Show-stoppers at Tullamore

Despite its primary focus being livestock, there will be some interesting machines on display at the Tullamore Show. Alistair Chambers reports.

Alistair Chambers

1 August 2018

The Fendt C series combine will be on display.

Fendt machines from Atkins Farm MachineryA Fendt C series will be on the Atkins of Birr stand, along with a collection of the German marque’s new line of grass machines, some of which come from the recently acquired Lely stable and some from the Fella grass ranges of old.

Fendt machines from Atkins Farm Machinery

A Fendt C series will be on the Atkins of Birr stand, along with a collection of the German marque’s new line of grass machines, some of which come from the recently acquired Lely stable and some from the Fella grass ranges of old.

The combine will be the main attraction as it is the first of its kind in Ireland and is only stopping off at the show from its nationwide tour. The model on display will be the 5275CPL, which comes with a 20ft Powerflow head. It includes a belt system under the auger, which allows the grain to be presented to the neck of the combine with its head facing up. This allows the threshing system to do the best job possible. Nearly all of the manufacturers are now selling or developing this type of header, along with aftermarket versions, which can be fitted to any machine.

The C series is a five-walker machine with 306hp on tap from an Agco power six-cylinder engine. This machine comes with an Agco para level system, which levels the combine separate from the header and allows the full threshing system to work to its full capacity even at an angle of up to 200. The grain tank is 8,600 litres on this Paralevel system machine and 9000 on the no-levelling machine. This combine also comes with four-wheel-drive, which most years would be an advantage but is currently not required.

Also on the stand will be the PR50 Tigo wagon, which is one of the smaller wagons in the range and is aimed at the bigger farmer or the small contractor. This machine has 40 knives and a maximum permissible load of 22t. The power requirement of the machine is 130hp. This, along with a wide range of rakes, tedders and a selection of the tractor range, will make up one of the more impressive machinery stands at this year’s Tullamore Show.

Alan Douglas Machinery

In the Douglas stand, there will be a collection of the latest from the Claas tractor range from the 400 series up to an 8 series monster. The centrepiece of the stand will be a Claas Arion 660. This is top of the 600 series, producing 205hp thanks to Claas power management (CPM), which provides a boost of up to 20hp for transport and PTO work. The Hexashift six-speed powershift transmission in the new Arion has undergone further development and offers a range of additional functions. These include a cruise control function where the forward speed selected by the driver is maintained automatically at the optimum engine speed. The engine operates independently of the current task and is highly fuel-efficient at all times.

The integrated Smart-Stop function makes for convenient handling. When the brake pedal is pressed, the transmission disengages automatically – there is no need to use the clutch pedal. This reduces the driver’s workload, especially during clutch-intensive tasks such as front loader work and round baling. Having driven the smaller 650 during the year, we found it to be a good tractor with brilliant road manners from the new Proaktiv front-axle suspension. One major improvement of this axle over the previously used Carrero version is that instead of having 22 grease nipples, the new Claas-designed-and-built axle has four.

Bridgeway Engineering

Displaying its extensive range of silage and bale-handling equipment, Bridgeway Engineering will also have a selection of grassland aerators at this year’s show. Complementing the range, Bridgeway will have cattle-handling equipment and a one-pass tine harrow system with pneumatic seeder fitted for those customers with autumn reseeding plans in mind.

Malone Farm Machinery

Farmers or contractors planning on upgrading or changing their silage-making equipment can see a full range of products on the Malone Farm Machinery stand.

Malone will be showing its tandem-axle 42m3 MT42 silage wagon and its recently launched Malone Tedd-Air range of tedders. The four-rotor 5.7m and six-rotor 8.4m mounted tedders come with hydraulic stabilisation to prolong the life of the tractor and tedder. These keep the machine centred when it is raised out of work. Also on show will be the ProCut 800 and ProCut 900 mounted disc mowers with 2.4m (8ft) and 2.8m (9ft) width, respectively. The mowers come with a multi-band belt drive, galvanised curtain frame to reduce corrosion, heavy-duty cutter bar, topping skids and bronze bushing on the main pivot point.