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South Island Field Days
28-30 March 2001
The site was shared with our dealer Ashburton Implement Services
We demonstrated 3 machines:
- Krone mower conditioner AMT5000CV - 4.8m working width
- Fransgaard rake TI6000 - 6m working width
- Krone round baler VP1500MC - 1.0 to1.5m bale diameter
The AMT5000CV mower conditioner drew a good crowd, and looked very impressive in the corners, making perfect 90 degree turns almost without leaving a whisker. The very light short crop was a good test for the baler’s pick-up, and we proved how clean a job the 5 bar VARIOPACK pick-up makes.
The demonstrations were made difficult by the lack of crop. In the lighter part of the crop, the lucerne was scarcely visible after mowing. Despite this, the Fransgaard TI6000 made a clean job, and raked up some rows for all of the balers.
Award winner!
The AMT5000CV was entered into the “New equipment awards” and won a 2nd place for it’s innovative design. A couple of weeks later we received a nice cheque in the mail which was worth framing, but the super efficient Coral had it banked before we could hang it on the wall.
Bagrie gets BIG-M
Graeme Bagrie Contracts Ltd. in Levin invested this year in a Krone BIG-M self-propelled mower conditioner.
Graeme is very pleased with the performance of the machine to date which has lived up to expectations in a very demanding environment.
The machine plays an important role in fine-tuning the pit silage operation, a logical step after huge efficiency gains had already been obtained from purchasing a second John Deere forage harvester with 540hp and a purpose built 3 metre buckrate mounted to the front of a CASE IH MX270. The buckrake set up has the capacity to easily keep up with one of the largest forage harvesters working in New Zealand, and looks to be a promising concept for future developments. Interested contractors are welcome to contact Graeme for more details at the end of the season.
John Tulloch visited Bagrie Contracts on Wednesday, 10 November 2002 after approximately 2000 acres had been cut by the machine.
Ryan Bagrie with the BIG-M
Capacity up 20%
Ryan Bagrie (pictured above) made some early comments about the BIG-M. “The reasoning for us going this way has now been confirmed by the BIG-M’s actual performance in the field. Our capacity is 20% up over the triple mower system, which is actually more than the difference in the cutting width. And there is no comparison to the days when we had trailed machines.”
“But there are other advantages of the BIG-M system which have proved to be equally rewarding. The build quality of the BIG-M is excellent, with a self-propelled machine, weight is not such a big issue as it is on the tractor mounted systems and so the whole system can be made stronger with an obvious increase in reliability."
"We are also finding that the rows are more consistent in size than our previous mowing systems. Over 6 rows of 3.2m cutting width, there is only one ‘overlap’ instead of 5 overlaps (with trailed machines). This means that the wilting of grass is more even, and our customers are telling us that they are noticing an improvement in the overall quality of the cut material in the stack.”
Good manoeuvrability and sequenced lowering controls reduce field loss time.
Because the BIG-M has cutterbars which are driven from the centre, the crop is split into 2 rows and spread wide. Behind the BIG-M you will in fact see not 3 but 6 separate rows. These rows each account for a theoretical cutting width of just over 1.5m being a lot less than the standard 3m swath width resulting in faster drying times.
Operator John from Ireland enjoying the New Zealand sun!
Krone VarioPack balers sales up!
Pick-up clutch and feed rotor reverser have further enhanced the performance of the VarioPack baler this year.
Sales of VarioPack have increased year on year for the 4th year running, making it the contractors choice for it’s ability to bale in a wide range of crop conditions.
Feedback we hear is the consistent performance of the net wrap, edge-to-edge virtually regardless of net brand, and also the overall good density and consistent bale size.
Above - some of the many new VarioPack balers awaiting inspection and assembly prior to delivery at TFM in Masterton.
Efficient delivery by Palmerston Transport Services (working in conjunction with Jeffs Vehicle Deliveries in the South Island).
TFM Service Manager Allan Taute in the foreground.
Another delivery - this time heading north!
Pronovost Silatube machine
Along with 82" and 87" Lastic tubes
With the new variant of the Pronovost designated P6302, along with the new size 87" Lastic tubes, it is now possible to tube square bales up to 3' high by 5' long, as well as round bales up to 5' in diameter.
If it is possible to handle the larger round bales, then this is definitely a more economical way to store bales, on a kg dry matter basis. A variable chamber round baler (instead of a soft core baler) is recommended to get good density in the larger bales.
RING for details on 0800 TULLOCH.
Fransgard Rakes
We have just received another shipment of TI6000 Fransgard rakes.
Due to their versatility, these rakes have proved to be a popular choice as a second rake to the larger folding rakes.
Features highlighted in the pictures include larger than standard wheels for rougher ground conditions, vari-width cylinder to optimise working and swath width, and suspension system to relieve the tines during work in rough conditions.
Suspension spring relieves tine stress.
Vari-width cylinder optimises swath width.
Large wheels for rough ground
What a little beauty, she is. Slick and quick with twin satellites. Available with brackets to fit behind most brands of round balers.
The new model Sideliner 1620 round bale wrapper from specialist wrapping equipment manufacturer Elho offers quality, speed and versatility. The key feature of the Elho Sideliner 1620 is its twin satellite wrapping arms, which means it is much faster than earlier wrappers.
Hydraulic synchronisation between the bale rotation and the wrapping arms ensure the wrap always has the right overlap regardless of wrapping speed so that all bales are perfectly sealed.
Links with any mainstream baler
Contractors can use the Elho 1620 to just wrap bales on their own or Elho can provide the brackets to link it to any mainstream baler whether Krone, New Holland, Claas, Welger or John Deere.
Using the wrapper in tandem with a baler one operator can bale and wrap simultaneously to save both time and money. With its two wrapping arms the Sideliner 1620 can wrap faster than the baler produces a bale in normal conditions.
Tandem axles and wide low profile tyres on the Sideliner 1620 provide even load distribution and an even ride. The dual axles also reduce grass damage during sharp turns. The wrapping table’s low centre of gravity and the three table rollers and two end support rollers keep the bale safely in place even when operating on slopes.
Elho’s Sideliner 1620 comes with its own enclosed hydraulic system attached to its side. The hydraulic steering draw bar cylinder makes it easy to load bales from difficult positions.
With the increased number of Elho machines being sold in NZ and because of new models being introduced, TFM sent 2 service technicians to Finland for product service training in August 2002. Pictured are Elho’s Product Development Manager Peter Forsen with TFM’s Steve Pringle and Brian Faulknor, in front of the new Elho Sideliner wrapper.
Optional Bale Tipper
An optional feature of the new Elho wrapper is the bale tipper, which rotates the bale onto its end when it is unloaded. Because there are more layers of film on the ends of the bale, it is better protected from damage from sharp stones or birds. The Sideliner 1620 is 2.6m wide and handles bales in sizes from 1.0m to 1.5m.
Deon McKay
Deon started with us in July 2002 as an extra pair of hands were needed in our Service Department.
His original training was as a panel beater, and he practised for a number of years in the Wairarapa before moving to Australia.
Deon is naturally mechanically minded, being an avid fan and member of the Wellington Chev. Club, and loves fast cars and all that goes with it.
He has taken to the farm machinery game like a duck to water, so we decided to send him away for a working holiday assembling mowers at Ganders in Invercargill.
Deon is married and lives in Masterton.