Exhibitor News and New Products 2005
Mowers…
Claas
The largest mower in the UK, the CLAAS Cougar will be making
its UK PUBLIC DEBUT at this year’s Grassland Event.
With a 480hp engine, the massive capacity of the Cougar’s five mowing units and 14 metre cutting width, mean it could cut the whole 170 acres of grass at the event in around 4.0 hours!
In typical UK conditions, the Cougar has the capacity to clear
about 45 acres an hour.
With this level of capacity, CLAAS see this as primarily a
contractor’s machine, where there may be two high capacity
self-propelled forage harvesting teams clearing over 5,000 acres of
grass a season.
Lely
Lely will be demonstrating NEW Lely MC mower conditioners,
which feature a top drive that eliminates the need for an inner
shoe. Both the cutting bed and drive line gearbox carry a two year
warranty.
A special twin pivot suspension system provides superb cutting bed flotation for even cutting performance; the bed ground pressure can be set either manually or hydraulically. The flails are made of high grade flexible nylon which gently remove the waxy layer from the grass leaf without losing any nutritional value. They also promote fast, efficient wilting.
John Deere
John Deere will have two NEW side-pull mower conditioners on
their Grassland stand. These have been designed for small and medium
size farms, and feature the company’s exclusive modular cutter bar
design. The 3m 530 and 3.5m 535 models are available with a choice
of impeller or roller conditioners. They also offer a new suspension
system and optional hydraulic adjustment of cutting height from the
tractor cab.
Other NEW high capacity John Deere machines on show for the first time at this year’s working demonstrations, will include the company’s tractor and forager mounted triple mower conditioners.
Krone
Amazone will be demonstrating and displaying machinery from a wide
range of Krone equipment, including BRAND NEW machines never seen
in Britain before, including the KW15.02 15m trailed tedder.
Other new machinery, such as the BiG Pack VFS 1270 MultiBale and the
Swadro 900 have been seen at local events, but this is their
first appearance at a national event.
Krone machines will also be working with JCB and Valtra on their stands.
Tractors…
Kubota
Kubota tractors will be seen in action for the FIRST TIME at
a national grassland event, when they take to the field at Grassland
2005.
As well as having a static display of tractors, Kubota has teamed up with a number of grass machinery manufacturers to give visitors the opportunity to see its M and ME Series tractors at work on the demonstration plots. This will include the LATEST M105S model, launched last December, which maintains the marque’s high power to weight characteristics for exceptional manoeuvrability with low ground pressure. Weighing 3,920kg, the M105S has a class-leading braked turning radius of just 3.6m, with 4wd engaged.
McCormick
A NEW RANGE of heavy-duty, high horsepower tractors will be
LAUNCHED at Grassland 2005. The McCormick XTX range –
comprising three, six-cylinder engined models, with maximum power
outputs from 173hp to 202hp – marks the latest stage in the rapid
development of McCormick’s world-class tractor range.
With full-feature electronic fuel injection, an eight-speed powershift transmission, automatic power boost for pto operations and active hydraulic cab suspension, they are the most technologically advanced tractors to be produced at McCormick’s Doncaster assembly plant in South Yorkshire.
A McCormick XTX185 (173hp max, 198hp with pto power boost) and a McCormick XTX200 (198hp max, 213hp with pto power boost) will be working on the Kverneland demonstration plots. A tractor will also be on static display on the McCormick stand for closer inspection.
Landini
The new Landini Alpine and Powerfarm tractors make their PUBLIC
WORKING DEBUT at this year’s Grassland 2005 event.
They will be seen in action operating a range of grassland
equipment on the Rustons Engineering (RECO) demonstration plot,
alongside representative models from the 82hp to 99hp Vision, 99hp
and 110hp Mythos and 118hp to 184hp Legend TDi ranges.
They offer reliable performance and a comfortable working
environment for producers that want a sensible, no-frills tractor.
The three Alpine tractors are particularly well suited to hill farming because of their compact dimensions and low centre of gravity.
Zetor
This will be the FIRST Grassland event since the Zetor
tractor factory, based in the Czech Republic, started selling its
machines solely through Norfolk-based Zetor UK Ltd. On the stand
this year will be the full Zetor Proxima range (68, 78 and 88HP) and
the Zetor Forterra range (99 to 126HP). There will also be a range
of mowers and trac-lift loaders.
