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Recent Dry Spell Sees Some Farmers Secure Early Fodder

Recent Dry Spell Sees Some Farmers Secure Early Fodder

Recent Dry Spell Sees Some Farmers Secure Early Fodder While conditions may have turned colder,…

Major machinery brands commit to exhibiting at FTMTA show

Major machinery brands commit to exhibiting at FTMTA show

Major machinery brands commit to exhibiting at FTMTA show Most of the major tractor manufacturers…

Machinery manufacturers, especially the larger ones, are highly adept at filling journalists inboxes with press releases promising all sorts of heavenly benefits through the adoption of their particular technology. Over the last few years, the emphasis has centred mainly on the role of digitalisation and what it can bring to the noble objective of increasing the efficiency of field operations. Farmers joy? The impression given is one of farmers dancing in delight as each new feature of some fiendishly complicated combination of software and hard steel is laid out before them. Tractor big fields Features such as multi-point section control are impressive but require time to set up for maximum effectiveness This is only to be expected; the public face of manufacturing is usually presented by professional marketing departments after all, but it does tend to conceal an alternative and much more realistic scenario. That scenario is one where the multitude of functions that enable an infinite number of possibilities are, in the greater part, simply ignored. Again, there is no surprise here. Farmers are horrendously busy folk with their time already full of day-to-day farming matters and longer term plans. Time – a limited resource Where is there room in this schedule to sit down for hours with an instruction manual or gaze intently at Youtube videos? There isn’t, so most will scrape by with the minimum that is needed to gain some benefit from a digital whatnot. Tractor cabs can appear bewilderingly complex to the uninitiated And it is not confined to the farmers themselves. I have come across company representatives who are selling the machines, being as perplexed as anyone else when a ‘thingumajig’ fails to respond as required. One can only feel sorry for them in their predicament. Of course the software engineers who dreamed up all the screens and functions and features and displays and anything else that goes bing in the night, will find it hard to comprehend this lack of connection between their baby and operators in the field. Technology bound farming Software engineers are also of the impression that everyone wants to be like them. Why else would we constantly read about the desire of farmers to become remote managers of machinery, sitting at a desk juggling data and job tasks, sending instructions to machines miles away rather than sitting on them and farming through the seat of their pants? Most farmers I know are in it because they enjoy life outdoors, watching the seasons pass and so on. Being huddled over a screen all day with little or no interaction with their stock or land is far from a desirable lifestyle choice. Technology farmers lifestyle Not all digital technology confines farmers to the office Putting such superficiality aside, there is little doubt that the embracing of digital systems is not going to be the great tsunami of immediate adoption that is foretold by those wishing to sell the idea. The fact also remains that there is a huge benefit to be had from bringing information technology to the growing of our food and energy crops, but the rate of aplication will not be rapid, nor even, across the agricultural sector. Growth patterns in technology In trying to understand the adoption of new technology on a historical basis, economists sometimes refer to the yeast and mushroom model of technology spread. What is termed the mushroom growth pattern is one where new methods are suddenly adopted overnight and the results are immediately apparent to all, just as mushrooms suddenly appear on a lawn in the autumn. The alternative scenario is often referred to as a yeast growth pattern. It is one in which growth occurs slowly and equally across an industry with no random surges, but it is definitely present and widespread, if largely unseen. future yeast growth Digital technology needs to be flexible and adaptable to accommodate future developments Farmers are generally conservative businessmen and so the pattern within agriculture more readily assumes the yeast model. Yet they are constantly urged to adopt a mushroom like growth, immediately taking on board techniques that could well take years to prove their benefit. No easy answers The dynamics of technology change are never simple, this has always been the case. It took decades for the steam engine to replace the water wheel and some industries skipped that stage altogether and switched straight to electricity provided by another business entirely. There is no clear path to a future utopia, and even if reached, that state of paradise will soon change as other delights are offered by entrepreneurs believing that it can still be improved upon. Down at farm level, this translates to farmers being offered a never ceasing menu of different ideas and ‘solutions’ to problems they were never aware they suffered. Trading in the horse The machinery trade is often happy to quote Henry Ford when he noted that “if I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses”. A fair comment in many ways and there is certainly the notion that customers need to be shown what is possible and have it demonstrated to them. Digital farm technology faster Demonstrating the capabilities of digital technology is vitally important if its adoption is to be accelerated One of the major problems being with this nowadays, is that the choice goes far beyond that of deciding between a waterwheel and steam engine or wait until the grid comes along. It’s not that the advances are unwelcome, more that the choice is overwhelmingly complex and new technologies are being pushed by manufacturers rather than growing organically through demand. Big fields and big technology Recently, Scott Wine, the CEO of Case New Holland declared, with reference to machine automation that “this game in ag is really about productivity and yield”. There are few who could argue with the sentiment but the vision that he may have of autonomous machinery prowling the prairies is somewhat at odds with the universal family farm, as we have come to understand this somewhat confected ideal. Farm technology GPS GPS is the link between machine operation and farm management John Deere is very much in the same frame of mind while more European and eastern orientated manufacturers are starting to appreciate the chasm that is growing between that vision and the present state of play on smaller farms. Kubota, for instance, is buying into both smaller technology based companies with expertise in specific areas, and manufacturers of basic tractors in the shape of Escorts of India. Small fields and organic growth Meanwhile, AGCO has come down a gear with its creation of Smart Ag, which is more a shift in philosophy than it is a separate company division. The first fruit of this development is being trialled now in the form of Geo-Bird, a mapping app that allows the planning of field operations at all levels of involvement with digital technology. It is immediately useful to all farmers with no investment required, and AGCO appears to be keeping the concept small and lively, and so better able to respond to the demand from growers rather than impose a corporate ideal upon its customers. Whichever approach wins out, mega scale autonomy or localised digital auxiliary services, the farmer will be asked to choose from a vast and complicated array of options, and that in itself will slow the adoption of new techniques.

