Certainly not Newton’s
Farmer Roy's Random Thoughts - I never said it was easy.
- Thread starter Farmer Roy
- Start date
glasshouse
Member
- Location
- lothians
Watching the film about bernie madoff last night.Quite shocking
He thought he was above the law.
Final scene was something else when he was compared to a mass murderer, which he was.
He thought he was above the law.
Final scene was something else when he was compared to a mass murderer, which he was.
- Location
- Owaka, New Zealand
Absolutely amazing what they nearly got away with.
glasshouse
Member
- Location
- lothians
It beggars belief
- Location
- Near Beeston Castle
I’d love to be sipping a glass with you and chewing the fat however busy clamping grass.
New job makes me hunt out Alberta stuff to post on social media. Found a good cache of videos to raid, first one up is a long one but still interesting.
The revolution of ploughing and fallow to no till farming in Southern Alberta. While it started as an economic reason, there were all these handy soil benefits that came along with it!
The revolution of ploughing and fallow to no till farming in Southern Alberta. While it started as an economic reason, there were all these handy soil benefits that came along with it!
- Location
- West Yorkshire
Little bit of hill farming this lunch time it’s a naughty steep field but it’s free grass so grab every bit into a bale
Independent brake needed to keep nose up hill with 500kg on front links
back to flat land farming this afternoon good job there was no telegraph poles as I may have hit one or two.
- Location
- Owaka, New Zealand
Some of the figures are absolutely astounding in that saga.
Put in a million, take out 130 million - even Rabobank isn't quite that good!
They reckon his scheme was nearly worth $65 billion when they got sprung.
RushesToo
Member
- Location
- Fingringhoe
@Karliboy Do you invite the locals to tea at the farm when you bale so they aren't in their houses? Those folk are terrifyingly close and gravity will have its way.Little bit of hill farming this lunch time it’s a naughty steep field but it’s free grass so grab every bit into a bale
How do you gather it?
- Location
- Owaka, New Zealand
How do you get on with the JD on steeper stuff?Little bit of hill farming this lunch time it’s a naughty steep field but it’s free grass so grab every bit into a bale
They always make me nervous on a slope, without wanting to get into a breed-bashing debate... does it have a front diff lock?
Now, my old Same is pretty dreadful by today's standard but still a cracking hill machine, with diffs that all lock, 4 wheel independent braking etc.
Just wondering how you get on, as there are some funny bits on your patch.
Tell me about these old SAMEs... I heard they had a great reputation in NZ for breaking virgin bush, cos they were tough and 4wd. But I'm not really sure what era it was, or the models that were around at the time.
- Location
- Owaka, New Zealand
I grew up on a 70hp Corsaro, which was like the Curate's Egg.
Leone Taurus and Leopard models were also popular in those days, still a few around along with a gaggle of newer Explorers, Titans etc. See the odd Antares.
Dry brakes, dry clutch (dual stage, as it was the PTO clutch as well) were the big downsides on the early models.
Very very low C.O.G. was also bad for baling hay (we had to tie woolpacks under to stop the swath balling up underneath) but absolutely the bee's knees on hills, I drove it places as a young boy that you just wouldn't consider!
But the big thing was: aircooled engines.
Which meant they were uber-reliable, if you could turn them over fast enough then they would start. They have quite a different injector setup too, ie not a bolt-on pump but a rotary pump per injector, so need a higher RPM to actually start.
It was bought new in 74? for $2527, and was the first FWA tractor in the district.
Still going, I actually got offered it recently as it's been replaced by a new Kubota (been on a spud farm on trailers, and then on a bale-buggy on a dairy farm).
They really took off here due to:
Simple, reliable design
Safer on hills, as per most Italian machines
Affordable, plain.
And aircooled, so no corroding blocks or spat-out welch plugs
they have a great note.I have an early Explorer 90, which has wet clutch and brakes.
Still a low COG but also a very tight turning circle (52°, you need skinny tyres on the front axle), still aircooled (the last of them, before emission laws phased it out due to poor emissions when cold) but has brakes on the front axle.
So you can lock both wheels and screw it round like a skid-steer.
Also has 40 gears, 5x4x2, ranging from 0.19kmh to about 35kmh.
Plus Eco/standard PTO in both 540+1000, which is great for things like spray pumps and post-knockers as a fast idle will produce a 540PTO in 1000 eco.
So they were well ahead of their time in some respects, behind in others - a bit like the Austin Maxi of the tractor world!
