Eardly Agricultural Service Ltd. of Kilkenny recently teamed up with Amazone to hold a field day for its customers to view a few of the latest machines on offer.

If there is one thing that all dealers and manufacturers agree on, it is that meeting customers face to face is still a very important part of doing business.

Getting ‘hands on’ experience of the products is also essential, but the weather had eventually caught up with the season and heavy rain had restricted the live demonstrations.

Amazone Cirrus 3003 Compact

Trailed drills are not quite the exotica that they once were in Ireland.

Their growing popularity is a result of several factors. These range from the availability of higher horse power tractors to the new and smaller machines now emerging from the factories.

Metal tube on Amazone cirrus drill
Remote grease points on heavy duty coulter bar

A classic example of the prairie type machine being scaled down for more modest holdings is the Amazone Cirrus 3003 Compact, which, as its name suggests, has a working width of 3m and is designed to fit in and around European fields and farmyards.

This does not mean to say that it is built down to a cost, far from it, for it has plenty of metal in its construction and Amazone is not in the game of doing things by half.

Although not a brand new machine, this is the first time it has been brought to Ireland where its key features are said to ideally match the demands of farmers here.

Tall narrow tank on Cirrus drill
The Narrow tank allows easy and safe access to the metering system

The tall and narrow tank will hold up to 3t of seed, which is sufficient for approximately 80ac, or a good days work according to Amazone.

It also suggests that just 160hp is required for this one pass drill that can work directly after the plough or other cultivator, thanks to the combination of levelling paddles, discs and consolidation wheels that run before the coulter.

Seed placement with tines

A second trailed drill present was a 6m Cayena tine coulter unit. This machine does away with wheeled coulters altogether and places the seed directly in behind a narrow tine.

The soil is then consolidated with a pneumatic press wheel.

Cayena tined drill from Eardly
Seeds are placed immediately behind a narrow tine which easily penetrates the soil with the minimum of disturbance

Originally designed for hard or stoney soils, it is now being suggested that type of machine may well come into its own on stubbles or shallow cultivation.

The power requirement is also low for the working width of 6m. Amazone suggests that just 180hp is required.

Digging shallow

With the use of the plough coming under ever closer scrutiny, manufacturers are turning their attention to creating machines suitable for shallow cultivation and Amazone is no exception.

Cenio primary cultivator for shallow tillage
The spring loaded legs of the Cenio primary cultivator disturb the soil down to 25cm, depending on the type of tine selected

On the field was an example from its Cenio range which comes in either 3m or 4m versions. These are lightweight cultivators which can operate up to a depth of 25cm.

There are a range of tines and consolidation rollers available to fit the frame, including winged tines for shallow cultivation, which is possible at a depth of just 5cm. A power availability of between 130-190hp is recommended.

Other items from Eardly

Eardly also holds the local agency for Krone, Deutz Fahr and Agrispread, representative examples from all of which were present.

Krone semi variable chamber baler
The Krone CF155 XC Plus can place two unwrapped bales on the ground simultaneously to help reduce travel when clearing the field

This season saw the first outing of the latest Krone CF155 XC Plus combination baler. Although they employ belts rather than rollers, the company refers to them only as ‘semi-variable’.

Not only are they capable of creating bales of between 1.25m and 1.5m, the material is compacted from a much smaller diameter, ensuring a denser bale overall.

This particular machine had been operating with a local contractor this year who was happily pulling it with a Case Magnum 115.

Vendor 650 from Amazone  eardly
The strengthened Vendor range of tedders have tines of differing colours to indicate whether they are right or left handed

Besides beefing up its balers, Krone has also added metal to its tedders. The most recent Vendor 560 was on show and it certainly looked a sturdier unit than previous models, with a redesigned locking mechanism for road transport.

Eardly deutz fahr tractor with Agrispreader
Purpose designed trailed spreaders are becoming more popular in a bid to reduce soil compaction. This Agrispreader unit can handle both fertiliser and lime

The Irish made Agrispreader machines were also represented.

Spreading the weight over three axles is obviously kinder to the soil as well giving the greater stability. Although much of the production goes abroad they are now selling well on home turf according to Michael Eardly.