Forage wagons…
Krone
Amazone will be demonstrating the NEW Titan R54 GL silage wagon
for the FIRST TIME to the British market.
The high-performance Titan, with its all-steel structure, offers a loading capacity of 54 cu.m. (29 cu.m. to DIN 11741), and comes with a high level range of standard features, such as a 1.7m fully galvanised pivot suspended pickup, and 5 rows of tines with centre support wheel, which collect the crop cleanly without soil contamination.
To reduce machinery running costs, the Titan comes with a chopping and feeding cylinder that draws the crop smoothly over the 35 knives, thus avoiding power surges and giving a theoretical chop length of down to 40mm. A patented self-tensioning row of 4 hardened floor chains guide the crop to the back of the wagon, providing optimum levels of space usage.
Strautmann
New joint venture company Strautmann UK Ltd is now the sole importer
of the German- made Strautmann range of silage feeding, handling and
harvesting machinery. They will be exhibiting at the Grassland event
for the FIRST TIME.
They have recently launched a NEW high capacity forage wagon – the Giga 1, which will be on show on the static trade stand. It is small and flexible enough to work on sloping land, travel down narrow lanes and work in outdated or cramped silage pits. Developed from the larger Giga Plus, the Giga 1 provides a loading capacity of 51m³.The helix pattern 8 row tines have hardox plates welded at the edges to provide minimal wear, and allow clean precise cutting through the single 41 knife bank.
Materials handlers…
Merlo
Merlo’s NEW 16 - model flagship TurboFarmer range will be previewed
for the FIRST TIME at Grassland 2005 when they are out through their
paces on the South Clamp.
The 2005 TurboFarmers replace the previous 7m and 9m KT machines, and all feature turbocharged DEUTZ engines for the first time, giving a choice of 102 or 140HP (aftercooled). Matched to the ‘Load-Sensing’ hydraulic systems of certain models (with 150 lpm pumps), these are sure to set a new standard for farm handler performance.
The 140HP TOP models have fully proportional and independent ‘Flow-Sharing’ hydraulic systems offering the ultimate in control. All UK machines are supplied with electrically-engaged differential locks to front and rear axles.
Liebherr
Liebherr is now focussing on agricultural markets, with the
introduction of a factory-built specialist materials handling
machine, aimed at farm contractors and large farm/estate operations.
The NEW L 534 Agri Contractor is the latest addition to a range of 15 articulated, hydrostatic drive wheeled loading shovels. Two of these new machines will be working on the silage pits at the event, and there will also be one on the company’s static stand.
Powered by a Liebherr 4-cylinder diesel engine, the articulated body and oscillating rear axle combine to produce minimal cab tilt. This, with the generous ground clearance, allows operation in all working conditions and ground types, and is particularly good for working on silage clamps.
Bale wrap…
UAT
UAT will be displaying CropGuard XL on their stand, a NEW silage
film they are introducing into the UK and Ireland this year. This
product will be available in 750mm widths only, in black and green,
and will offer users 5 per cent more film. This means up to 60 more
bales can be wrapped per pallet, reducing the overall cost per bale.
Silage clamp covers...
Volac
Volac International and Dairy Spares will be LAUNCHING a new durable
clamp cover designed to position over silage sheets and replace
tyres. Called Topcover, it can make placement time savings of up to
90% compared with tyres, has a lifespan of up to 10 years, and
overcomes the mounting issues of acquiring, managing and disposing
of large volumes of tyres.
Topcover is a 285g/m2 tightly woven meshnet manufactured by German based Zill, the leading supplier of clamp covers in Europe. The cover is tear resistant, allows for straight forward reopening of the pit for additional cuts, and helps reduce surface waste. Topcover is weighted down with silo bags, micro meshed monofil yarn bags filled with 4mm to 8mm shingle, placed every 5m crosswise.
Vertical mixer wagons…
Grassland 2005 will host the BIGGEST DISPLAY of vertical mixer
wagons ever to be seen at a UK event.
