| Grassland
Maximise efficiencies with the
latest machinery at Grassland UK
Many livestock producers are reassessing their machinery fleet in a bid to improve efficiencies ahead of Brexit – and
there will be plenty to consider at Grassland UK at the Bath & West Showground on 10 May.
rom mowers to muck
spreaders, tractors to forage
harvesters, there will be a full
range of the latest machinery
and equipment on show,
including working
demonstrations across the 100-acre site.
Below we profile some of the key machinery
and equipment exhibitors.
Fendt
Fendt will be displaying its complete range
of forage, grassland and hay equipment for the
first time ever in the UK at this year’s event.
Visitors can expect to see the Fendt Katana
forage harvester, which is able to take almost all
local conditions in its stride when working on
sloping terrain, with soft ground conditions or at
high moisture levels.
The Fendt Tigo forage wagons and are the
latest addition to Fendt’s harvesting equipment.
Lightweight, compact and with reassuring
stability, these machines have an adjustable
bulkhead, meaning the loading area above the
pick-up can also be utilised.
Moving onto the Fendt Cutter machines,
these feature four drums – front or rear
mounted – low ground pressure and a
mechanism that handles the sward with great
care.
Those with systems more suited to disc
mowers will want to look at the Fendt Slicer
range. These models bring a high degree of
precision to the task, which centres on the
TurboLift system.
The Fendt Twister tedders and Fendt Former
rakes will also be on display, as well as the
Fendt 4180 V Xtra big round baler.
John Deere
New to the John Deere arsenal is the
complete range of V400 series variable
chamber round balers. These high capacity
balers have been designed to work more
efficiently and productively in all crop
conditions from wet grass to dry with brittle
straw, offering increased versatility and ease of
operation.
John Deere will also have the new
HarvestLab 3000 system for the 8000 series
F
22 | Farming Monthly | May 2018
self-propelled forage harvesters on show.
Introduced in 2007, HarvestLab was the first
NIR (near infra-red) sensing system in the
industry to measure silage dry matter and
enable automatic adjustments to cut length.
The system was subsequently developed to
analyse crude protein, starch, NDF, ADF, sugar
and other silage constituents, and can now be
used for maize, grass and manure sensing.
HarvestLab 3000 requires less maintenance
than its predecessor, can operate in a wider
range of temperatures and features a much
bigger data storage capacity of 2GB. It also has
a more operator friendly web interface when
used for stationary measurements away from
the forager.
SIP
SIP will have a number of machines giving
working demonstrations; the first time its
machines have been displayed in action since
forming a sales organisation last year, says the
firm’s Martin Holden. The Air Swath 300F, which
is designed to produce top quality silage, free
of soil and stones, will make its UK working
debut.
Mowing will be demonstrated with silver cut
disc mower conditioners. All feature hydro
pneumatic suspension and are wide spreading
for rapid crop wilting. “Cutter-bars come with a
shear pin safety system that is replaceable in-
field without breaking into the main gear
trough,” explains Mr Holden.
A range of tedders will also be on display;
whether a simple four rotor 4m model, 14 rotor
15m trailed version, or the 10-rotor 11m Spider
1100/10T.
SIP rakes, from one to four rotor models, will
also be on site. “The recently introduced Star
1000/30T 10m twin rotor rake with optional
electronic control will be on duty at the event,
while a slightly smaller 8.5m model will feature
as part of the John Deere UK working
demonstration.”
McHale
McHale will be bringing three new products
from its ProGlide Mower Range: The ProGlide
F3100 front mower, the R3100 rear mower and
the B9000 combination mower. All mowers are
fitted with 3m cutter bars with tine conditioners
and benefit from novel features which result in
better ground following ability and quicker
reaction times to changing conditions.
“To maximise the feed value of forage it is
important that grass crops are cut when the
sugar content is highest, and that the mower
leaves clean stubble and produces quality
forage, free from impurities,” explains James
Heanue, Irish sales manager at McHale.
The latest addition to the McHale bale
wrapper range is the Orbital high-speed round
bale wrapper. Using vertical wrapping ring
technology, it delivers a high output to keep up
with multiple balers.
Vredo
On the slurry and fertiliser spreading side,
Vredo Dodewaard will be displaying a self-
propelled VT4556 TEBBE spreader and a
VT7028-2 liquid slurry machine. The VT4556
can spread slurry and solid fertilising materials,
such as manure, compost, lime, sludge or
sewage cake.
The VT7028-2 is a high capacity applicator
for liquid slurry injection and dry manure
spreading. With a flat loading platform, it can
take all types of implements, from slurry tanks
to water tanks, spreader boxes and wood
chippers. It has the lowest weight per tyre in the
market, offering low soil compaction.
OPICO
OPICO will feature a number of OPICO
cultivators, including the Sward Lifter subsoiler
and Sward Slitter for improving aeration, as well
as the HE-VA Grass Rejuvenator, designed to
over-seed, reseed and establish new leys.
It will also be bringing the Strautmann self-
propelled SF 2002 diet feeder. Available with a
unique contract hire package, it’s a viable
proposition for dairy herds of 250 cows
upwards. Also on display will be the
Strautmann Verti Mix 2401 trailed diet feeder,
and the Giga Vitesse 3002 forage wagon.
OPICO will also exhibit the Maschio
Giraffona 260 rear flail mower and the Bufalo
280 front/ rear flail mower are also set to
appear.
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