Profi March 2023

With LAMMA taking place in the second week of January, 2023 has been 'all go' so far. Yet it was a welcome return to crank things back up into high gear after a good break and getting some jobs done around the place. As is often said, “a change is as good as a rest”. Work is an important topic in this issue, from farmers looking to increase efficiency by doing more, or in some cases less in one pass when it comes to crop establishment. We all know of the challenges of finding labour, and this is not something that stops at the farm gate. Just looking at the world of agricultural machinery we seem to struggle to recruit enough new faces — from machine operators, to engineers ……

NEW SILAGE HANDLERS The three new ranges of Quicke Silocut implements (M+, L+ and XL+) are designed to increase efficiency and safety when handling silage. The width and capacity of the M+ is said to make it an ideal match for front end loaders, compact wheel loaders and mid-sized telehandlers. Available with forged or profiled cut ‘tuff tines’ but also a bucket, the L+ is at suited to cutting clamp silage and splitting bales. So too is the XL+, a high-capacity shear grab. The Silocut L+ and XL+ are available with a bale wrap handler, which makes it possible, once the bale is split, to grab the wrap and net and retain it, eliminating the need to remove it by hand. Profile cut ‘tufftine’ versions can also be equipped with…

The solar-powered rechargeable battery version of the Krone SmartConnect telemetry unit works without an external power source. The new unit can be used for all machines, regardless of manufacturer. Supporting the original SmartConnect unit for data management on Krone kit, such as the Big X forager, the new SmartConnect Solar can also be used to integrate simpler machines, such as mowers, tedders, rakes and other implements without their own electronics, into a digital data management system. An integrated GPS receiver and a radio modem with multi-net SIM card are used to automatically send various position and status data (includes position, speed, active and inactive operating hours, distance travelled, working and transport position, number of loads/or the area worked and battery charge status) in real time to the mykrone.green portal.…

Visitors to this month’s ConExpo construction trade show (March 14-18) in Las Vegas will be able to see the first new Big Bud tractor in 30 years. Developed jointly by North American partners Big Equipment Co (Montana) and Rome Agricultural and Construction Equipment (Georgia), the new nearly 32t tractor is called the HD 640 (640hp). The engine, a six-pot 18-litre C-18 (640-750hp) and 18-speed powershift, are from Cat. So too are the axles, which are normally used in the 50t heavy Cat 988 HD wheeled loader (largest axles ever on a Big Bud). There will be various wheel options, and the 640 can be shod with Titan LSW1100/45 R46 tyres. Approx. 500 Big Bud tractors were originally built in Montana from the late 1960s until the early 1990s. Big Equipment…

FEWER NEW TRACTOR IN THE UK 11,580 new 50hp+ agricultural tractors were registered in the UK last year, reports the AEA. This figure is a drop of nearly 4.0% on the 12,017 new tractors registered in 2021. Last year’s figure was in line with the average for the previous five years, but overall, 2022 was a bit of a mixed bag when compared to the same months in 2021. 10,000 TRACTORS FOR ST. VALENTIN Tractor production at the CNH Industrial plant at St. Valentin in Austria (Steyr home) exceeded 10,000 units for the first time in a decade last year. It was fitting that the 10,000th tractor, a 300hp 6300, the largest in the Terrus CVT range, was a Steyr. The plant producing tractors from 100-300hp. It takes around 40…

Much of the recent talk about Pöttinger forage wagons has been about the flagship Jumbo 8000 series. At the other end of the capacity scale, the latest version of the Boss 3000 features the classic Supermatic tine conveyor unit. Available in load capacities of 18.7m, 21.3m³ ³ and 23.5m³ as both high and low profile versions, the tine conveyor system originates from the Euroboss, a series that will be phased out this year. The tine conveyor unit can be ordered with three or four arms, which can also be used to load heavy silage. The loader wagons are driven as standard at a PTO speed of 540rpm (1000rpm option), and can be operated by tractors from 60hp to 110hp. Six knives can be slotted in as an option. The knife…