Bespoke engine remapping increases tractor work efficiency

Farmer and contractor Sandra Hamilton chose a professional remapping service from Avon Tuning HD to increase the reliability and performance from her two frontline John Deere tractors, with the upgrades increasing work efficiencies allowing jobs to be completed quicker.

Sandra comments: “We only run two tractors, so these machines must be reliable, and I can’t afford extended periods of downtime. Wheels need to be turning every day for us to make money. Tractors are expensive so we had to be sure what we were doing was safe and going to solve the reliability problems we’d been having.”

Sandra runs Palacehill Farm in the Scottish Borders, where weather windows can be few and far between, so having dependable tractors to complete jobs in a timely manner is essential.

Sandra Hamilton © Avon Tuning HD

The 140ha arable farm also includes a herd of 80 suckler cows, along with bed and breakfast pigs, and an arable and grassland contracting operation across some 800ha.

The farm has operated John Deere machines since the 1980s and has two main tractors, a 2017 JD 6215R and 2017 JD 6155R.

However, problems began to surface on her John Deere 6215R in 2020 with some well-known reliability issues.

John Deere 6215R © Avon Tuning HD

After contacting Alan Blakie at A & A Services based at Earlston, he advised that an ECU remap would fix the problems and offer a safe performance increase within the capability of the engine.

A & A Services is part of a registered authorised agent network for Avon Tuning HD, a leading agricultural engine remapping company.

It writes and supplies bespoke ECU maps from its base in Bristol for tractors requiring reliable and safe power and torque increases along with solving reliability issues.

Watch the video below to hear from Sandra directly.

Performance increase

Along with improving the reliability, the performance increase has significantly improved work efficiencies and allowed tasks to be completed quicker before the weather turns.

The most noticeable differences have been on heavy cultivations and drilling works.

Sandra continues: “When the remap was first added to the 6215R, our main operator Ross Turnball asked me for another furrow on the plough, as the extra power had made such a difference to the way the tractor operated with the same implement. There was more power for pulling up the hills, which is a large part of the terrain we cover here.”

It was a similar story when drilling as the remap allows the 3m Horsch Express 3 KR combination drill to be pulled around 2kph quicker than beforehand.

It is combined with a HE-VA front press, that was regularly lifted out of work when going up the hills before the remap to conserve power, but the performance upgrade has meant the press is now always working even on the hills.

The power improvements meant a similar bespoke remap was fitted to the 6155R to add extra performance and improve work outputs on daily tasks.

“This tractor also does some winter ploughing and there has been a tangible improvement to the way it holds on going up the hills now,” adds Sandra.

Tractors at Palacehill are bought with standard warranties and there is no set replacement period, although, when they start to reach 7,000 hours and beyond, Sandra keeps a close eye on the reliability of the machines.

Fuel use difference

Sandra says she hasn’t noticed any drastic increase in fuel use and any slight increase that may have occurred has been offset by increased work efficiencies.

“We haven’t noticed an increase in fuel consumption and, if there has been, it certainly isn’t that obvious compared to before the remaps. The increased work rates that allow us to complete jobs quickly and efficiently have certainly been more important to our operation.”

Sandra believes that professionally remapping her tractors allows increased work rates and the completion of jobs in a timelier manner.

She said there will be no hesitation to remap new tractors when her current machines are replaced.