Know How / Farm maintenance Must reads How to fix farm tracks with an adapted road grader Guide to ensuring electric fences are stockproof What to look for when buying and fitting a tractor dashcam How to build your own tractor autosteer system for £700 Case studiesSee all WORKSHOP SKILLSMade in Britain: Two UK ag engineering firms on the riseBehind many big-name machinery brands is the story of a fledgling engineering firm starting out from scratch. We meet two entrepreneurs with outfits on their way up. See also: High-end bespoke… CEREAL DRILLSYorkshire farmer assembles a pair of tine drills for £10kRecent autumn drilling campaigns have been a real slog for crop producers, with periods of extreme weather limiting work windows and leading to poor establishment. And that's all the more… FARM MAINTENANCEBorders farmer takes drainage in-house with DIY tile ploughChain trenchers, drain jetters and mole ploughs are quickly becoming the must-have accessories for arable farms contending with unrelenting rainfall events. But several UK growers intent on keeping their drainage… WORKSHOP SKILLSLincs grower’s bespoke harvester lifts 70k pumpkins a dayEach autumn, millions of pumpkins are plucked from their fields, carved into ghoulish lanterns and displayed with tealights flickering at their core. The process of getting these orange gourds from… FARM MAINTENANCEWhy Cambs farm invested in its own tractor-mounted trencherWhen a portion of their land began identifying more as lake than field during winter months, Stephen and Richard Mead were forced to invest in some drainage. Quotes were sourced… WORKSHOP SKILLSHow a Wiltshire-based mechanic built his own hedgecutterLuke Compton likes a workshop challenge, so when he needed a new hedgecutter he decided it would be far more satisfying to build rather than buy one. Complex geometry and… Practical adviceSee all MACHINERY MAINTENANCE20-year-old John Deere telehandler gets perfect £20k refurbIt’s boom time for noughties farm machinery, with demand surging for mechanically sound workhorses devoid of the electronic and emissions-related aggravations of their successors. While John Deere, Case IH and… FARM MAINTENANCEWhat to look for when buying a farmyard CCTV systemAs the nights grow longer, darker and danker, so does the window of opportunity for unscrupulous ne’er-do-wells to pilfer from farmyards. Sadly, there’s no single answer to keeping undesirables out,… MACHINERY MAINTENANCELatest technology for putting out harvest machinery firesIt’s hard to imagine given the sogginess of the past 12 months, but there’s always a chance we could be in for a tinder-dry harvest, à la 2022. That year,… CULTIVATORSTips for picking the best cultivator wearing metalReplacing cultivator legs, wings and points can be a depressingly regular and ruinously expensive pastime for those working in the nation’s most abrasive soils. But instead of hunting around for… FARM MAINTENANCEHow to fix farm tracks with an adapted road graderBouncing along potholed farm tracks is an unpleasant business, putting unnecessary strain on tractors, implements and their operators. But with input costs through the roof and margins tight, shelling out… GRASSLAND MANAGEMENTGuide to ensuring electric fences are stockproofChecking electric fence systems for faults should be a priority ahead of spring turnout to make paddocks and fields secure. From testing the flow of electricity to locating where overgrown… Machinery maintenance MACHINERY MAINTENANCEJohn Deere makes it easier for owners to repair tractorsAdditional resources making it easier for owners and independent workshops to carry out maintenance and repairs on John Deere equipment are being made available. The move largely expands repair options… MACHINERY MAINTENANCE20-year-old John Deere telehandler gets perfect £20k refurbIt’s boom time for noughties farm machinery, with demand surging for mechanically sound workhorses devoid of the electronic and emissions-related aggravations of their successors. While John Deere, Case IH and… MACHINERY MAINTENANCEAgricast and Kuhn develop longer-lasting metal optionsSpare parts specialist Agricast has launched a new low-disturbance grassland point, reckoned to be its strongest ever. The GLX Ultra is a tougher version of the standard GLX, which quickly… MACHINERY7 common agricultural engine remapping questions answeredMore farmers are choosing sophisticated agricultural engine remapping technology to increase power, torque and work efficiencies from their tractors, combines and farm machinery. Avon Tuning HD has been offering professional… More articles Workshop skills WORKSHOP SKILLSMade in Britain: Two UK ag engineering firms on the riseBehind many big-name machinery brands is the story of a fledgling engineering firm starting out from scratch. We meet two entrepreneurs with outfits on their way up. See also: High-end bespoke… WORKSHOP SKILLSBlaney offers up to £50k for new machine ideasMachinery manufacturer Blaney Group is encouraging farmers to step forward with ideas for new machines, tools or attachments, with the offer of up to £50,000 worth of design, engineering and… WORKSHOP SKILLSWorkshop Legends: Articulated tractor king John NicholsonIf you set out in search of advice on high-horsepower artic tractors, your quest would probably immediately take you across the Atlantic. But hidden deep in North Yorkshire there’s a… CEREAL DRILLSBeds farmer builds 6m low-disturbance drill for wet groundNothing gets the cogs of a creative mind whirring quite like the pitter-patter of rain on the workshop roof when there’s field work to get done. With Green End Farm’s… More articles VideoSee all WORKSHOP SKILLSVideo: Time-saving feeding and bedding kit inventionsClever feeding and bedding kit is helping livestock farmers shave hours off their daily routine. We've picked out some of the best ones from the many entries to our 2020… MACHINERYVideo guide: Getting the best from a round baler1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Power Farming’s ‘Getting the best from’ series of articles and videos continues with the round baler. With the help… MACHINERYVideo: Effective upgrades for top-class trailer brakesThere are some adjustments you can make to trailer brakes that help keep them legal and won't break the bank but this time, we suss out some of the more… MACHINERYVideo: How to fit trailer air brakesWe’ve shown how you can get your hydraulic trailer brakes up to stratch, but if you want ultimate stopping power you should consider updrading to air. Why air? Installation: part… InsightsSee all TOOLSWhy farmers are installing ultra accurate CNC plasma cuttersA growing number of farmers are opting to tool up with engineering-grade workshop equipment to produce their own machinery parts. And when it comes to carving out perfect sheet metal… TOOLSHandy tools and equipment to ease farm fencing jobsA rich bounty of tools and equipment awaits those keen to ease the process of erecting agricultural fencing. Here are some of the options. See also: How to make fence posts… MACHINERYMajor trimming hedges and fuel costsYou could say that when it comes to hedge-cutting, Michael Tomlinson is a bit of a perfectionist. He’s been doing it since 1982 and serves a wide range of agricultural…
