We headed to Elmore Field Days earlier this week to check out some of the best agricultural machinery the country has to offer plus a special announcement from AGCO.
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Isuzu NLR Tri-Tipper
Why shovel it when you can tip it. Farmer’s, tradies, landscape contractors and gardeners were all keen to get a look at the little 4.5-tonne truck that features a tipping body that can dump its load to left, right or rear. Four hydraulically operated pins located at each corner of the tray determine which direction the tray will tip.
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YTO LF904-C
The Chinese made YTO LF904-C has drawn plenty of attention thanks to its modern design and attractive price tag. This one, the first of the LF series arrived just in time to go on show at the field days. Born out of Fiat Technology, it features Bosch electrics, LuK clutches, Hella lighting, Donaldson filters and Universal bearings. The LF series are available in five models ranging from 80-110HP and are fitted, for the first time, with a Powershift transmission.
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KUHN LEXIS 3000
Apart from being a smart looking, solid piece of equipment, the Kuhn Lexis 3000 trailing boom spray is a very compact machine with a low centre of gravity. The new polyethylene tank design includes larger baffles to prevent surging and a deeper sump to allow for better drainage on slopes. Other improvements include a clear suction filter bowl, adjusting wheels instead of levers are used on the valves and a shorter drawbar improves manoeuvrability into corners. The light weight hydraulic folding aluminium boom is available in widths from 18 to 24 metres.
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HQ Helmets
The stockman 2 helmet is specifically designed to prevent serious head injury and death from ATV related accidents on farms. The light weight polycarbonate shell with fibre reinforcing is easy to clean and is well ventilated. It is available with brim and flap for protection against the sun and most importantly it does not impede vision or hearing.
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Farmtrac 9120DTN
Farmtrac are promoted as a budget priced brand of tractor and have only been on the Australian market since mid-2017. Made in Europe and imported by Sota Tractors, it features a Perkins engine, Carraro transmission, Mita hydraulics and Bosch electronics. Farms and Farm Machinery reviewer, Tom Dickson, has already jumped behind the wheel for a test drive to see if the budget priced tractor is good value for money. His full review will appear on the Trade Farm Machinery website and Farms & Farm Machinery magazine in the coming months.
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JADAN Big Bale Stacker
Ideal for the medium to smaller scale farmer handling big square bales. The Jadan Big Bale Stacker is designed for those needing to get hay out of the paddock quickly and efficiently. Using just one man and a tractor, the Stacker operates quickly to collect big square bales into stacks of 6 or 4 bales, for storage or transport. The Stacker features a unique plastic-covered tray to limit hay bale sliding, to ensure a neat and tidy stack. It can collect either four or six bales at a time depending on the bale size.
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Convey-all 1652.5 TL
The 1652.5 transloader is designed to move large amounts of product quickly with minimal seed damage. It is powered by a 38.9hp diesel engine which provides hydraulic drive for the belt conveyor, self-propelled drive wheels and hydraulic steering rams. At its maximum operating working angle, 30 degrees, it has a discharge height of 26’7″ and working length of 49’6″.
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Nuffield 460
Not everything at the field days is new. This early 1960’s model 60hp Nuffield was ingeniously fitted up with tracks to operate in sugar cane crops in Northern Queensland. It is said to have generated so much traction it risked tipping the tractor over backwards.
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McCormick X7.670 VT Drive
Taking pride of place on the Clark equipment site is the new McCormick X7.670. It is equipped with a 6.7L, six-cylinder BETAPOWER engine located within a chassis that helps reduce noise and vibration levels within the cab. The new VT Drive range offers the luxury of continuously variable transmission (CVT) that provides an infinite number of speed ratios from zero to 40 km/h.
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AGCO announces Lely acquisition
On Monday the 2nd October 2017 a deal was finalised for AGCO to purchase LELY’s hay and forage equipment division, leaving Lely retaining ownership of their dairy division . AGCO Vice President Warwick McCormick and Lely Country Manager Mark Smyth could not hide their delight as they publically announced the acquisition at the 2017 Elmore Field Days. Moving forward AGCO will continue to manufacture all the Lely products but they will now be sold under the Massey Ferguson brand.
According to McCormick, AGCO will continue to stock a full inventory of parts and provide full training to their technicians so they can continue to service the products previously sold by the Lely Company.
“We will combine the best features of Lely with the best features of Massey Ferguson to create an even better product for the agricultural industry,” McCormick says.