New Self Propelled Forage Harvester for a Farmer?

Barleycorn · Jul 21, 2021

We cut 800 to 1000 acres of silage a year. We have plenty of labour, regular and family, and are currently running a 1998 Claas 850. She is in good nick, on about 5500 hours, but we do have regular breakdowns, which involve 6 or 7 blokes watching and scratching their arses as it is mended.
I don't want to rely on a contractor, as with the current mad weather patterns I want to go when I want to.
With the current favourable tax thing, I have looked at new machines.
I have looked at trailed foragers, but our biggest tractors are 150 HP, so we just wouldn't get the output, and wholecrop would be difficult/impossible.
Is there a smaller, simpler, farmer-friendly SPFH made? I enquired about the smallest Krone and that is something like £220,000 with a header.
Then perhaps an arable farmer would justify a combine of that value on a similar acreage?

tr250 · Jul 21, 2021

Barleycorn said:
We cut 800 to 1000 acres of silage a year. We have plenty of labour, regular and family, and are currently running a 1998 Claas 850. She is in good nick, on about 5500 hours, but we do have regular breakdowns, which involve 6 or 7 blokes watching and scratching their arses as it is mended.
I don't want to rely on a contractor, as with the current mad weather patterns I want to go when I want to.
With the current favourable tax thing, I have looked at new machines.
I have looked at trailed foragers, but our biggest tractors are 150 HP, so we just wouldn't get the output, and wholecrop would be difficult/impossible.
Is there a smaller, simpler, farmer-friendly SPFH made? I enquired about the smallest Krone and that is something like £220,000 with a header.
Then perhaps an arable farmer would justify a combine of that value on a similar acreage?

What sort of tons an hour are you getting with your machine? We have a jf1350 on 200hp and I’ve worked out from very un precise methods of the clamp dimensions to estimate tonnage that I was chopping 60-70 tons an hour of grass from 20ft swaths. Made me wonder what a small sp would do

Steevo · Jul 21, 2021

Barleycorn said:
We cut 800 to 1000 acres of silage a year. We have plenty of labour, regular and family, and are currently running a 1998 Claas 850. She is in good nick, on about 5500 hours, but we do have regular breakdowns, which involve 6 or 7 blokes watching and scratching their arses as it is mended.
I don't want to rely on a contractor, as with the current mad weather patterns I want to go when I want to.
With the current favourable tax thing, I have looked at new machines.
I have looked at trailed foragers, but our biggest tractors are 150 HP, so we just wouldn't get the output, and wholecrop would be difficult/impossible.
Is there a smaller, simpler, farmer-friendly SPFH made? I enquired about the smallest Krone and that is something like £220,000 with a header.
Then perhaps an arable farmer would justify a combine of that value on a similar acreage?

Sounds a lot of money to spend to me.

Surely something 10 years old with lower hours than your current model could be quite a bit less to shell out for much more reliability?

Farmer_Joe · Jul 21, 2021

Steevo said:
Sounds a lot of money to spend to me.

Surely something 10 years old with lower hours than your current model could be quite a bit less to shell out for much more reliability?

what he said, im sure theres a 5-10 year old machine with your name on it.

tr250 · Jul 21, 2021

Steevo said:
Sounds a lot of money to spend to me.

Surely something 10 years old with lower hours than your current model could be quite a bit less to shell out for much more reliability?

I’m not so sure as they have all been in the hands of contractors that aren’t in control of what lumps of concrete and steel gets left in silage fields and are worked hard whereas it’s fairly easy to find a loved 10 year old Combine

balerman · Jul 21, 2021

Barleycorn said:
We cut 800 to 1000 acres of silage a year. We have plenty of labour, regular and family, and are currently running a 1998 Claas 850. She is in good nick, on about 5500 hours, but we do have regular breakdowns, which involve 6 or 7 blokes watching and scratching their arses as it is mended.
I don't want to rely on a contractor, as with the current mad weather patterns I want to go when I want to.
With the current favourable tax thing, I have looked at new machines.
I have looked at trailed foragers, but our biggest tractors are 150 HP, so we just wouldn't get the output, and wholecrop would be difficult/impossible.
Is there a smaller, simpler, farmer-friendly SPFH made? I enquired about the smallest Krone and that is something like £220,000 with a header.
Then perhaps an arable farmer would justify a combine of that value on a similar acreage?

