Royal Welsh Grassland 2019 preview: Grass machinery put through its paces

Established in 1936 as a haulage business, and still a key supplier of fuel to home and businesses in the region, JE Lawrence has been a New Holland dealer since 1955, adding the JCB agricultural range to its franchises in 2008.

At the event the company will present the new Series 3 JCB Loadall both on static display and loading bales on the working plots. With models from 6.0 to 9.5m lift height, the Series 3 models offer lift capacity from 3,200 to 4,200kg, up to 200kg more than their predecessors. The Series 3 machines benefit from the new Command Plus cab, which offers 12 per cent more space and cab noise reduced by 50 per cent with a distinctive new look, including a tablet-type console replacing the instrument panel.

JE Lawrence, having represented McHale since 1990, will have the adjacent working plot. The company will show the ProGlide B9000 triple mower, on which butterfly rear mowers now come with a hydraulic width adjustment as an option to improve performance in hilly or undulating conditions.

Pick-ups on F5, V6 and Fusion balers have a number of new features which include larger feed augers, larger diameter rotor, flexible floor and cam-less pick-up option.

The company has developed a full width single endless belt for reduced crop loss on variable chamber balers. Standard on Fusion Vario machines, it is available as an option on V6 variable chamber balers.

For a comprehensive range of ATV’s and Utility Vehicles, visitors should check out Daltons ATV.

The family-owned and run business is based on John Dalton’s farm near Lampeter and is an authorised dealer for Honda, Polaris, Yamaha and Can-Am ATVs.

Two of the latest UTVs on the market will be used as courtesy vehicles at the event; the Can-Am Traxter and Polaris Ranger Diesel.

Powered by a 38hp Rotax engine, the Traxter features a high strength steel chassis, four-mode traction system and torsional trailing a-arm suspension.

Polaris has taken some of the features from its latest petrol models for the new Ranger Diesel, including the chassis, and added a new 24.8hp Kubota diesel engine and CVT transmission with a top speed of 65kph. The redesigned cab and increased storage space are complemented by extra cargo box and towing capacity.

There will be a full range of other ATVs and UTVs on the stand, along with attachments and accessories from Logic and Wessex to get the most out of the quad.

A&M Engineering has been serving the agricultural industry in South and West Wales since 1986. The company will demonstrate a wide range of tractors and equipment from Case IH.

The fixed chamber RB 545 Silage Pack combi wrapper features bale chamber rollers with 10 ribs which Case IH says provides better grip during baling and the baler also has an updated netting system; netting can be swapped for plastic wrap to give a ‘film on film’ package. Also on display will be the RB455 variable chamber round baler.

The Case IH Optum will be used to demonstrate how AccuTurn Pro works with headland management so that the tractor automatically turns and lifts the implement when it passes a headland trigger point. Other tractors will include the Maxxum Active Drive and Puma SWB CVX and Puma LWB.

Case IH’s latest Farmlift telehandlers have increased lift capacities and new transmissions including a six forward/three reverse 40kph box, which is fully automatic through the forward speeds, and can also be operated semi-automatically for smoother road travel.

Arwel’s Agricultural Services is a family-run business based in Harford, Carmarthenshire, and is an agent for McCormick tractors, partnering with Vicon at the show.

Vicon will focus on high capacity machinery, demonstrating the latest Extra 7100+ 732FT triple mower conditioner. The IsoBus-controlled combination features a new frame and suspension design, with individual hydro-pneumatic suspension units used for each rear mower and Quattro Link linkages allowing ground pressure to be adjusted from the cab hydraulically.

The demonstration will progress through spreading with an 11m trailed Fanex tedder, and bringing grass into swaths with 8m twin-rotor and 15m four-rotor Andex rakes, to baling and wrapping the forage ready for storage with Vicon’s non-stop FastBale.

The implements will be operated by tractors in the McCormick range – from the 99hp X5.35 from a new-generation X5 Series to a pair of 205hp X7.690 tractors featuring the new P6-Drive transmission.

McCormick’s new 141hp X7.440 P6-Drive will make its public working debut. The X7.440 is one of a trio of four-cylinder models released this year all available with the new 30x15 P6-Drive transmission which provides six powershift steps in each of five ranges or a VT-Drive stepless transmission.

J.E. Rees is a family run business with over 40 years’ experience that specialises in selling and servicing new and used tractors and agricultural machinery primarily to Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire.

The company will demonstrate Kverneland machinery and Kubota tractors and implements. Introduced in pre-production form last year, Kverneland’s new generation 3.18m cut 3332FT front mower will be demonstrated with the 53100MT as a triple mower. The front mower features the SemiSwing steel tine conditioner which offers dual adjustment of the conditioning effect and ProLink suspension with three-dimensional ground tracking. A front and rear combination, the 3632FN and 3232MBN, will be working, offering a 6m cut and featuring nylon tine conditioning.

The working plot will also feature the 11.2m 85112C trailed tedder and new 95130C Pro four-rotor IsoBus-controlled rake plus the 45cu.m 10045R loader wagon.

At the muck demonstration area, J.E.Rees will present models from Bunning’s popular rear discharge spreader range.

Riverlea will show a range of the latest machinery from Claas including the new 626hp Jaguar 880 forage harvester, only available in the UK/Ireland and the USA, and pitched as a lower specification alternative to the Jaguar 960.

The Claas Axion 870 will be working with a triple mower set up, including the Claas Disco 3200 FC Move, which features a new design of headstock giving up to 600mm of upward and 400mm downward travel for improved contour following.

The new Claas Rollant 540 rotocut baler will be shown on a Claas Arion 500 series. Its redesigned bale chamber has 15 rollers with a serrated profile to maintain bale rotation even under moist conditions. The chopping mechanism has 15 knives, with a theoretical cut length of 70mm and individual protection against foreign objects.

Also on display will be Claas Volto 1300 T trailed tedder on a Claas Arion 460 and Claas Liner twin and four-rotor rakes. Smyth Silage trailers will provide the transport, with a Manitou MLA-533 taking loading duties.

At the muck demonstration, Riverlea will put a K-Two Duo rear discharge muck spreader and Hi-Spec 4000 slurry tanker with Storth applicator through their paces.

Brodyr Evans Bros has been servicing the agricultural industry in west, mid and south Wales for nearly three decades. The company covers the counties of Ceredigion, Powys, Carmarthenshire, Glamorgan and Pembrokeshire.

Machinery from Massey Ferguson and Kuhn will be demonstrated. From Kuhn the range includes FC3125 and FC9530 mowers, GF8712 and GF13012 Tedders, GA6501P and GA13131 Rake plus FBP 3135 Balepack with film binding and 3D, and an FB3130 Baler.

Rather than special wide film, Kuhn’s film on film system uses two standard 750mm stretch film rolls to fully encapsulate the bale said to reduce plastic usage by up to 30 per cent by pre-stretching the wrapping film by 70 per cent prior to application. Film loading is also quicker and easier as each roll weighs 27kg, compared to wider rolls which can weigh between 40-90kg.

On the clamp Brodyr Evans will be demonstrating a range of Schaffer loaders including the 9640T and 8620T models.