SELF-PROPELLED IS VITAL WHEN WORKLOAD RISES
SELF-PROPELLED IS VITAL WHEN WORKLOAD RISES
Investment, running costs
and workloads are the main
factors to weigh up before
changing from a trailed to a
used self-propelled forage
harvester. Andy Moore
spoke to one Cheshire
contractor who made the
move last year
MAKING the decision to upgrade from a trailed to self-propelled forage harvester can be a soul-searching exercise.
But it is one which contractors JC & EM Sherwin, based near Tarvin, Cheshire, made last year when an increase in workload prompted them to make the change. Forage harvesting workload increased from 607-1012ha (1500-2400 acres).
The company realised that their existing New Holland 8630 tractor and trailed Claas Jaguar J75 outfit would not have the capacity to handle this increased acreage.
"The trailed forager was only capable of harvesting 700 acres during first cut silage – a period which extends from early May to June," says contractor partner John Sherwin. "We needed the machine to harvest an extra 500 acres and this was going to be impossible in the time available if quality first cut silage was to be produced."
So why not invest in a higher capacity trailed forage harvester?
Mr Sherwin considered his J75, with its 2.2m pickup, was one of the highest capacity trailed machines available on the market and few, if any, could handle the extra workload. There was also the question of replacing the 8630 tractor with a new model to power the forager.
"We did our sums and found that the retail price of a new trailed forage harvester and tractor was £14,000 more than the cost of a five-year-old self-propelled forage harvester in good condition with 3000 hours on the clock," explains Mr Sherwin.
"At about £35,000 after discount, the cost of a new tractor was the heaviest burden. Opting for the lower cost self-propelled harvester with higher output seemed a logical decision."
Supplied by a south Midlands dealer, the used self-propelled machine came in the form of a Claas Jaguar 695, which, according to Mr Sherwin, had been thoroughly serviced after its one previous operator had sold it.
The trailed forager was traded in for £5000, reducing the cost of the Jaguar down to £35,000 which will be paid for over three years – equating to £4.50/acre.
Running costs/acre for the self-propelled machine, reckons Mr Sherwin, work out to be about £1.50 for general servicing, £1 depreciation, 30p insurance and £1.22 for fuel. This equates to £4.02/acre total running costs with the payment plan and labour added on top.
Costs/acre for the trailed forage harvester were about £1 for general servicing, £2.50 depreciation, 15p insurance and £1.37 for fuel.
Mr Sherwin points out that despite the Jaguar having a 345hp engine, fuel consumption/acre was actually lower than for the trailed combination.
In operation, the Jaguar uses a 3m pickup to collect three swaths produced from a 3.15m Taarup mower, as opposed to the trailed forager, which collected two rows from the mower with autoswather.
"The mower is capable of cutting up to 90 acres/day in second cut silage and the trailed forager could only match half these workrates," he says. "The self-propelled almost manages to keep up with the mower, with workrates up to 80acres/day in second cut silage."
Recent years have seen Mr Sherwins customers demanding a longer chop length, with the cut crop left either 12 or 24hrs to improve dry matter yields.
"With the trailed forager, we nearly always chopped the crop to an 18mm length with its eight knife cutting cylinder. But when a longer crop length was required we started to struggle. The alternative was to fit the machine with a four knife cylinder but this would have involved a lot of extra time in the field," he says.
"The 695 can be set to produce eight chop lengths from 4mm to 17mm. *
Running costs/£acre
Self- Tractor
Prop trailed
Servicing 1.50 1.00
Depreciation 1.00 2.50
Insurance 0.30 0.15
Fuel 1.22 1.37
Total 4.02 5.02
John Sherwin with his five-year-old Claas 695 Jaguar which was purchased last year with 3000hrs on the clock from a south Midlands dealer.
Extra harvesting output…..The used Jaguar forage harvester replaced a trailed J75 model last year to deal with an extra workload which increased from 607ha to 1012ha (1500 to 2400acres) a season.