Mushrooms and fast horses the growing technology gap

Mushrooms and fast horses the growing technology gap Machinery manufacturers, especially the larger ones, are…

The story of Steyr goes all the way back to 1865 with the establishment of a gun factory near Steyr in Austria, a town famed for metallurgy and gunsmiths, which had grown prosperous suppling arms to the Hapsburg empire. By the outbreak of World War I, it was employing 15,000 people making 4,000 rifles a day alongside bicycles and aero engines. Cars, trucks and the Fiat connection After the war it was prohibited from manufacturing arms, so it turned to trucks and cars instead. There is also a suggestion that it produced motor ploughs, and a Fordson under licence, during this period, although it is difficult to verify this claim. The road vehicles were built under licence from Fiat and established a connection with the Italian company that was to blossom once again after the next war. However, the company kept the rifle target motif as its logo until 2007 when it became the much simplified crescent shape that it is today. Another new start Once again, finding itself unable to produce arms after the second major conflict, the company turned to vehicles and rekindled its relationship with Fiat. It also started making tractors of its own design. Its first model was the the 180, produced in 1947. This was a 26hp two-cylinder model that was, at first, fitted with surplus aircraft tyres, such was the shortage of rubber. This proved to be too big for many potential customers so the company in turn brought out the single-cylinder Steyr 80 of just 13hp (later increased to 15) which went on to enjoy great success. Such was the popularity of this tractor that it spawned several other models based around multiples of this single-cylinder format in the manner of the Porsche System tractors of almost a decade later. Home market assured At the time, Austria was keen to protect the growth of its reborn industry and so the government placed heavy duties on imported machines and only granted loans to farmers for tractors that had been made in the country. This naturally led to a shortage of machines and it is said that customers with a knapsack full of ready cash arriving at the factory gate stood a far better chance of taking one home than those who patiently waited for an order to be fulfilled through the official channels. In 1960 a new series of tractors was introduced based around a cylinder displacement of 1.1L. Steyr 188 tractor Austria The Steyr 188 was the first of the new generation of steyrs and was introduced in 1960 The first of these machines, the 188, had two of these under its bonnet providing 28hp. They were low slung tractors designed to operate on steep alpine slopes. The company continued to grow and in 1966 it adopted the distinctive red and white colours which replaced the original green. Eight years later, tractor assembly and sales moved from the town of Steyr to St. Valentin, where it remains today. Steyr partnerships The company did not just produce tractors under its own name, it also became involved with Marshals towards the end of that company’s life. In 1986 the company commenced work with Valmet in a bid to develop and build a new mid-range tractor with the companies splitting the work of developing a new engine and cab between them. Unfortunately Steyr’s bank pulled the plug on the project by selling its shares to Deutsche Bank, which wanted to merge the company with Deutz. This was anathema to the Valmet engineers who were intent on keeping the engine liquid cooled. Steyr Valtra engine The Valtra 905 was the first fruit of the cooperation between Steyr and Valtra The engine which was developed before Deutsch Bank become involved worked well, as did the transmission, which continued to be used by both companies long after the split. Case absorbs Steyr In 1996, Case Corporation, then the parent of Case IH, purchased the Steyr agricultural division, eventually leading to the two companies finding themselves residing in opposing camps. Today, the factory finds itself working under the umbrella of CNH industrial and produces tractors for the three marques, Case, New Holland and Steyr. Presently they are not officially imported into Ireland, however, there are one or two dealers who do sell and support them on their own initiative. Parts commonality with the blue and the red brands ensures that they may be happily serviced here.

