A tour of machinery exhibitors at the Royal Highland Show revealed a varied mix of new equipment for arable and livestock farms alike.

See also: Simple and tough Scorgie sprayers clock 12,000ha in Perthshire

GWE compactor trailer

Bespoke trailer manufacturer Graeme Warden Engineering, based at Newtownards, County Down, presented its first compactor unit at the show.

Built in response to a contractor’s commission, the GWE Loadmax-CP-18 has a two-section headboard that carries part of the load for compacting and for the first part of unloading, with each section sliding on nylon wear pads.

Perspex lining for the headboard gives the operator a view into the body, which is available with galvanised greedy boards to maximise capacity with light materials such as forage maize.

Running on 28t tandem axles with parabolic leaf spring suspension, the trailer also boasts a castor-steer rear axle, 560/60 R22.5 BKT Flotation 693M radials, and a coil sprung drawbar.

Numac bale trailer

Cousins James and Johnny Maguire, based in Newry, County Down, have diversified their waste skip, composter and hook lift container manufacturing business Numac into agricultural trailer production.

In addition to building low loaders, dumpers and dropsides, Numac builds flatbed bale trailers with optional hydraulic load-securing sides.

To maintain versatility, the hydraulic arm assemblies that raise and lower the side sheets are bolted in place.

The sheets – preferred over steel frames to avoid any risk of damage from the loader – are formed from PVC and three webbing straps, with tensioning bolts at the rear providing adjustment to keep them taut.

They are currently available in 7.3m and 8.5m bed lengths, with the list price for the larger of the two starting at £20,900.

Marshall Trailers dropsider

Marshall Trailers’ original bolt-on bed extension for dropside trailers has been re-thought – it now slots into the channel steels that form the body frame with just a handful of small bolts holding it in place.

“Farmers have a small dropside trailer for its versatility,” points out Charles Marshall Jnr.

“One day it may be moving soil or gravel, the next day carting bales, and then running alongside a combine with grain sides fitted. We decided to make the extension quicker and easier to put on and take off.”

The extension is now galvanised rather than painted because of the inevitable scratches and scrapes that come with manhandling – preferably with the aid of a forklift – and there are sockets for a bale ladder.

Installing the extension adds just under a metre to the bed of a 5t or 6.5t Marshall dropside and 1.2m for the 8.5t and 10t models, for £489 and £760, respectively.

SpreadPoint lime and fertiliser spreader

A PTG tyre pressure management system is one of the latest options for SpreadPoint’s lime and fertiliser spreader, whether single- or tandem-axle.

The manufacturer reckons making the PressPoint system easily adjustable through the spreader’s isobus display may encourage operators to reduce tyre pressure progressively as the weight comes off when spreading, before reverting to the fully-loaded optimum while taking another load on board.

Export sales manager Niall Tiernan explained: “Anything that reduces rolling resistance and makes the spreader easier to tow in the field will cut fuel consumption while minimising its impact on the soil.”

The SP-900 on display at the show also had the company’s new SX-A 12m stainless-steel auger spreading system installed.

With working speeds up to 16kph, the spreader operates with a dynamic weigh-cell rate control designed to deliver uniform application across the full width.

“It also generates much less airborne dust than spinner spreading – an important consideration with materials such as gypsum, Fibrophos and fine-grained lime – and you want the lime you’ve paid for on your own field,” said Niall.

The full-spec tandem spreader at the show lists at about £115,000.

Nugent Prime 3000 crush

Although best-known for its aluminium road trailers, Nugent still produces agricultural implements and stock handling equipment.

The Prime 3000 crush is the highest-spec of a new range of three models that replace the CattleTech series.

It features nylon pins to secure opening panels with less rattle, which makes for a quieter experience for both farmer and beast, and quieter, grippier and generally more comfortable rubber matting has replaced the chequer plate flooring previously used.

Product manager Cathal Kelly also highlighted the optional vet cage at the rear, which has a split internal gate so that the lower section can remain in place to guard against the operator getting a kick on the shin.

A vertical drop bar at the front gives neck access for TB testing and the like.

Slam-shut side panels, meanwhile, make life easier for the operator as they avoid having to precisely align a pin and hole.

Complete with the vet cage and optional head scoop, the Prime 3000 is priced at £5,200.

Dalbo roller and stubble cultivator

Dalbo is catering for specific UK implement requests with a heavier-duty configurable roller and a “stripped down” Trimax stubble cultivator.

The trailed Multiroll Twin 630 and 830 are equipped with two rows of interlocking cast rings and are designed to operate on ploughed land to produce a nice level finish in place of operating a press with the plough.

The 60mm diameter Cross Combi rings have a chamfered serrated profile to firm the seedbed while breaking down clods, and for further soil-working action a row of adjustable paddle tines can be fitted in front.

Together with the heavier frame of the Twin, that takes the implement’s weight to 880kg/m.

Alternatively, three rows of 16mm flexible tines can be the leading module for grassland maintenance.

With the soil/stubble mixing discs removed and a 50cm diameter cage roller fitted at the back, Dalbo’s 3m Trimax becomes a potato grower’s tool for ripping soils post-harvest and for spring preparation at depths from 5-30cm.

The P version, with hydraulic leg protection, 900mm of underbeam clearance and tines arranged in three rows for plenty of clearance, is available with 50mm, 60mm or 80mm chisel points or winged shares.

Chapman Machinery strimmer

A heavy-duty trailed strimmer configured to work around posts and small trees is the latest addition to a growing range of trailers and implements for ATVs and compact tractors from Chapman Machinery.

John Starkey of the Holsworthy-based firm reckons it can do in an hour what a handheld strimmer would handle in a day.

There are two strimming heads, both equipped with quick-release nylon blades.

These rotate around a post for a 360-deg trim before the mounting arm, complete with engine, pivots back to allow the heads to move on without having to back up.

A 13hp Honda GXV motor is reckoned to provide more than enough power for the task, and there are both cutting height and drawbar offset adjustments on the TS600, which is priced £3,550.

Alpego Inversa power tiller

Alpego equipment was presented on the Opico stand for the first time, including the new Inversa power tiller engineered for very stony ground.

The upward cutting blades propel soil over the rotor to two rows of spring-loaded screening tines.

Together with a levelling bar, these ensure that stones, clods and crop residue fall back first, to then be covered by loose, friable soil ready for seeding.

Central drive evens out torque and four bearings give the rotor lots of support while also eliminating much in the way of hardware beyond the working width.

There are 2.5m and 3m Inversa IG versions for 90-170hp tractors, 3-4m IZ models for 140-280hp tractors, and Poker folding variants from 3.6m to 5m capable of handling up to 260hp.

The 3m Inversa IZ-300 on display at the show is priced at £23,061, with the 400-litre Stocks Ag Turbo Jet 8 Jackal and spreading kit taking that to £29,148.

DC Services cage dipper

Kilmarnock-based DC Services normally builds purpose-built and lift-off tub-type sheep dips but was recently commissioned to construct this truck-mounted bespoke cage dipper.

Handling groups of 10 or 12 sheep at a time, it incorporates fresh water and used-chemical storage tanks, separate petrol engine power packs for the pumps and hydraulics, and remote control of the various functions.

Sheep climb the intake ramp, step into a cage with clear sight lines ahead, and are lowered into the dip tank for fully submerged treatment to combat scab.

They exit into a drying area, where excess dip drains back into the tank, before being released via left- or right-side exit ramps.

In case of hydraulic failure, the winch that pulls up the folding entry ramp can be quickly attached to the cage pulley and cable system to hoist the sheep out.

Hydraulic stabilising legs front and rear keep the rig stable in operation.