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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

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

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>>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.

The new Sulky factory - opened in June 2012

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.

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

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.

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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.

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.

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.

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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.

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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.

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.

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

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.

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.

The Horsch DrillManager control system enables very high, as well as very low seed rates to be metered with extreme accuracy and this combined with the double disc coulter and press wheel allows a consistently high output to be achieved. Seed rate is governed by a highly accurate ground speed radar controlling a directly coupled electric motor and single metering roller. The

system is simplicity itself Rod says.

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 metering for seed and fertiliser operations.

Rod says that the Horsch Prontos have performed extremely well and have given his contracting operation the edge when it comes to efficiency and seed placement with the added bonus of targeted fertiliser operation in one pass.

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(From left): Peter Henderson (NFMC Hastings), Ben Whaitiri (Driver, Middle Hills), Rod Parsons (Owner, Middle Hills Contracts) and Traugott Horsch (Horsch Germany)

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.

The TS 10055 has a newly-developed larger rotor head

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 several years’ use, and reduced 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.

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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.

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,

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.”

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.

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Rural Fields Ltd’s new Pronto 6 AS drill .

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 workThe 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 shocksThe 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 pile-driving operations, for instance.

A grab that passes the test with flying coloursPerfect 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 tooThe 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.

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BMS 245 multipurpose bucket, a robust and versatile tool for maximum efficiency.

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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 ex-demo JF Stoll from his local dealer, Gluyas Ag Centre in Ashburton. It turned out to be a very good decision.

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 another 40ha, so we are boosting the size of the herd,” Lyle says.

“We are a pasture-based farm. With the irrigation, the cows are on pasture throughout the summer but we also winter milk 230. About 80 percent of their

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.

Their JF-Stoll mixer wagon is a VM 18-2 SB model. It has two vertical augers that quickly and thoroughly chop and mix the ration. “We got the mixer wagon in April 2011. Once we got a few things straightened out on it, we have worked it pretty hard and

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.”

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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.

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.

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

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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.

Richard opted for the semi-mounted 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.

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.

He’s been contracting for nine years now and employs three full-time 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.”

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Richard Simpson with his Lemken Heliodor.

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.

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.

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Vaderstad today

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.

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

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.

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.

CUSTOMER

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Wayne Pilgram (left) and employee Mike Batt.

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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.

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.

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

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 !

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.

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 end-user satisfaction. Finally, serenity there to MX and our mutual business!

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)

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.

Do you have a comment on the magazine or a suggestion for a story? If so please contact us:Implementation Freepost 255PO Box 1265Palmerston Northor email: implementation@norwood.co.nz

If you would like more information on any of the products featured in this newsletter please contact your local specialist equipment dealer

Henri Langlais of MX, France

>>>www.equipnz.co.nz