Steyr to celebrate 75 years in 2022

Steyr to celebrate 75 years in 2022 The story of Steyr goes all the way…

Trelleborg Backs out of Tyre Production

Trelleborg Backs out of Tyre Production

Trelleborg Backs out of Tyre Production Trelleborg, a company synonymous with specialist agricultural tyres as…

Fans of the popular red marque will be making their way to Skipton in Yorkshire in May for the sale over 40 Massey Ferguson tractors. The tractors going under the hammer belong to Alan Bancroft, a well-known collector of Massey Fergusons, who is known for only buying at the top end of the market. An era of classic tractors The collection spans the decades of the company’s heights of production in Banner Lane and tracks the gradual increase in sophistication over the last part of the 20th century. Massey ferguson 390 Banner Lane A non turbo-charged 390 comes off the production line at Banner lane Sadly, for many Massey fans, it also marks the end of tractor production in Coventry as the Beauvais factory was given the task of manufacturing a smaller volume of machines that, individually, had a higher value. Featured machines Notable machines at the sale include a 1982 Massey Ferguson 1250, which has an estimate of £40,000 (approx. €48,000). The MF 1250 was an upgraded version of the 1200, the first centre pivot machine to be designed for the UK market. It was built from 1979 until 1983 and was withdrawn as conventional tractors started to match its power output of 112hp. MF 1250 cheffins The Massey Ferguson 1250 was an impressive tractor but lack of development saw it withdrawn from sale in 1982 (Stock photo) Also highlighted by Cheffins is a 1975 Massey Ferguson 148, estimated to sell around £8,000 (approx. (€9,500). The 148 was a popular model of 49hp which sold alongside the slightly smaller 45hp 135 between 1972 and 1976. MF 148 Cheffins fans skipton The 148 was one of the many 100 series models that developed a loyal following within farming (Stock photo) A 1995 Massey Ferguson 390T of 95hp is offered with an estimate of £18,000 (approx €21,600). The 300 series represents the last hurrah of fully mechanical machines and were sold as lower spec alternatives to the the 3000 series which featured various electronic controls. Half a million sale value Oliver Godfrey, head of machinery sales at Cheffins comments: “Alan Bancroft is a well-regarded collector of Massey Ferguson classic and vintage tractors, with an eye for real quality. He is a long-term client of Cheffins and has bought many of these tractors at our sales over the years. This collection could easily achieve over £500,000 in total.” He adds that there is a good selection of 100, 300, 500 and 600 series Massey Fergusons as well as some superb Ferguson and Massey Ferguson implements on offer, at what he believes to be the biggest Massey Ferguson sale in decades. The sale takes place on May 7, 2022, both on site and online.

Auction Treat for Massey Ferguson Fans

Auction Treat for Massey Ferguson Fans Fans of the popular red marque will be making…

High Work Rate From Kuhn’s 12m Cultivator

High Work Rate From Kuhn’s 12m Cultivator

High Work Rate From Kuhn’s 12m Cultivator If a high work rate from a 600hp…

FRUIT LOGISTICA 2022 Participants Benefit from Comprehensive Corona Relaxations

FRUIT LOGISTICA 2022 Participants Benefit from Comprehensive Corona Relaxations

FRUIT LOGISTICA 2022 Participants Benefit from Comprehensive Corona Relaxations Exhibitors and trade visitors can now…

