Lurking in the less crowded corners of Agritechnica’s 22 huge exhibition halls are all manner of tools, gadgets and knick-knacks.

Here, Farmers Weekly unearths a few gems.

See also: On test: We rate the latest battery-powered grease guns

Siegmund welding benches

If you’re in the market for the ultimate welding table, Siegmund may well have the answer.

The Bavarian company has been making precision engineered workbenches for more than 30 years and produces what look to be the most intricately crafted yet robust units.

The buyer’s choice of 10mm, 15mm or 25mm thick steel slabs are bored out with evenly spaced holes that allow various accessories to be mounted, including vices and clamps that lock themselves in place using only a simple O-ring.

There are also magnetic blocks that hold any item rigidly to the bench, enabling it to be set-up as a quickly adjustable jig, and a raft of under-surface drawers and lockers running on lockable castors.

While beautifully engineered, the Siegmund benches do come at a cost – a 1.2m wide, 800mm deep version is €1,850 (£1,635) before any accessories are fitted.

Traxor induction parts heater

Seized nuts, stubborn bushes and immovable bearings often benefit from a bit of gentle heat.

But the gas torch can occasionally create unwanted collateral damage, especially when working in tight engine bays surrounded by delicate components.

As a result, induction heaters capable of turning inanimate lumps of steel into red-hot fireballs are becoming increasingly popular as an alternative to the traditional gas-axe.

This Traxor unit is the smallest in Granit’s line-up and is rated at 3,700W.

Its liquid-cooled torch head generates a magnetic field when put in contact with a metal object, heating it up without getting hot itself.

As well as freeing up seized components, it’s also useful in warming up steel prior to welding as a means of helping to avoid distortion.

It costs just over £2,500, including a range of tips to provide the targeted heat. 

Granit claims the running costs of an induction parts heater are approximately 80% lower than an oxy-acetylene setup.

Kaindal die-grinder adapter

German firm Kaindal specialises in powertool attachments, such as wood-carving grinder discs and the pictured router/die-grinder adaptor.

This fits to a standard 4.5in grinder’s M14 spindle thread and, with 6mm, 8mm and 10mm chucks, can accommodate all sorts of cutting, grinding and sanding tools.

However, it’s not cheap at €170 (£150).

Geodore Thread Reset          

While reaching for the tap and die set seem like the obvious solution to dealing with damaged threads, tooling specialist Geodore reckons the cutting process removes more metal and weakens the stud.

Its solution is a range of thread cleaners that reform the spiral of steel rather than removing it.

Sizes range from 3mm to 120mm, there are myriad thread patterns.

And the most popular set runs from M12 to M22 to cater for common wheel stud sizes. It costs €293 (£260).

Agrosentinels bearing monitor

Hungarian start-up Agrosentinels has developed a neat sensor system that monitors the vibrations and temperature generated by individual bearings on any machine.

Said to improve the accuracy of breakdown forecasts, each battery-powered unit wirelessly logs heat levels and vibrations at various amplitudes, alerting the operator if they exceed certain thresholds.

A decision can then be made whether to continue working to get the job done or to stop and embark on a repair.

Being magnetic means they can be positioned anywhere and relocated from one machine to another as required.

Each sensor battery will last a year on a single charge.

A kit of four costs about €1,000 (£884) plus a €25 (£22) monthly subscription that can be paused when required.

Lutz Jesco fluid transfer pumps

Anyone fed up with the mess of filling gearboxes, engines and axles with lubricants might be interested in Lutz Jesco’s range of fluid transfer pumps.

Capable of handling grease as well as oils, the LubeDrive employs a drill-driver to provide the power and will spew lubricants out at a rate of 2kg/min.

It costs just over €400 (£353).

The company also offers corrosion-resistant plastic and stainless-steel chemical transfer pumps to suit all manner of liquids from dairy chemicals to diesel.

Powered by either lithium batteries, a 240V mains supply or pressurised air, they can be equipped with a flow meter and auto shut-off facility.

Prices range from €500-€700 (£440-£620).

Action sockets

Action Tools was displaying an impressive range of impact sockets, topping out with a 250mm, 3.5in square-drive nut-cup.

While such sizes generally appeal to bridge builders, shipwrights and wind turbine engineers, the Taiwanese company also caters for more run-of-the-mill applications such as agriculture.

