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FARM MAINTENANCE

Why Cambs farm invested in its own tractor-mounted trencher

When 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 SKILLS

How a Wiltshire-based mechanic built his own hedgecutter

Luke 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…

FARM MAINTENANCE

Staffs contractor rates Shelbourne's 'head memory' hedgecutter

Crafting a pitch-perfect hedge is an art many attempt but not all master. Thousands of tiny tweaks must be made to keep the flail head at the desired angle as…

WORKSHOP SKILLS

£10,000 Wing Jet workshop mod forms 30m Avadex applicator

Upsizing from 24m to 30m tramlines meant Buckinghamshire arable farmer Charlie Edgley had a raft of machinery to either upgrade or replace, one of which was his Avadex applicator. In…

CULTIVATORS

How to adapt cut-price cultivators to low-disturbance system

When Michael and Will Scholey decided it was time to stop damaging their ground with high horsepower tracked crawlers and deep, intensive cultivation, they drafted in some expert help. This…

WORKSHOP SKILLS

5 home-built pieces of slurry kit which improved efficiency

Armed with a degree in mechanical engineering from Ulster University, Niall Murphy returned to the family farm and contracting business and set about making handy custom pieces of kit. His…

Practical advice

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MACHINERY MAINTENANCE

Latest technology for putting out harvest machinery fires

It’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,…

CULTIVATORS

Tips for picking the best cultivator wearing metal

Replacing 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 MAINTENANCE

How to fix farm tracks with an adapted road grader

Bouncing 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 MANAGEMENT

Guide to ensuring electric fences are stockproof

Checking 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

How to get the best from a McConnel hedgecutter

Since the launch of its first Power Arm trimmer in the early 1950s, McConnel has been a dominant force in the world of flail hedgecutting. From a starting point of…

WORKSHOP SKILLS

Top tips for upping the quality of workshop projects

Every year, the Farm Inventions Competition unearths a horde of impressive workshop builds that provide ingenious answers to some of agriculture’s recurring conundrums. Traditionally, farmers and contractors have sketched out…

Machinery maintenance

MACHINERY MAINTENANCE

Agricast and Kuhn develop longer-lasting metal options

Spare 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…

MACHINERY MAINTENANCE

Retrofit options for managing and securing diesel tanks

Controlled access, consumption records, fill-level alerts and protection against theft and contamination are all available to help farm businesses manage their fuel supplies this harvest. Farmers Weekly have rounded up…

MACHINERY MAINTENANCE

Latest technology for putting out harvest machinery fires

It’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,…

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Workshop skills

CEREAL DRILLS

Farmer combines Karat and Solitair for one-pass bean drill

It’s a Lemken drill, but not as you know it. The perfectly colour-matched Kinair, named after Craig and Claire Grant’s Kindrought Farm and the Solitair seeder on which it is…

WORKSHOP SKILLS

How a Wiltshire-based mechanic built his own hedgecutter

Luke 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…

WORKSHOP SKILLS

Inventions Comp 2024: Neat ideas for livestock farms

From crafty modifications to high-tech implements and self-propelled machines, this year’s Farmers Weekly Farm Inventions Competition had it all. We round up the best of the entries for livestock farmers.…

WORKSHOP SKILLS

Inventions Comp 2024: Andrew Metson’s Vaderstad Carrier

By treating his 24-year-old 5m Vaderstad Carrier to a series of upgrades, Andrew Metson has created a multi-use cultivator that can double up as a cover crop drill. In its…

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Video

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WORKSHOP SKILLS

Video: On test – 20 workshop tools recommended by farmers

Off the back of the low-cost tool, gadget and knickknack review we carried out last year, scores of readers got in touch with nifty suggestions of their own. Oliver Mark…

MACHINERY

Video: How to fit trailer air brakes

We’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…

WORKSHOP SKILLS

Winning Inventions Comp entry up for grabs in farm sale

After 53 years, several million small square bales and dozens of farm inventions, Cotswolds contractor and farm-scale engineer Frank Henderson is calling time on his career – and his bespoke…

MACHINERY

How to service a Honda ATV

General Fluids & filters Engine Transmission Brakes & Tyres Suspension They're one of the most used pieces of kit on any livestock farm, but when was the last time you…

Insights

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MACHINERY MAINTENANCE

Retrofit options for managing and securing diesel tanks

Controlled access, consumption records, fill-level alerts and protection against theft and contamination are all available to help farm businesses manage their fuel supplies this harvest. Farmers Weekly have rounded up…

MACHINERY MAINTENANCE

Keenan mixer wagon renovator offers repair tips

The daily chore of chomping through tonnes of abrasive feedstuffs mean a mixer wagon’s innards only have a limited lifespan. Added to that, the tight environments in which they work…