Well-known Leicestershire farmer Steve Heard is selling his fleet of well-maintained machinery, including a custom-made 9m John Deere 750A direct drill, due to a change in his farming practises.

Mr Heard has decided to not go down the conventional route of enlisting the help of an auction house to disperse of his kit, but instead set up a website and will generate interest through social media and word of mouth.

The modern machinery fleet has been well looked after and will stay on the farm until it isn’t needed, which means the combines will complete the upcoming harvest before being shipped to their new homes, as will most of the tractors.

See also: Driver’s View: Steve Heard’s John Deere 750A drill

Drill

Pick of the lots is Mr Heard’s bespoke 9m John Deere 750A drill, which was originally a 2012 US-built drill and imported to the UK in 2014, before being redesigned for European spec.

It features a 2t fertiliser hopper and separate 3.5t seed unit, with a loading auger and folds to a 3m transport width.

© Steve Heard

Deere’s 90 series direct-drill coulters have reduced internal diameter tyres and spoked gauge wheels, with Needham Ag press wheels and star closing wheels. It is available for collection on 1 May 2021 at a price of £49,750.

Tractors

Another custom-build is a John Deere 8370R that has the optional half-track conversion using the H-track design invented by Mr Heard.

A 2013 model with just 4,880 hours on the clock comes GPS ready, features an Autopowr gearbox, and either a set of 710/70R42 rear wheels or the Camsoplast track units for an extra £10,500. The asking price is £85,500.

John Deere 7290R © Steve Heard

Elsewhere in the tractor fleet, there is a 2014 7290R with 4,220 hours up for £75,500; a brace of 6195Rs, both with less than 3,000 hours for £74,500 and £69,500; and a 6190R with 5,650 hours for £54,000.

Combines

The two Claas Lexion combines – one a 2013 750 model and the other an older 2009 570+ – both come with 7.5m tables, hydraulic side knives and JD Greenstar installed.

The older model is up for £68,000 and the newer 750 is £98,000.

Sprayer

The newest machine on offer is a 2018 Agrifac Condor 4 36m self-propelled sprayer, with a 5,000-litre tank and 285hp engine.

© Steve Heard

It is highly specced, with Agrifac’s Strict Spray pulse width modulation technology, boom levelling, LED lights, auto lube, JD 4640 terminal, Techneat slug pelleter and a reversing camera.

It comes with two sets of wheels and is available in mid-July, when it will have about 1,850 hours on the clock.

It is up for £200,000 and the JD GPS can be removed to reduce the price.

All interested buyers can view more pictures and details about these and numerous other items at steveheard.com and get in touch with Mr Heard directly to chat about the lots. All prices quoted are subject to VAT.