Progress? Is it really?

Oliveau · Apr 7, 2023

Just talking to eldest son, now almost semi-retired, and he told me that they have just bought a new tractor - £177k. It’s green with yellow wheels and he said “To be quite honest I can’t drive it.” He told me that you can’t see out of one side because it’s cluttered up with screens. I reminded him that when we were young we drove straight and judged bout widths by following the drills.

7610 super q · Apr 7, 2023

No, it's not progress.
But someone will be along shortly to tell us it is progress.
We will of course ignore them, because they are pussy flaps.

Still Farming · Apr 7, 2023

100hp 2 wd was good enough too?

betweenthelines · Apr 7, 2023

It's amazing what we used to be able to do with a T20 or MF35.

Only needed 10hp per ft of ploughing back in the day, now with 4wd and 16+ gears it's more like 20hp per ft ploughed!

Lincs Lass · Apr 7, 2023

75hp ,2wd on a tatty planter ,,line up two objects and don't sneeze or blink and pray one of the objects cant fly or run .

tr250 · Apr 7, 2023

I dunno my dad’s currently like a dog with 2 tails as at 81 he’s flat rolling the stones in on silage leys with gps steering where he can’t see the mark very well but it is the most basic in the cab. It’s the consumers choice what they want he could have bought a jd M range

serf · Apr 7, 2023

They'll all have to learn to drive again when the satellites get shot down outa space 🫣

JeremyD · Apr 7, 2023

My father is 85 he loves the tech, he's all over the trimbles and can set new fields new a,b lines and different implement widths. I doubt he would be so keen to help me if he had to steer it manually all day to be honest! He had an Amstrad 2086 PC back in 1987 its obviously been good training.

L P · Apr 7, 2023

Out of principle I won't buy kit that you are beholden to the dealer to keep it going. Went away from new kit and GPS to mechanical injection, levers and quite modern, bout markers on the drill... with box drills and a wheel either side now long gone, bout markers are handy

Flatlander · Apr 7, 2023

My dad said that if your too lazy to steer a tractor you shouldn’t be driving it. Didn’t stop him from using auto steer for the last years of his life. I’m a believer thst technology is great but to an extent. Auto steer. Gps elavation for drainage and alike but there has to be a limit to which we can afford to pay for gimmicks thst will eventually cost us more in time and money a few years down the line.

Pilatus · Apr 7, 2023

JeremyD said:
My father is 85 he loves the tech, he's all over the trimbles and can set new fields new a,b lines and different implement widths. I doubt he would be so keen to help me if he had to steer it manually all day to be honest! He had an Amstrad 2086 PC back in 1987 its obviously been good training.

Well done your father

Out of interest has your father always been forward thinking, in his outlook on farming.
Like it or not tech is here to stay , but other than making straighter lines and auto steer allowing one to look at TFF on the move ( field only!!), I do wonder if it really does add much to the bottom line of a farms accounts. :scratchhead:

tr250 · Apr 7, 2023

MX7 said:
Well done your father
Out of interest has your father always been forward thinking, in his outlook on farming.
Like it or not tech is here to stay , but other than making straighter lines and auto steer allowing one to look at TFF on the move ( field only!!), I do wonder if it really does add much to the bottom line of a farms accounts.

I think that generation were mostly forward thinking because it made life easier. I’ve never heard anyone say they were sad to see the back of bagging combines etc. in my dads case this afternoon he couldn’t actually see the mark so probably would of overlapped a couple of ft every run.

Pilatus · Apr 7, 2023

tr250 said:
I think that generation were mostly forward thinking because it made life easier. I’ve never heard anyone say they were sad to see the back of bagging combines etc. in my dads case this afternoon he couldn’t actually see the mark so probably would of overlapped a couple of ft every run.

I quite agre. The forklift/ telehandler must be the one machine ,that has made so many back aching farm jobs so much easier. I certainly wouldn’t want to go back to manually unloading artic loads of 1cwt bags on my shoulder , stacking small bales under a scorching tin roof, etc etc.

DrWazzock · Apr 7, 2023

I wouldn’t want to go back but it’s got to the point where they are now sinking their teeth in on annual subscriptions for quite a few software services and it’s beginning to add up.
I’m seriously thinking of ditching my PC and windows once BPS finishes and I don’t take up SFI.
Just keep my phone for communications and a bit of email and browsing. Office 365, quickbooks, a help desk, anti virus etc and a few other subscriptions are now well over £500 a year. I’m already back to hand written fertiliser and spray records. Maybe slightly less easy to with work out costs etc but most folk just shrug their shoulders at that kind of info and say it will be different next year.

DrWazzock · Apr 7, 2023

I use a basic lightbar guidance system (OnTrak).
It’s ok for the price and there’s no ongoing subscription. If they did charge annually I wouldn’t bother. Never had a problem with bout markers and preem markers though.

Weasel · Apr 7, 2023

7610 super q said:
No, it's not progress.
But someone will be along shortly to tell us it is progress.
We will of course ignore them, because they are pussy flaps.

Pussy flaps are useful tho

Green oak · Apr 7, 2023

It’s all about data these days. if you think you’re the only one seeing this data. In the combine. Tractor. they’re taking yield. What you planted. What area you planted. You’re online now with gps and your Green star Eg my john Deere and case/new Holland. You giving info for free. But paying for subscription.

kiwi pom · Apr 7, 2023

Yes of course it's progress but only for those who need it. That one tractor is capable of far more work per hour/day/season than anything from decades ago IF you have the work for it.
If your business hasn't grown or your system works with smaller less complicated machinery you don't need the top of the range new stuff.

Smaller simpler machines are available especially if you stay away from the options list.

L P · Apr 7, 2023

MX7 said:
I quite agre. The forklift/ telehandler must be the one machine ,that has made so many back aching farm jobs so much easier. I certainly wouldn’t want to go back to manually unloading artic loads of 1cwt bags on my shoulder , stacking small bales under a scorching tin roof, etc etc.

The third arm to me, of all the kit that goes down, when it's the handler it's an oh sh!t moment... funny really, it's the only unguided machine on most farms, but the most important too

tr250 · Apr 7, 2023

Lord Peasemore said:
The third arm to me, of all the kit that goes down, when it's the handler it's an oh sh!t moment... funny really, it's the only unguided machine on most farms, but the most important too

We run 2 because we can’t afford to be without. our system means that without a loader there’s basically no point in getting up in the morning nothing can be done by hand anymore

Progress? Is it really?

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