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301-400HP

First impressions: New 8340’s cab is a Deutz-Fahr revolution

Not for the first time, green tractors of German provenance stole the headlines at November’s Agritechnica show. Only this time, John Deere, Fendt and Claas bods were among the spectators…

WORKSHOP SKILLS

Blaney on the look-out for new machinery ideas

Up to £50,000 of investment is on offer from Blaney Group to help farmers, landowners, contractors and anyone else working across the agricultural industry bring a smart idea, or even…

CONTRACTOR COMMENT

Contractor Comment: Stone crusher proves fruitful side hustle

Farmers Weekly heads to Northern Ireland to meet up with Ballymena-based DJ McKay and Son, headed by David and James McKay. We find out about the contractor's main enterprises, kit…

SPRAYING AND SPREADING

Latest kit set for June demo at Muck Management UK event

Anyone concerned with the business of processing, transporting or spreading muck and slurry can get the measure of the latest equipment at a new working event. Muck Management UK takes…

GRASSLAND AND MAIZE EQUIPMENT

Ballyheather's Tyreshift flicks sidewalls onto clamps

Farm Inventions Competition regular Albert O’Neil has been doing a roaring trade with his Tyreshift 350, which takes the legwork out of loading tyres and sidewalls onto clamps. The nifty…

TRACTORS

Updated Claas Xerion 12 capable of semi-autonomous driving

A clutch of powertrain and digital technology upgrades are being released for the biggest tractors in the Claas range, including autonomous working – albeit with an operator in the driving…

MACHINERY

Claas invests in balers; Oxbo shifts merger production to UK

Production of big round and square balers has been given a €3.3m (£2.8m) boost at the Claas factory in Metz-Woippy, north-eastern France. Two new assembly lines are now in operation,…

SPRAYERS

Deere closes Mazzotti self-propelled sprayer operation

John Deere’s self-propelled sprayer offering is set to narrow, after it announced the closure and liquidation of Mazzotti. The company, based at Ravenna in north-eastern Italy, was purchased by Deere…

4X4S

Isuzu D-Max EV matches diesel in all but range

Walk up to the latest addition to the Isuzu D-Max stable and you’d be hard pressed to determine its means of propulsion. It looks like, well, every other D-Max. There…

UMBILICAL

ScotGrass: Walrus slurry pump trailer offers high-output

The latest Walrus engine driven pumping trailer from Northumberland outfit Wox Agri Services is loaded with kit to ease the burden of high-output slurry application. Key components include a four-…

RAKES AND MERGERS

ScotGrass: Roc mergers get more tech and bigger beds

A major redesign of Roc’s trailed mergers should see them cover ground quicker and, with the addition of isobus control, make life easier for operators. Both newcomers – the three-belt…

MACHINERY

JCB targets 350mph land speed record with 1,600hp Hydromax

With four-wheel drive, ultra-sleek bodywork and the best part of 1,600hp to play with, JCB engineers are pretty confident of beating the 350mph land speed world record set 20 years…

FORAGERS

ScotGrass: New John Deere F9 forager lands on UK farms

Following its launch last year, John Deere’s refreshed F9 forage harvester range is heading into its first proper chopping season. Most models have received a power boost, but the biggest…

BALERS AND WRAPPERS

ScotGrass: Surprising demand for little MF square baler

Plenty of farmers and contractors continue to earn a decent crust from small square bales, evidenced by the 30 annual UK sales of Massey Ferguson’s SB 1842S. Priced at about…

MOWERS

ScotGrass: Kuhn’s 14.5m plain mowers cover acres quickly

The first of Kuhn’s gargantuan GMD 15030 plain mowers has hit UK shores and was busy devouring sizeable chunks of the ScotGrass demo area. Armed with four 3.1m Opti-disc Elite…

BALERS AND WRAPPERS

ScotGrass: First look at McHale V6 750-II vari-chamber baler

This V6 750-II was the first example of McHale’s updated variable-chamber round baler line-up to make a bale on UK soil. Notable changes include isobus control fitted as standard and…

LOADING SHOVELS

ScotGrass: Clamp-climbing shovels put on a show

JCB’s 457 was one of four machines working the Slacks Farm pit, exerting its 20t-plus mass on incoming grass. It remains top dog in the Staffordshire maker’s range, and the…

MUCKSPREADERS

ScotGrass: Strautmann relaunches forgotten muckspreader range

Having revised its UK distribution model by replacing sole importer Opico with a direct-to-dealer approach, Strautmann is planning a fresh tilt at the muck-chucker market. Its spreaders account for one-quarter…

FORAGE WAGONS

ScotGrass: Dual-use Liquido F provides additive and ballast

Farmers and contractors requiring an additive system for grass harvesting and a tractor front weight for field work might find both needs met by Pottinger’s Liquido F. The Austrian firm…

WHATS IN YOUR SHED

What's in Your Shed? visits Kaleb Cooper Contracting

Four different tractor brands feature in the fleet owned by contractor and star of Clarkson’s Farm, Kaleb Cooper.  What's in Your Shed? heads over to Oxfordshire to find out what…

MACHINERY

Robotic tractor makers struggle as commercial reality bites

Pioneers of farm robotics technologies are finding out the hard way that the road to commercial success is paved with often insurmountable challenges. We take a look at the fortunes…

MUCKSPREADERS

Bergmann offers new tyre option to minimise spreader width

Wider row-crop tyres with a bigger rubber-to-soil contact patch have been squeezed on to Bergmann low-bed manure spreaders for growers and contractors who need a narrow overall width configuration. Alliance…

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What's in Your Shed?

