A MACHINERY EXHIBITION comprising predominantly outdoor trade stands and held in January could appear to hold little interest to show-goers. But LAMMA has built up such a following in recent times that the mood at this year”s event was, once again, buoyant.

Exhibitor numbers were up from 325 to 357 compared to last year’s event, and exhibition space totalled 6000sq m of indoor stands and 23,000sq m of outdoor space, offering plenty of opportunity for manufacturers from all over the country to display their latest innovations and developments.

Jeff Claydon, of Suffolk-based Claydon, used the event to show off the latest changes to the company”s direct seeding system. Hydraulic folding now reduces overall width from 3.25m to 2.85m, while a modular construction of the drill”s working sections allows additional modules to be added to create working widths of up to 6m in a fully mounted format.

“We”ve also added an interchangeable point design,” says Mr Claydon. “The standard 7in items didn”t suit all growers in wet conditions, so users now have the choice of a 5.5in tine and a slotted tine – the latter for crops such as beans.”

A hydraulic folding, trailed version of the drill has been developed, he adds, but it is still under evaluation.

Other innovations on display included the latest Ferri TM46 hedgecutter from RECO, which features a rearward-cranked arm designed to enable the tractor to operate close to the hedge on narrow lanes without the need for orbiter brackets.

This geometry also allows verge mowing behind the nearside rear wheel of the tractor and assists in creating a compact transport position. The trade-off for such a design, however, is that the 1.2m flail head is further behind the operator and may also result in a cranked neck. The TM46 costs £7580.