Pottinger Extends Range of Terrasem Seed Drills

Pottinger Extends Range of Terrasem Seed Drills

Pottinger Extends Range of Terrasem Seed Drills The well established range of trailed Terrasam seed…

Torion loader range from Claas gains smaller sibling

Torion loader range from Claas gains smaller sibling

Torion loader range from Claas gains smaller sibling Activity at the lower end of the…

Seeding Agriculture 4.0: How Sensors Ensure More Precision in the Field

Seeding Agriculture 4.0: How Sensors Ensure More Precision in the Field

Seeding Agriculture 4.0: How Sensors Ensure More Precision in the Field A farmhouse with a…

Saints are very much in the mind in terms of Ireland’s patron saint, but it is worth remembering another fellow who set out from Britain to Sweden in a similar bid to spread the the word of christianity. His name was Eskil and he set out east 700 years after St. Patrick crossed the water to Ireland. Although known to be born in Britain, his early childhood is something of a mystery. An unhappy ending However, by various ways and means he arrived as a missionary in central Sweden and settled at a village then called Tuna, sometime around 1080, where he set about converting the pagans to christianity. Despite some success in this endeavour, not all the locals were impressed, especially when he interrupted a ritual sacrifice, causing the said pagans to rapidly despatch him with axe and stones. Bridge at Eskilstuna Munktell Sweden The river at Eskilstuna today. The bridge was built in the Munktell works Whether this gruesome ending was a political move initiated by the then King of Sweden is a matter of some uncertainty. What is known is that he was buried near the location of his death some 15 miles from the city that now bears his name, a funeral prompted by the gushing of a fresh spring where his body was laid for a rest during the journey back to Tuna. That small village later adopted his name as a prefix and grew to become the city of Eskilstuna, and it is here that there lies another spiritual home, that of Volvo Construction. Creeping industrialisation in Sweden The area around Eskilstuna was blessed with modest iron core deposits and, along with coke produced from the surrounding forests, ironworks were established using the natural fall of the river to power metal working hammers. From these humble origins a town grew that specialised in forging steel goods, eventually, these included weapons, especially rifles, which were produced there from 1812 onwards in a royal armoury built for the task. Rifle factory Eskilstuna The old rifle factory is now a museum celebrating Eskilstuna’s industrial past The geographical location, far away from the coast and invading armies, was another attractive feature as it would take a long time for invading armies to capture it, during which period it could continue supplying the home side. A second saviour Reliance on water power had the drawback of necessitating many small workshops rather than a central workshop, as factories could only be located where there was a fall in the river and wheel could be installed. Munktell tractor volvo Munktell’s first tractor was the 30-40, of which this fully restored example at the Munktell Museum is the only known survivor Yet, by all accounts, manufacture thrived in the area and it was to this hub of activity that a young and hugely talented engineer by the name of Theofron Munktell was drawn. Munktell had been responsible for upgrading the royal mint in Stockholm and much of the equipment on which it ran during the early part of the 19th century was designed and built under his supervision. Theofron Munktell Eskilstuna, Sweden A statue of Theofron Munktell sits outside the Munktells Museum His first assignment was with the Royal armoury and from there he started his own engineering business, which at first, comprised the manufacture of book printing presses. His company rapidly grew and would go on to encompass mining equipment, threshers, steam engines and even the first railway locomotive made in Sweden, the Forstlingen. The first tractors Tractor production commenced in 1913 with the Munktell 30-40, a large machine modelled on the American prairie ploughing tugs of the time, designed for large estates rather than local farms. Munktell clearing forests and rocks A Munktell 20-24 is seen here clearing boulders from fields. They were first produced in 2017 Further, smaller models followed, as did a marriage of convenience with another engineering company, Bolinder, which was famed for its boat engines. The two companies shared the same bank and it was this institution that brought them together as Bolinder Munktell (BM) and established their base at Eskilstuna. Elsewhere in Sweden The second world war saw a drastic shortage of raw material, especially rubber, hampering the fortunes of a younger Swedish company which had built its business on building cars trucks and buses. Volvo car factory SKF Sweden Volvo car production in the 1920s The company was called Volvo, a name which comes from the Latin of ‘I roll’. This gives a clue as to its parentage and source of capital – the bearing company SKF. The founder of SKF was Sven Wingqvist, inventor