too. Grain is drilled in October and
November, then in November and
December it is time to drill winter
crops, mostly chow and swede.
Full-time West Otago Contracting
driver Mike Batt is often the one
working the Vaderstad Rapid
300C. It is pulled by a 210hp New
Holland TG210. A lot of the work is
on the flat but the Vaderstad can
get called upon to plant winter
crops in some “exciting” steep
country as well.
>> CUSTOMER
As the dairy industry has boomed
in Southland, so has the demand
for grain. With the help of his
Vaderstad Rapid seed drill,
farmer-contractor Wayne Pilgrim
is working hard to meet that
demand. Wayne has operated West
Otago Contracting from his base
near Heriot for the past decade.
He does cultivation, drilling, baling
and combine harvesting in an area
stretching from Ettrick in the north
to Conical Hill in the south. The
area he works takes in a range of
flat, rolling and steep country.
Wayne is a dyed-in-the-wool New
Holland man. He loves the New
Holland product and now drives
three blue tractors. In addition
to the TG210 they are a TM140
and a TM150. His local agent is
Southland Tractors though he
hasn’t seen much of them when
it comes to the Vaderstad Rapid.
Wayne does all the servicing on
the drill himself, and it hasn’t
needed any parts since he bought
it three years ago.
To keep you up-to-date with trends
around the world we have invited our
suppliers to comment on the market in
their own country. In this issue, we hear
from Henri Langlais, Export Manager of
MX in France.
On a European level, for the first three
months 2012, the tractor “barometer”
shows a similar level of sales to 2011
(31508 units vs 31543), but some great
variations between markets (France
15.3%, Germany +14.2%, UK 9.6%,
Spain -17.3%, Italy – 24.5%...).
A few points to the active sales:
•
Tractors Tier IIIA with more
acceptable prices and complexity,
•
High production prices (cereals,
milk…)
However,
the
manufacturers’
association has recently detected a
slightly downwards trend and a more
cautious approach for the future, which
meant for the overall EU, a flat turnover
and a slight decrease for new orders
last July; the top ranking still being the
livestock segment.
The French market (32400 units > 60
HP in 2011) is expected to end 2012
on average +5%, although it remains
on top position for the European
manufacturers, in spite of a few
negative views expressed by some
national market players.
CAP renegotiation deadline. Also life
may be more difficult for the cattle
breeders than the crop growers with big
impacts on feedstuff costs as prices are
now easily surfing above the 2500€/ton !
According to the latest poll-survey
carried out in June, 77% of French
farmers were still considering further
investments within the next six months
among which 30% to extend or
modernize their cattle buildings and
some 28% to buy new machinery.
At MX we have recently carried out
some further major investments in
design, manufacturing and customer
proximity service; this was again to
provide more performance, quality and
user-friendlyness at work. As usual, the
next Sima Show to be held in February
2013, should see some interesting MX
innovations.
As far as MX is concerned, we had a very
dynamic period early 2012 and are still
carrying a strong order book both for
domestic and export markets. This is
due to various reasons:•
the Utility loader range which is
more and more recognized as
a valuable complement to our
sophisticated T series, with an
excellent value for money ratio;
•
our latest innovations in bale
handling equipment (C40 for
the plastic bales) and the totally
redesigned line of multipurpose
buckets for heavy duty applications.
Moreover, 2013 may see a decline
within the general economical climate,
the next arrival of the Tier 3B and the
Quite a few reasons to remain very
confident all added resources and our
“dawn to dusk” commitment to handling
must pave the way for a continuous enduser satisfaction. Finally, serenity there
to MX and our mutual business!
Henri Langlais of MX, France
>>>
Do you have a comment on the magazine or a suggestion for
a story? If so please contact us:
Implementation
Freepost 255
PO Box 1265
Palmerston North
or email: implementation@norwood.co.nz
>>>
www.equipnz.co.nz
If you would like more information on any of the products featured in
this newsletter please contact your local specialist equipment dealer
KAIKOHE Norwood Farm Machinery Centre - WHANGAREI Norwood Farm Machinery Centre - PUKEKOHE Norwood Farm Machinery Centre - NGATEA
Central Motors (2001) Ltd - MORRINSVILLE Norwood Farm Machinery Centre - TE AWAMUTU Norwood Farm Machinery Centre - MATAMATA Murray
Wilcox Ltd - PUTARURU Putaruru Tractor Services - BAY OF PLENTY R & R Tractors (Te Puke) - GISBORNE Norwood Farm Machinery Centre - ROTORUA
PSL Agri - TAUPO PSL Agri - HASTINGS Norwood Farm Machinery Centre - NEW PLYMOUTH Norwood Farm Machinery Centre - HAWERA Norwood Farm
Machinery Centre - PALMERSTON NORTH Norwood Farm Machinery Centre - MASTERTON Norwood Farm Machinery Centre - BLENHEIM Williams
Service Centre (1990) Ltd - NELSON N S Rogers Ltd - WESTPORT Westland Farmers - CHRISTCHURCH Norwood Farm Machinery Centre - ASHBURTON
Gluyas Motors Ltd - TIMARU Johnson Gluyas Tractors 2009 Ltd - MOSGIEL Norwood Farm Machinery Centre - INVERCARGILL Southland Tractors Ltd
(JF-Stoll, MX and Vaderstad only) - GORE Southland Tractors Ltd (JF-Stoll, MX and Vaderstad only) - SOUTHLAND Thompson Machinery Ltd (Not JF-Stoll, MX or Vaderstad)