LELY 900MC TRIPLE MOWER

Though triple mowers have been popular for some years, the increasing availability of big tractors with beefy front linkages means they’re increasingly coming into their own. Lely’s latest triple is the 900MC, which uses three 3.2m mowers to give a 9m overall cut.

Lely points out that its system doesn’t need masses of tractor power anyway – 170hp should be enough.

The main changes compared to the previous model are that bed pressure is set by a hydraulic accumulator, rather than a spring. Also, both front and rear mowers can be sideshifted – useful if cutting across banks or round corners.

It’s on sale now at £31,350.

MARSHALL MUCKSPREADER

Lackham College in Wiltshire was at Grassland with its new Marshall Vesuvius Vantage muckspreader. The college farms 1,500 acres and this one joins its existing four-machine fleet of spreaders.

Though not new, the Vesuvius is unusual in using a rear-facing, ram-powered pusher rather than the usual chain floor to move muck from the front to the rear. The main advantage is simplicity and a lack of chains to wear out. The four-stage ram is chrome-plated to prevent corrosion and has a clever system that ensures the ram moves at the same speed as it goes from section to section.

McCORMICK X70

Grassland provided the launch-pad for McCormick’s latest range of 150hp to 214hp tractors. Now dubbed as the X70 series, five new models replace outgoing TTX and XTX machines.
Other than a new name-tag, the key difference is in the engine department. Although a 6.7-litre Fiat-Iveco is still employed, it is now an AdBlue-equipped unit, which is promised to be “leaner and greener”. Performance is also improved, with greater max power and torque figures than the previous models.

Things have changed up in the cab too. Gone are the roof-mounted heater/blower controls, improving headroom and allowing a roof window to be fitted. With the air-con switchgear moved to the rear cab pillar, it’s a final move away from the Case MX products these bigger McCormicks are descended from.

On the transmission front things remain the same as before, with a choice of either a four-range mechanical box with eight powershift steps or the top-spec version with powered range changes allowing clutchless shifting through all the ratios. Both provide 32 forward speeds and 24 in reverse.

Set to become available from July, the new tractors are expected to be £5,500-£6,000 more expensive than their predecessors. Most of that extra cost is put down to the extra jiggery-pokery required to make the engine comply with the latest emissions rules.

ROLLAND HYDRAULIC DRAWBAR

Putting a hydraulic drawbar on your trailer provides a lot of benefits for not much financial outlay, points out Rolland Trailers’ Alex Clothier. For a start, the two rams, plus accumulators involved mean you can raise the trailer drawbar to suit a tractor with a high hook. Also, when silaging, you can lower the front of the trailer to be able to see into it better. And there’s a weight transfer benefit too – if you’re in a wet field and want to get more traction, just raise the trailer drawbar and more weight will go on the tractor’s drawbar. Cost of the kit, fitted here to a Rolland Rollspeed, is £1,250.

RICHARD WESTERN VACUUM TANKER

While most farmers and contractors now appreciate the importance of having decent brakes, some are still inclined to under-spec wheel and brake equipment on slurry tankers, especially when a dribble bar or trailing show applicator is fitted to the back.

But there’s no lack of suitable kit out there. Suffolk firm Richard Western, for instance, was showing its new STC vacuum tankers. These have been built specifically to handle slurry application equipment, says the firm’s Mike Murray.

So the chunky chassis goes right to the back of the tanker and there’s an optional hydraulic sliding axle to keep the machine balanced

WOODFIELD MINI WRAPPERS

Importer and baler spares specialist Woodfield had two interesting products on show.

One was this baler/wrapper from Agronic. Built in Finland, the MidiVario 85-100 compact machine is aimed at the equine market and for use on hilly land.

With just 25-litres/minute oil flow and 60hp needed, it’s ideal for hooking on to the back of an MF 135. It has a seven-knife chopping and 1.5m pick-up, and will kick out as many as 60 bales an hour.

Producing bales 85cm-1m in diameter, density can be adjusted by a hydraulic chamber lock. The Agronic baler/wrapper was first introduced to the UK market earlier this year and costs £60,000.

Also on the Woodfield stand was the Swiss-built Tawi wrapper. New for this year is the Tawi 250 version, which comes complete with a three-bale accumulator. It costs £31,500.

POTTINGER HIT 10.11 T TEDDER

Pottinger has added to its tedder range with the new HIT 10.11 T. The 10-rotor machine spans 10.6m and has been designed for contractors and large farmers working in shortening harvest windows.

The company says the trailed tedder can be run on a smaller tractor than most. That’s because the chassis wheels run on the ground all the time, so there’s no extra weight on the tractor. It also makes transport and headland turns easier, Pottinger says.

A feature of the new tedder is its “Liftmatic” lift system. It is said to prevent the tines picking up any soil and improve ground clearance on headland turns and is controlled on one hydraulic service.

The machine costs £22,150.

KRONE BELLIMA F130

Here is Krone’s new low-cost Bellima round baler. Based on the KR 125/130, it gets a chain-and-slat elevator and camless 1.8m-wide EasyFlow pick-up.

Bales are 1.2m and it takes 34hp to run. Pick-up height is set either on the gauge wheels or through a pin-and-hole system on the front.

The company says fewer and shorter drive chains make it a good, low-maintenance, long-life option. It costs £24,000.

NEW HOLLAND T5

Grassland UK also marked the first UK appearance of New Holland’s T5 tractors, which replace the T5000 series models. There are three models in the range, with max powers of 95, 105 and 115hp, and all have Tier 4 and AdBlue emissions reduction technology.

Transmission choices stay the same as before, with 12×12 and 20×20 power shuttles as well as a 24 x 24 with a splitter. The main change is the arrival of an all-new Vision cab, which is said to be specifically designed to suit loader work. NH reckons a typical customer price for the 115hp model is about £36,000