“Feeder wagons have not really featured heavily at previous
Grassland events,” says Ben Stanley of Grassland organiser the Royal Agricultural
Society of England. “But as more and more dairy herds are complete-diet
fed, the forage wagon is becoming an increasingly important piece of
machinery. Anyone thinking of buying a new vertical mixer will be
able to compare fifteen or more models and makes at this show.”
Silage additives…
Volac
Volac will be talking about their NEW silage additive, a
concentrated biological inoculant specifically designed to reduce
forage losses and improve nutritional performance of high dry matter
grass silages. Called Agros Dominator, it delivers twice the
concentration of bacteria present in conventional silage additives,
and is proven to out-compete the higher levels of spoilage organisms
present on wilted grass within 24 hours. The liquid additive also
contains a stimulant to prime the lactic acid bacteria prior to
application, thereby achieving a faster drop in clamp pH, quicker
domination of the inefficient natural populations of bacteria, and a
higher nutrient value forage.
Muck and slurry spreaders…
Bauer
Bauer are LAUNCHING their ‘Polytanker’ range of massive capacity
specialist slurry tankers at Muck 2005. An 18,500 Polytanker fitted
with a 12 metre dribble bar will be on display.
More than 300 of these units have been sold in mainland Europe and three sizes of Polytanker are available: 12,500 litres, 15,500 litres and 18,500 litres, all having a polycarbonate constructed tank. Although the tank is 15mm thick and very strong, it is the weight reduction and consequently the higher payload capacity, that benefits owners. For example, the gross weight of an 18,500 litre Polytanker is approximately the same as a 16,000 litre all-steel tanker.
All Bauer Polytankers have pumped filling and emptying systems and a choice of 6" or 8" front filling arm and top filling hatch. Spreading can be achieved through conventional plate spreaders, or a range of dual or triple plate booms for spread widths up to 27 metres. For greater accuracy of spreading and reduction of odour at spreading time, a range of anti-drip dribble bars are offered for spreading widths of 12,15, or 18 metres.
Tanlake Farm and Machinery
John and Chris Burnham have exhibited at the Grassland Event three
times, but this year they are expecting particular interest in the Veehuis slurry application equipment they market in this country.
“UK farmers are ten to 15 years behind the Dutch and the Danish when it comes to applying slurry to grassland in narrow bands, rather than spreading it all over the surface,” says Chris Burnham. “But there is definitely increasing interest from contractors and larger farms, as they realise the environmental and cost saving benefits of using slurry in a more measured and precise way.”.
Sward improvement…
DLF Trifolium
Output of young grass swards can be increased by 30% using a NEW overseeding system called GrassMax. A full demonstration can be
viewed at the DLF Trifolium site at the event.
By the time grass reaches eight years of age, only around 60% of the sown species remain, and the rest of the sward is comprised of weed grasses. This can mean a loss of up to £300 per acre per year in animal performance.
The GrassMax system tops up the productive species before weed species have a chance to develop. This means the yield benefits of Hybrid and Tetraploid grasses can be been fully utilised without the need for full reseeds.
Advanta Seeds
Advanta Seeds will be explaining why their NEW pelleted clover seed
Cloverplus stands a better chance of establishing in a ryegrass ley
than unprotected seed. White clover seed is very small, but the
pelleting process effectively doubles the size and weight,
increasing its ability to flow in a drill or fertiliser spreader.
Win an ATV…
Dow Agrosciences
Farmers can win a Massey Ferguson ATV worth £4500 on the Dow AgroSciences stand. Entry will be by a simple competition quiz.
While on the stand farmers can make use of the Dow AgroSciences weeds and pests clinic, to get some practical answers to questions about perennial weeds and pests, such as leatherjackets and frit fly. Charlie Morgan, an extension officer with the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, will also be on hand to advise farmers on making the best out of their grassland.
More from grass…
Milk Development Council
MDC grass+ will be exhibiting at the Grassland Event for the
FIRST
time. A computer-based program, grass+ consists of a comprehensive
file of research results with discussion on their practical
application on farm. The aim of grass+ is to help producers improve
grassland management by considering a range of issues, from
grassland measurement systems to more efficient use of fertilisers.
MDC will be asking farmers at Grassland to think carefully about their fertiliser use. And technical staff will also encourage farmers to find out the true value of their slurry as the nutrients in slurry and farmyard manure can typically save £50 to £100 per hectare.