It has a full line-up of torque-twister socket sticks, magnetic sockets and standard sets.

Bast-Ing drill-driven forestry kit

Bast-Ing attracted interest from forestry aficionados with its range of high-tech felling wedges powered by a 3/4in, 1/2in or 3/8in impact driver. 

With the wedge inserted in a back-cut, a central screw pushes two stainless-steel plates deep into the trunk, forcing the tree to topple forward.

A simple loop of cord around the trigger makes for safe remote operation. It is priced at €245-€680 (£215-£600) depending on the size.

The Bavarian company also makes impact driver powered earth augers for tree planting, winches with up to 1,800kg capacity and even drill-driven hydraulic pumps for small tipping trailers.

And its handheld chain sharpeners are apparently bestsellers.

These employ a simple sanding belt with plastic guards to achieve the correct tooth angle.

They cost €169 (£150) and are said to significantly speed up the process of sharpening when out in the woods.

Juwel torque multiplier

Juwel was one of several manufacturers showing high-capacity, drill-driven torque multipliers.

It adapts and fits Fein 18V battery-powered drivers with compact reduction gearboxes capable of stepping torque up from 70Nm to more than 17,000Nm.

While the 2.5in square drive version costs in the region of €7,500 (£6,630), the more modest 350Nm, 3/4in version comes in at €3,900 (£3,430).

Disskin touchscreen protector

Bavarian start-up Disskin has quickly built a name for itself with its protective films for touchscreen devices.

These tend to be for smartphones and tablets, but the company says it sees great potential with agricultural and construction machines, where operators are regularly in and out of the cab dealing with dirty, greasy equipment.

Grubby mitts and glossy touchscreens aren’t good bedfellows and Disskin’s protective films are designed to be resistant to all manner of fluids and dirt.

Their matt finish also has anti-glare properties, improving visibility in bright sunlight.

Users simply send in their display dimensions and the company will cut out a tailor-made piece of material that is applied with a special fluid.

A screen protector for a typical in-cab terminal costs around €40 (£35).

Derblaue drain pans

Originally designed to aid plumbers in draining central heating systems, Derblaue folding canvas funnels and drain pans are now widely used for catching spills when dropping oil out of machines.

As well as drip trays and a magnetic drain slide specifically for emptying hubs and final drives, there’s a conical folding funnel with a tap and hose that can be used to refill casings and collect liquid when spinning off filters.

A folding drip tray comes in at €118 (£105), while the hub drain slide is €60 (£53).

Deguy-Conge feeder-wagon blades

Wearing metal specialist Deguy-Conge is working on a prototype feeder-wagon blade design that features a replaceable cutting edge.

Scalloped carbide-coated knife sections are bolted into recesses within a 20mm-thick Hardox support plate so that as they wear back, only the leading edge needs to be replaced rather than the whole blade.

The French company says it already has interest from a number of feeder-mixer manufacturers.

As yet there are no prices but we’re told replacement costs will be far less than a standard one-piece knife.

Airguard Seed-Brake, air drier and pipe clips

Airguard’s Seed-Brake adjustable venturis even out the air flow across a drill toolbar so that each coulter receives a similar blast of wind.

Removable collars on the threaded inlet vary the amount of air vented at the top of each boot.

And a simple wind-speed meter is used to measure the output at each outlet, with rings removed or added as necessary.

The plastic units cost about £27 apiece; stainless versions are closer to £65.

Rather than fitting them to every coulter, the Canadian firm suggests prioritising those in the centre of the toolbar where the airflow tends to be greatest.

For those working in damp conditions and applying fertiliser at the same time as drilling, the company makes a simple air-drier to help reduce the risk of blockages.

Effectively an oil-cooler radiator, it is plumbed into the fan’s hydraulic circuit and positioned in front of the intake, heating the air as it passes through.

Not only does this help limit the damp, it also cools the tractor’s backend oil for the benefit of all the hydraulic components.

It’s priced at just over £2,720.

Airguard also sells Sabre Clamps. Effectively jubilee clips with five barbs on the screw section, they bite onto coulter pipes, securing them in position to prevent them working loose.

The most common 19-44mm versions are about £1.60 each.