10 Biggest Causes of Machinery Breakdowns (and How to Prevent Them)
Written by admin on August 30, 2011 – 2:33 pm -Jodie Wehrspann, Farm Industry News Machinery breakdowns are always costly. But they are especially costly during planting and harvest, when getting seed in the ground and grain out of the field in a timely fashion are critical to maximizing yield. According to Dr. Mark Hanna, Extension ag engineer at Iowa State University, a day of downtime during planting this spring can cost around $1,400, assuming 12-row equipment and an eight-hour day. A day of downtime at harvest might cost around $500. "Both figures depend on the penalty of the weather during the individual season — that is, how much yield is reduced by planting or harvesting on the last day of the season versus the day in which the equipment was down," Hanna explains. Luke Gierach,... more
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Implement Tires Should Not to be Neglected
Written by admin on August 13, 2011 – 11:26 am -Proper implement tire selection and care is key to productivity There's no question that proper tractor tire selection and care can greatly impact performance. Without the right tire at the right level of inflation, the operator will surely notice performance issues such as increased soil compaction, slippage and even loss in fuel efficiency. As such, a diligent tractor owner makes a concerted effort to choose the right tractor tire and take good care of it. What many operators don't realize, however, is the importance of selecting the right implement tires and the impact they can make on the operator's bottom line. Ask a group of farmers when was the last time they checked the inflation of their implement tires, and the majority of the responses... more
Tags: implement tires
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No-till planter tips
Written by admin on May 13, 2011 – 8:16 pm -Jeff Caldwell, Successful Farming magazine. Cut through the residue, get the seed to the right depth and close up the seed-vee. These are all important to an effective no-till planter system. So, when you're getting your rig ready to plant, make sure you pay extra attention to the parts of your planter integral to these parts of the process, says University of Nebraska Extension ag engineer Paul Jasa. "Keeping these four items in mind, producers can evaluate the strengths or weaknesses of their planter and make any adjustments or changes necessary to make no-till successful," Jasa says in a university report. These adjustments include: • Maintain Sharp Openers Double-disk openers, if sharp and working properly, can cut through residue without... more
Tags: no till planter
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This Year’s Planters are Smarter Than Ever
Written by admin on March 12, 2011 – 6:12 pm -This year's planters are smarter than ever. All major manufacturers offer sophisticated controllers that can change seeding rates on the go, monitor populations, and a lot more. Increasingly, these controllers use ISOBUS-compliant communications protocols. This allows them to be hooked directly to tractor monitors, avoiding the clutter and expense of an additional display. In 2009, with their latest controllers, Great Plains and John Deere join AGCO and Case IH in the ISOBUS revolution. Larger frame Major manufacturers haven't broken the 90-ft. barrier — yet. Industry rumors suggest that a 120-footer could be just around the corner. As manufacturers add new or upgraded 24-row and wider planters, the net effect is that the base of planters... more
Tags: corn planter, smart planters
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Keep corn heads calibrated to prevent yield loss, disease
Written by admin on September 24, 2010 – 8:42 pm -by Jeff Caldwell Multimedia Editor for Agriculture.com and Successful Farming magazine. If your combine's leaving corn on the ground in your fields this fall, you're doing more than just losing yield. You may be creating ideal conditions for a disease that's run rampant through fields around the Midwest this year. In this year's corn fields that will become next year's soybean fields, corn kernels left on the ground this year could help sudden death syndrome (SDS) get a head-start next year, says one ag engineer. "Leaving corn in the field during harvest always results in a yield penalty. A recent soybean SDS article shows data that suggest corn kernels may be one of the most likely sites for survival of SDS pathogens with potential to harm... more
Tags: Farm Economy
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Matching your Implement to your Tractor: Horsepower Requirements
Written by admin on September 2, 2010 – 10:03 pm -Matching your implement to your tractor insures optimal productivity. Properly matching your implement to your tractor will ensure that both pieces of equipment deliver the years of service that they were designed to give. An implement that is over powered will fail early in its life, requiring more frequent repair and maintenance. An implement that is under powered will fail to perform at its optimal level. Under powering an implement also places the tractor under undue stress. There are four categories of farm implements, each based upon the horsepower required to properly operate it. Category 0 Category 0 implements are designed for tractors up to 20 horsepower. These are small tractors, typically used for yard work. These implements use... more
Tags: buying tractors online, Used Tractors
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AGCO Unveils New Products For 2011
Written by admin on August 17, 2010 – 8:32 pm -Industry-leading technologies in AGCO application, row-crop and tillage equipment add up to significant advantages in machine performance and operational efficiencies Source: AGCO News Release DULUTH, Ga. (August 5, 2010) — AGCO has introduced a variety of new products for tech-savvy professional producers and agricultural retailers. The new products offer innovative features created through AGCO’s customer-driven research and development efforts. Each piece of equipment is proof of AGCO’s commitment to bringing agriculture customers advanced technology and innovative products that will help each of them be efficient, productive and profitable. These new products will be on display at industry events and farm shows this fall. AGCO Introduces... more
Tags: Farm Economy, Massey Ferguson Tractors, tractor fuel efficiency
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Now is a good time to buy new machinery
Written by admin on July 23, 2010 – 11:40 am -Jeff Caldwell Agriculture Online Multimedia Editor For the last 3 years, the trend lines for tractor sales all followed the same basic pattern. So far, for 2009, that's been true, with one major exception: The line looks the same, only it's a ways lower on the chart. Tractor sales have dropped this year, a sign, some say, of the tough economic times. According to the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), year-to-date sales for 2009 are around a quarter lower than they were a year ago. For the month of May, a total of 17,782 tractors have been sold, AEM data shows, compared to 24,068 at the same time a year ago. That's a 26.1% sales decline. Those numbers contribute to a 66,676 figure for total tractor sales for the year so far, down... more
Tags: buying tractors online, Farm Economy, Used Tractors
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Survey Reveals Online Trends for Buying and Selling Farm Machinery
Written by admin on June 9, 2010 – 6:39 pm -How farmers buy and sell used farm machinery and equipment (FME) is changing due to internet transactions of used FME or farmer opinions of key players in used FME markets such as dealers or auctioneers. Brian Roe, Marvin Batte and Florian Diekmann of Ohio State University led an effort to learn more about U.S. farmers' attitudes and opinions about sales via auction, dealer, classified ad and the internet. The researchers asked more than 5,200 U.S. farmers about used FME markets during early 2010. More than 2,500 (48%) responded and gave information about recent used FME transactions, ratings of different ways to buy and sell used FME and attitudes and opinions regarding local FME dealers and used FME auction venues. They found that U.S. farmers... more
Tags: buying tractors online, Used Tractors
Posted in Farm Implements, News, Tractors, Used Tractors | 1 Comment »
The 50th annual Wisconsin Public Service Farm Show Opens March 30
Written by admin on March 13, 2010 – 11:12 am -The 50th annual Wisconsin Public Service Farm Show returns to the grounds of the Experimental Aircraft Association in Oshkosh on Tuesday, March 30, and continues through Thursday, April 1. This year’s show features over 430 exhibitors and is expected to draw thousands of visitors from the Midwest and Canada. “As always, exhibitors will be showing a variety of products and services of interest to farm owners and operators,” says Rob Juneau, WPS Farm Show manager. “This includes tractors and field machinery and parts; feed, livestock and manure-handling equipment; ventilation systems; lighting; milking and barn equipment and supplies; financial, insurance and real estate services; and seed, feed and fertilizer.” Juneau adds that the... more
Tags: family farm, Farm Economy
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