Machinery top stories

TECHNOLOGY

Moving solar panels capture energy over growing crops

A novel approach to capturing solar power saves farmers having to choose between dedicating a field to energy or crop production. Developed in The Netherlands by industrial designer Marcel Vroom…

CULTIVATION AND DRILLING

Four-wheel FarmDroid allows for crop bed seeding and weeding

The ability to seed and weed crops grown in beds is a key driver for the development of a four-wheel version of the usually three-wheel FarmDroid autonomous tool-carrier. It gains…

MACHINERY

Solix unveils robot sprayer that identifies weeds and pests

A new spraying robot capable of identifying weeds, pests, disease and nutrient deficiencies is now available to North American farmers. The Solix Sprayer is the brainchild of a small team…

MACHINERY

Farmers share kit ideas for sowing SFI seed mixes cheaply

Getting the right kit for establishing SFI and Countryside Stewardship seed mixes needn’t cost a fortune. James Andrews takes a look at some nifty home-spun setups. See also: Low-input cropping plan…

TELEHANDLERS

Weidemann extends telehandler range with 9m-reach T9535

Having focused for many years on articulated loaders – plus a couple of ultra-compact four-wheel-steer models along the way – Weidemann is now growing its full-size telehandler portfolio. The latest…

contractors combining

NAAC contractor price guide 2024-25

See the latest NAAC latest survey of contracting prices.

TELEHANDLERS

Dieci adds big, 153hp T80 to pivot-steer telehandler range

Dieci’s bend-in-the-middle Agri Pivot range has been bolstered with the introduction of a new flagship model, the T80. Power is the headline improvement, with the switch to a 4.5-litre FPT…

GRASSLAND AND MAIZE EQUIPMENT

Devon firm develops simple tine-and-harrow grass rejuvenator

Tractek Engineering has launched a new 2m-wide grassland rejuvenation tool that combines spring-loaded scarifying tines with a traditional chain harrow mat. The nattily named Scarrow is the first implement produced…

MAIZE DRILLS

Amazone slims down Precea precision seeder with 6m model

Amazone has further expanded its Precea trailed precision seeder range with a 6m, eight-row version to suit contractors and growers who do not need the big capacity of the current…

CEREAL DRILLS

Pottinger Vitasem seed drills gain bigger hoppers

Larger hoppers and easier calibration are among updates to Pottinger’s piggy-back Vitasem seed drills. Designed to mount on a tine or disc cultivator, or a power harrow such as the…

CEREAL DRILLS

Pottinger Vitasem seed drills gain bigger hoppers

Larger hoppers and easier calibration are among updates to Pottinger’s piggy-back Vitasem seed drills. Designed to mount on a tine or disc cultivator, or a power harrow such as the…

CONTRACTOR COMMENT

Contractor Comment: Infuriating weather sees new kit idle

Third in this year's Contractor Comment hotseat is James Townley, who runs JD Townley & Son with his father Roy. See also: Contractor Comment: Interest rates a threat for Cropmech About…

TELEHANDLERS

Grower helps develop Teli-squeeze grab for veg boxes

A purpose-built box grab has enabled a large-scale pumpkin grower to save time, improve safety, and reduce the number of tractors needed when moving wooden crates. Warwickshire-based outfit DJ Beards…

401+HP

First impressions: Valtra's revamped 420hp S416 gets new cab

Valtra’s big S-series has finally been given some Finnish affection, having been left as little more than a masquerading Massey for nigh on two decades. As well as acquiring a…

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WHATS IN YOUR SHED

What's in Your Shed? Dorset contractor Will Box reveals all

This time What's in your Shed heads over to Dorset to visit contractor Will Box. We hear how he built up his business and customer base and why hiring in…

WHATS IN YOUR SHED

What's in Your Shed? visits a Yorkshire arable farm

Lifting the lid on their machinery shed high and lows are Yorkshire arable farmers Michael and Will Scholey. See also: How to adapt cut-price cultivators for low-disturbance system How brand loyal…

WHATS IN YOUR SHED

What's in Your Shed? visits FW 2023 Contractor of the Year

Kevin Heywood, Farmers Weekly’s 2023 Contractor of the Year, reveals the best and worst decisions he’s made in assembling a distinctly green machinery fleet.  We head over to Cornwall to…

