Cornish feeder-bedder maker Teagle Machinery announced several new models last week as well as revealing strong sales of both domestic and export machines.

The company, which manufactures 85% of what it sells, has doubled turnover over the past six years and posted a £12m turnover last year, explained UK sales director Tom Teagle. More than 50% of what it makes goes for export and the feeder-bedders are now sold to more than 35 countries.

Teagle’s Tomahawk model, first launched 29 years ago, still accounts for 60% of the firm’s turnover. It has changed a lot over the years, says Mr Teagle, and the latest Tomahawk 8500 model now has a 150mm wider body and crossbeater to make loading of big Hesston/Quadrant-type bales easier.

The other key change is the arrival of a bigger fan that can blow straw over a distance of 25m and a new Hardox fan housing. The result is that a big square bale can be chopped and dispensed in one-and-a-half minutes rather than the previous two- to two-and-a-half minutes.

The standard 8500 costs £17,720 retail with a swivel chute and £21,530 in dual chop form. Minimum tractor size is 80hp. The first chance to see it in the flesh is at Livestock 2012 on 4 September at the NEC.

Getting a controlled flow of straw or silage through a feeder-bedder when the material you’re using varies a lot is a tricky proposition for any maker. Teagle says it has been working on the problem for three years and now has a system that works even at low fan speeds.

Called Flow+, it modified the bed conveyor slats, boosting the tumbling action in the bale chamber and improving delivery chute design. It’s available on the mounted 808 and trailed 8100 machines, as well as the 8500, 9090 and 1010 models.

Another option that’s become available is Teagle’s Dual Chop system. This can be specified on 808, 8100 and 8500 models and gives the option of both long- and short-chop lengths.

The 1010, incidentally, can come with weigh cells and a digital readout. Retail cost of the machine is £25,000, though a typical on-farm cost is about £17,000.

Teagle will also add smaller UK-made 6t and 9t models to its existing Titan 10t and 12t muckspreaders in the spring.