You can make the figures justify it if you want to.1000 acres a year at £25/acre contractor rate.In 10 years you will have paid for a £250k machine,ok I know you will have had all the other costs,fuel ,insurance,finance etc. But there would be a considerable residual value at the end to more than cover that.

Martyn · Jul 21, 2021

balerman said:
You can make the figures justify it if you want to.1000 acres a year at £25/acre contractor rate.In 10 years you will have paid for a £250k machine,ok I know you will have had all the other costs,fuel ,insurance,finance etc. But there would be a considerable residual value at the end to more than cover that.

I'd go new on the acres covered

YELROM · Jul 21, 2021

What sort of breakdowns are you getting, daft annoying things or fairly major things
We run a trailed forager doing 500-600ac a year and keep thinking of getting a small self propelled but am concerned that if we got a bad one it could cost use a lot to keep going

vantage · Jul 21, 2021

A lot of medium to large farms around here run Claas 830 harvesters, bought new at one farm and passed down the line. to another, staying in the area with a fantastic dealer backup (Riverlea). Decide if new is for you or join into the chain to get the harvester you want.

YELROM · Jul 21, 2021

vantage said:
A lot of medium to large farms around here run Claas 830 harvesters, bought new at one farm and passed down the line. to another, staying in the area with a fantastic dealer backup (Riverlea). Decide if new is for you or join into the chain to get the harvester you want.

Then I can buy his 850

dave mountain · Jul 22, 2021

Barleycorn said:
We cut 800 to 1000 acres of silage a year. We have plenty of labour, regular and family, and are currently running a 1998 Claas 850. She is in good nick, on about 5500 hours, but we do have regular breakdowns, which involve 6 or 7 blokes watching and scratching their arses as it is mended.
I don't want to rely on a contractor, as with the current mad weather patterns I want to go when I want to.
With the current favourable tax thing, I have looked at new machines.
I have looked at trailed foragers, but our biggest tractors are 150 HP, so we just wouldn't get the output, and wholecrop would be difficult/impossible.
Is there a smaller, simpler, farmer-friendly SPFH made? I enquired about the smallest Krone and that is something like £220,000 with a header.
Then perhaps an arable farmer would justify a combine of that value on a similar acreage?

that acreage i would be trying to find a nice ex demo machine with good saving off new, they do exist (probably as soon as you buy something else

) new holland would be high on my list.

dave mountain · Jul 22, 2021

https://buglers.co.uk/product/new-holland-fr650-sp-forage-harvester/ theres one, not sure on price but it would have a much higher output than the krone you mention

Barmyfarmer · Jul 22, 2021

How far are you hauling grass? If it is only silage your doing why don't you just make the job really simple and buy a forage wagon?

deere 6600 · Jul 22, 2021

Would have thought a second hand fairly new one which has a complete dealer overhaul would be a good option scary price new

Sid · Jul 22, 2021

Barmyfarmer said:
How far are you hauling grass? If it is only silage your doing why don't you just make the job really simple and buy a forage wagon?

I was scrolling waiting for a wagon to be mentioned.....unlucky post 13

Exfarmer · Jul 22, 2021

How about mounting an engine on a trailed machine, was very common 30 years ago.
With todays technology, engine management should be a doddle

Sid · Jul 22, 2021

Exfarmer said:
How about mounting an engine on a trailed machine, was very common 30 years ago.
With todays technology, engine management should be a doddle

Our contractor used to have claas trailed like that.
Output wouldn't be in region of SPFH.

Exfarmer · Jul 22, 2021

Sid said:
Our contractor used to have claas trailed like that.
Output wouldn't be in region of SPFH.

I would rhink most of the older converts were using ex combine engines which would have been 150- 200 hp at max. Many were nearer 100 hp being 6 pot perkins, even so the output of these were a match for the early SFPs but of course nothing like a 800+ machine today

Fendt516profi · Jul 22, 2021

Barmyfarmer said:
How far are you hauling grass? If it is only silage your doing why don't you just make the job really simple and buy a forage wagon?

quattro · Jul 22, 2021

New Holland

New Self Propelled Forage Harvester for a Farmer?

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100% I’ve had enough of farming!

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