of the self aligning ball bearing, a development which had brought him a significant fortune. Although never a subsidiary of SKF, Volvo was initially financed by WingqvistIt himself. It struggled with sales of its first car, built in 1927, but a truck, introduced the following year, was such a success that it allowed the company to later buy up its engine supplier, Pentaverken, to create Volvo Penta. Running out of rubber Throughout the 1930s, the company expanded due to its engine and vehicle manufacture, the latter requiring rubber for their tyres. Unfortunately, other countries had a stronger call on the world’s rubber supplies at the time, necessitating a rethink on what it was possible to produce. Tractors of the time ran on steel wheels and although Volvo had never made a tractor before, it had supplied a six-cylinder engine to BM earlier in the war for its tractor range. Tractors were obviously a vehicle it could continue to produce so in 1943, it started buying transmissions from BM for the first Volvo tractor, the T. Volvo T41 tractor in Sweden Volvo’s first tractor was the T41. It had a Bolinder Munktell transmission and Volvo’s own Hesselmen engine Cooperation between the two companies continued until 1950 when the banks once again stepped in and merged them to form BM Volvo. Although tractor production was concentrated in Eskilstuna, they at first competed on the market as two separate brands, but gradually the operation was streamlined until, in 1973, the tractors were sold only in red under the rearranged name of Volvo BM. Ground speed PTO points to pastures new Forestry, construction and military requirements, as well as agriculture, played a large part in the company’s fortunes and the tractors were engineered with ground speed PTO. Volvo army pto Like its forerunners, this ex army Volvo BM 650 from Sweden has no lift linkage, just a NATO coupling and live PTO This feature enabled them to be coupled to a powered trailer, creating a 6×4 vehicle which met the army’s requirement for rapid transport through the Nordic forests whatever the season. It wasn’t just the army that took advantage of this ability, it also came to prominence in the mid 1960s when Volvo created a four-wheel-drive articulated dump truck from its Boxer 350 skid unit and a trailer bolted directly onto the rear. Volvo trailer boxer 350 Sweden The company’s first articulated dump truck, known as gravel Charlie, was introduced in 1966,. Note the ‘trailer tyres’ at the rear. When joined like this, the two halves became one vehicle and although it was underpowered by today’s standards, sporting just 65hp, it became a great success for the company. This was the birth of Volvo construction and it was just 12 years later that Volvo decided to abandon agricultural machinery altogether and hand over its tractor production to Valmet in Finland, while it concentrated on construction equipment. Nordic tractor valmet volvo The Nordic tractor was a joint development between Volvo and Valmet. Volvo then passed on its tractor business to Valmet This process was completed in 1985 with the last two models built at Eskilstuna being the Volvo BM 2005 and its turbocharged sibling, the Volvo 2105. The works then closed, although the buildings still exist and are used for a variety of purposes, including a community centre. A new dawn for Volvo On reflection it was a wise move, there had been a massive post-war impetus to mechanise the land and within 30 years that had been achieved. Farmers had not only adopted the tractor but had appreciated it could do far more work with a lot less labour, hence tractors got bigger, and so fewer, meaning that volume production declined. Volvos saints Eskilstuna Although Volvo no longer makes tractors, the company still produces timber handling equipment There simply wasn’t the need for the production capacity available within the industry. Volvo managed to get out in time and concentrate on alternative markets, others were not so lucky and many familiar names faded from the scene. St. Eskil is not forgotten in his adopted land, nor is the city’s industrial legacy. The original gun factory is now a museum while the tractor assembly buildings still stand by the river that gave birth to the city. Volvo still has a factory close to Eskilstuna for the production of transmission components, where it continues with research into alternative drive methods. There is also a demonstration and training facility, between the two, the company employs 2,100 people in the city of its birth.

Sweden – a land of saints and Volvos

Sweden – a land of saints and Volvos Saints are very much in the mind…

e-4ORCE Radio-Controlled Car Tackles Drivability Challenge

Krone and Lemken Partner up to Enter Tractor Market

Krone and Lemken Partner up to Enter Tractor Market Without any great fanfare the two…

Turning Out Replacement Heifers

Turning Out Replacement Heifers The weather of late has been somewhat unsettled, making many farmers…

Auction of Clean Machinery at Mullinahone

Auction of Clean Machinery at Mullinahone

Auction of Clean Machinery at Mullinahone A collection of what is described as “exceptionally well…

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