Their main design failing (talking the Explorer here) is that they are simply a few inches too compact - all the lines and electrics are jammed into a tiny space between the cab and block, which makes you evaluate the ancestry of the chimp that designed them, should you have to work on one.
Plus the hydraulic lines (esp steering ones) go from hose to hardline and back several times in a few feet, so eventually you have to replace everything as vibration wears out the unions and they leak.
And apparently the shifter levers are made of brie, but I haven't broken one yet.
Quality control is always the problem with Italian stuff, they had a bad rap for weak axles but mine is a good'un. And the front wheel centres crack between the stubs, so mine are beefed up with 10mm plate as it is primarily a loader tractor.
Electric cab heater is fantastic on cold mornings, as it's warming from the moment you turn it on, and wouldn't be without such a tight-turning tractor in my little yard.
It literally is the best tractor for what I need, which isn't very much.
I've done about 500 hours in it, about half of which has been contracting (ploughing, oversowing, mowing, and stacking bales) and the other half here on silage and general farm utility stuff.
Just clicked over 8250 hours on the clock and have replaced most rubber lines now, the second steering hose went last month so they're sorted.
One of the perks of being on TFF is that there are some really knowledgeable folk on here - @Mur Huwcun @Cowabunga @REStracTORATION really know these tractors inside and out, so it's quite comforting to know you can find out extra info on keeping them going.
- Location
- West Yorkshire
I don’t breed bash either.
My moto is some you like some you won’t. But each to their own.
To be fair I quite like any 6000 series 6 cylinders on the hills or any model afterwards like the 30 series and feel very safe in them.
This one I use is a 6630 premium I prefer a old 6810 even more.
Not to keen on the new ones that are 4cylinder like the R or M series. And I HATE the old 50 series jds on hills they just feel all cab no tractor.
And we don’t even use duel wheels.
When I got the new Case below I shat myself on the bankings as it’s so light but I’ve got water ballast in the back now to 600kg and I’m happy as Larry. now just need some front weights for the really steep up hill pulls always drop loader of for steep stuff too
The major fault with the case is lack of front axel articulation (It’s fudging Sh!t)
- Location
- Owaka, New Zealand
We managed to snap both rear axles on our old Same on the post driver on the back.
That was another weak link, but considering where it went... something had to give...
I had no fear back then, we had a steep bank that a Liebherr dozer had to cut a track to climb up - yours truly managed to dutch-harrow 90% of it to make it easier for the tree-planters... when oil is coming out the dipstick tube, there you have "steep enough"
Interesting comment about the duals, Karl. I use my duals for the stability aspect (great to have one on to balance the mower, for eg) but they really don't do much for traction. Let you slide faster, if anything....
It's really only the lack of the front difflock that made me comment about the hill/JD relationship, the one I referred to is a crappy 6420 sh!t Edition
That was another weak link, but considering where it went... something had to give...
I had no fear back then, we had a steep bank that a Liebherr dozer had to cut a track to climb up - yours truly managed to dutch-harrow 90% of it to make it easier for the tree-planters... when oil is coming out the dipstick tube, there you have "steep enough"
Interesting comment about the duals, Karl. I use my duals for the stability aspect (great to have one on to balance the mower, for eg) but they really don't do much for traction. Let you slide faster, if anything....
It's really only the lack of the front difflock that made me comment about the hill/JD relationship, the one I referred to is a crappy 6420 sh!t Edition
- Location
- West Yorkshire
I’ve never had front difflocks on anything, I don’t think jd even have limited slip diffs on front butt I’ve always got both wheels working in tricky situations so whatever is in there works ok for me and I feel they pull very well from the front axel.
That’s the thing with duels I guess, it’s a toss up between floatation and contact pressure what do you need most in what conditions.
That’s the thing with duels I guess, it’s a toss up between floatation and contact pressure what do you need most in what conditions.
glasshouse
Member
- Location
- lothians
At least woth duals you wont roll
- Location
- NSW, Newstralya
Hey @Blaithin - who do you work for now ? Do they have a website or FB page ? Could you put up a link or tag me please ?
Apart from general interest, a LOT of the Canadian / North American experience is very relevant to us down here as well
- Location
- NSW, Newstralya
- Location
- Owaka, New Zealand
It's always interesting watching tractor pulls at the Fielddays, all the young lads get hot and bothered when the big dualled-up Fendts get going but really they don't do any better than the well ballasted tractors on half-worn singles. So the bigger contact patch really doesn't aid traction much in any direction.
I love my duals, the old tub feels like it's properly planted especially on cultivated, loose stuff, when on a decent lean. But I've often wondered just how much of the effect is between the driver's ears?