WHATS IN YOUR SHED

What's in Your Shed? visits a Cornish livestock farmer

Martin Harris, a 24-year-old Cornish livestock farmer, fencing contractor and sheep shearer, is the latest to open his shed doors. How did you get started? I went to Duchy College…

WHATS IN YOUR SHED

What's in Your Shed? visits an Oxfordshire contractor

The search for a neater high-horsepower tractor prompted Oxfordshire farmer and contractor John Walker to make the switch from John Deere to Fendt. We head over to Oxfordshire to find…

WHATS IN YOUR SHED

What's in Your Shed? Used kit key for Hampshire arable farm

‘Buy used kit and maintain it well’ is the machinery fleet principle applied by Hampshire farmers Bob Ives and his son, Dan. Diversification is also important to the business and…

contractors combining

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4X4S

On test: Bog-basic Isuzu D-Max Utility isn't cheap enough

If you’re the type of penny-pincher to wear hole-ridden pants, conjure two brews from a single teabag, and keep your house thermostat sub-double digits then, as new vehicles go, Isuzu’s…

401+HP

First impressions: Valtra's revamped 420hp S416 gets new cab

Valtra’s big S-series has finally been given some Finnish affection, having been left as little more than a masquerading Massey for nigh on two decades. As well as acquiring a…

4X4S

On test: Nissan X-Trail gets new practical hybrid powertrain

Worried that a fully electric car could leave them conked out miles from a charger, thousands of buyers have played it safe and bought a hybrid instead. A sensible move…

TRACTORS

Driver's view: Why Norfolk grower runs trio of Deutz 7250s

Deutz-Fahr tractors are now the go-to prime movers for Norfolk-based potato grower Ian Mason Farms, primarily because of their keen up-front costs and driver-friendly controls. The business runs four of…

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TRACTORS

Driver's view: Why Norfolk grower runs trio of Deutz 7250s

Deutz-Fahr tractors are now the go-to prime movers for Norfolk-based potato grower Ian Mason Farms, primarily because of their keen up-front costs and driver-friendly controls. The business runs four of…

201-300HP

Driver's view: Leics farm rates McCormick's 240hp X7.624

Shifting fewer than 100 tractors a year at the last count makes McCormick one of the lowest volume tractor brands selling in the UK. But what the Italian marque lacks…

TRACTORS

Driver’s view: McCormick X6.413 P6-Drive

Fitted with a 4.5-litre FPT engine and an in-house six-speed semi-powershift transmission, the X6.4 is McCormick’s premium offering in the four-cylinder sector. This means buyers have access to a host…

TRACTORS

Driver's view: Case IH Maxxum 125 ActiveDrive 4

A recent reordering of Case IH’s smaller tractor ranges has resulted in a slimming down of the popular Maxxum series to a trio of models. But with three transmission options…

Contractor Comment

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CONTRACTOR COMMENT

Contractor Comment: Infuriating weather sees new kit idle

Third in this year's Contractor Comment hotseat is James Townley, who runs JD Townley & Son with his father Roy. See also: Contractor Comment: Interest rates a threat for Cropmech About…

CONTRACTOR COMMENT

Contractor Comment: Interest rates a threat for Cropmech

For this year’s Contractor Comment it’s all change, as we visit a fresh batch of four contracting firms located in different regions of the UK. Second up is our new…

CONTRACTOR COMMENT

Contractor Comment: Beet lifting headaches in the Borders

Our second season of Contractor Comment kicks off with the first of four new contributors – Daniel Freeland-Cook of Yetholm in the Scottish Borders. See also: High kit prices and…

CONTRACTOR COMMENT

High kit prices and falling profits pinch contractor margins

The rains and winds of Atlantic depressions Isha and Jocelyn may have wreaked short-term havoc, but two metaphorical storms are causing South Lanarkshire contractor Jim Watt greater angst. Squeezed on…

Video

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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…

TECHNOLOGY

Video: Retrofit Mojow tractor kit automates arable fieldwork

Mojow may have found the holy grail of fieldwork autonomy by devising a means of controlling tractors of any sensible vintage with state-of-the-art driverless technology. Better still, the Canadian firm’s…