It has been a good year for machinery sales, however that is no excuse for standing still and those dealers who appreciate this are busy keeping themselves up on their customers’ radar with displays of brands such as New Holland.
Lyons and Burton of Kilcock, Co. Kildare, is the latest business to arrange an open day, during which, local farmers can come and not only view the range of machinery offered, but also talk to the manufacturers’ representatives.
Mowers galore
Mowers featured strongly in the line-up, with three manufacturers showing their latest products.
Malone Farm Machinery had its Procut 285 on display. This is a new machine with a cushioned float system to aid contour following.
It relies on an accumulator mounted under the headstock and it is a new development for the company which, so far, has concentrated on the less demanding end of the market.
Another mower manufacturer present was SaMASZ, however, it is not carried at Kilcock but is sold at the Carlow branch.
The range is more budget friendly than others but it appears not to lack the durability or efficiency of more established brands.
New machine from McHale
McHale was also present with several machines from its range. Although there have been no major developments to the balers, they were showing a new mower which has, hitherto, received little publicity.
The company claims that the mower is all new, except for the suspension unit which is carried on from other models.
The big difference with this new machine is that it is designed from the outset to be, what McHale terms, a plain mower i.e., it does not have a conditioner, nor is it derived from a model that has.
The company believes that there is a demand for such a machine from larger farmers and contractors who spread the grass immediately after cutting.
Tedders themselves will act as mild conditioners with the stems being stressed and their surfaces scraped as they pass through the tines.
Quite how effective it is compared with a standard conditioner is unclear, but doing away with the power sapping conditioner units will both save fuel and increase the work rate.
There is also the suggestion that with constraints being placed upon fertiliser use, grass crops may not be quite so lush in future, which may become another factor in deciding upon the necessity of conditioning.
McHale also confirmed that it will not be attending Agritechnica next February.
Tillage tools for all situations
Soil cultivation specialists He-Va had arranged an impressive array of its implements although the latest Stealth shallow subsoiler was not included.
While ultra shallow cultivation and min-till is getting a good deal of publicity generally, the jury is still out as to whether such systems can be successful in Ireland.
The general opinion is that a plough will always get you out of trouble and reduce the need for extra operations over the growing season.
Covering both bases was Amazone, which had on display a plough and its Cenio 3000 Super which is intended for cultivations of between 5cm and 25cm.
The Super version has sprung loaded breakback protection and wide tine wings, designed for mulching stubbles.
New Holland still at the core
The items of greatest interest at any dealer event are the tractors, and Lyons and Barton are well-known New Holland dealers.
The company was purchased by WR Shaw in September of 2020, a move which displeased New Holland to such an extent that it withdrew the franchise from Shaws.
Lyons and Barton is still actively promoting New Holland and it sees no change in that situation. The company is doing very well with the brand according to James Carroll, general manager at Kilcock.
On display was a good array of tractors ranging from the smaller Boomer range up to the T7 series.
As tried and trusted tractors, they are popular and retain their value so being able to offer them as a main dealer is a great asset to any machinery business.