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WHATS IN YOUR SHED

What's in Your Shed? visits Kaleb Cooper Contracting

Four different tractor brands feature in the fleet owned by contractor and star of Clarkson’s Farm, Kaleb Cooper.  What's in Your Shed? heads over to Oxfordshire to find out what…

WHATS IN YOUR SHED

What's in Your Shed? visits a fledgling contracting business

In the latest in our What's in your Shed? series, we visit Harry Kennedy’s fledgling Hants-based contracting operation, HK Agri. The business relies on second-hand kit bought for sensible money…

WHATS IN YOUR SHED

What's in Your Shed? visits a mixed-fleet Gretna contractor

The diverse range of machinery littering the yard of Dumfriesshire outfit G Rae Contracting includes five of the UK’s top 10 tractors brands. Farmers Weekly puts the questions to frontman…

WHATS IN YOUR SHED

What's in Your Shed? visits a Surrey straw contractor

Straw and forage contractor Church Farm Services operates both within and beyond the M25 ring. Farmers Weekly ambles around the Surrey-based firm’s machinery sheds, guided by proprietor Nick Fuller, son…

WHATS IN YOUR SHED

What's in Your Shed? visits a Cornish family farm

Five generations of the Keat family have worked the land at Tremayle Farm near Bodmin, Cornwall and three are still actively involved. Alan Keat gives Farmers Weekly the fleet lowdown.…

WHATS IN YOUR SHED

What's in Your Shed? visits a Cornish dairy farm

A hoard of ingenious home-made kit and a clutch of noughties Massey Fergusons are just some of the treasures hiding in the sheds of Cornish dairy farmer Andrew Carbis. It's…

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301-400HP

First impressions: New 8340’s cab is a Deutz-Fahr revolution

Not for the first time, green tractors of German provenance stole the headlines at November’s Agritechnica show. Only this time, John Deere, Fendt and Claas bods were among the spectators…

4X4S

Isuzu D-Max EV matches diesel in all but range

Walk up to the latest addition to the Isuzu D-Max stable and you’d be hard pressed to determine its means of propulsion. It looks like, well, every other D-Max. There…

ATVS AND UTVS

On test: HiSun Stryker looks credible as electric farm UTV

If you’ve just had to dig deep for some exorbitantly priced red diesel, the prospect of a vehicle that refuels via a plug socket may suddenly seem more appealing. One…

4X4S

On test: Defender Hard Top is comfortable all-rounder

Say what you like about the “new” Defender but the omnipresence of 90s, 110s and, to a lesser extent, 130s on UK roads suggests it has been a hit for…

Driver's view

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LOADING SHOVELS

Driver’s view: The good and bad of JCB’s 435S loading shovel

JCB’s self-proclaimed “king of the clamp” underwent some subtle surgery last winter, giving it more power, more torque and a nifty new lever-steer system. An early example of this latest…

TRACTORS

Driver's view: Lee Henzell's Fendt 728 Vario

Fendt’s 700-series overhaul was big news in the summer of 2022, with the ever-popular 724 downgraded to mid-range status and a new 728 thrust to the apex. It strayed well…

TRACTORS

Driver's view: William Heslip's New Holland T7.300

A new cab was the stand-out improvement on New Holland’s “long-wheelbase” T7s when they were introduced at the Sima show in Paris three years ago. There are five Auto Command…

TRACTORS

Driver's view: Tom Dirom's Valtra Q285

Valtra’s long-awaited Q-series finally broke cover in 2022, filling a void between its existing T and S ranges. Second biggest in the five-strong line-up is the Q285, which matches the…

Contractor Comment

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CONTRACTOR COMMENT

Contractor Comment: Stone crusher proves fruitful side hustle

Farmers Weekly heads to Northern Ireland to meet up with Ballymena-based DJ McKay and Son, headed by David and James McKay. We find out about the contractor's main enterprises, kit…

CONTRACTOR COMMENT

Contractor Comment: Staffs firm is fuelled up ready for action

A familiar face from last year’s What’s In Your Shed? series, Matt Brewster returns as this year’s Midlands-based Contractor Comment contributor. See also: Driver’s view: Tom Dirom’s Valtra Q285 Business data…

CONTRACTOR COMMENT

Contractor Comment: Static Orkel baler arrives at R&L Anthony

Farmers Weekly heads to the Vale of Glamorgan to meet up withoutfit R&L Anthony Contracting, fronted by David Anthony and wife Emma. We find out about the contractor's main enterprises,…

CONTRACTOR COMMENT

Contractor Comment: Diversification key for DRA Fabb

First in the hotseat for this new series of Contractor Comment is Dan Fabb, proprietor of eponymous Cambridgeshire outfit DRA Fabb. Q: How did you get into contracting? I worked…

Video

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HARVEST

Video: Classic machinery brings in the spring barley harvest

A fleet of British-built classic machinery dating back to the early 1970s was bringing in the spring barley harvest at a farm on the Hampshire/Wiltshire border this week. Two Ransome…

WEED MANAGEMENT

Video: Leicester farm trials weed seed unit on Fendt combine

Europe’s first Redekop seed control unit (SCU) fitted to a Fendt Ideal 10T combine, aimed at controlling weed seeds, is being put to the test this harvest in Leicestershire at…

FORAGE WAGONS

Video: Lely revolutionises zero grazing with autonomous Exos

Dutch firm Lely has put the finishing touches to its self-propelled grass harvester and feeder, which is set to go on sale in the Netherlands next year. The battery powered…

WHATS IN YOUR SHED

WIYS: Contractor ditches new kit for retro fleet

Mark Bowran, 2003 winner of Farmers Weekly’s Tractor Driver of the Year competition, opens the doors of his MBC Services contracting business. Machinery editor, Oliver Mark asks the questions and…

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