Fendt 1050 / Quadtrac

[Banana Bar]

That’s the point, either use smaller or older stuff. Brand new 1050 fendts etc are just a ludicrous cost

After seeing a quote I agree!

 

[ajd132]

After seeing a quote I agree!

And it won’t do the job like a quad

 

[Banana Bar]

And it won’t do the job like a quad

So your quad and sprinter is going, what other direct drill do you fancy? I am still concerned about 250mm rows particularly in barley otherwise I think it could do everything????

 

[Al R]

We are about to start doing this, we also have a quad track and cultivators but I think we will sell them and just run 250hp tractors with direct drills and perhaps a 6m shallow cultivator if we need it. The same tractors can cart corn and spray. These big tractors are dinosaurs and we must focus on our fixed costs (which are already low) and be cleverer about how we farm.

Keep the quad track, I’ve found a solution.
It is in ‘Merica mind

 

[An Gof]

After seeing a quote I agree!

Was on a large farm in Holland last week that was running a Fendt 1050 . They were very impressed with it. It had taken them 2 years of demos to make the purchase decision and the Fendt was replacing JD wheeled tractor. The manager reckoned the annual running cost of the Fendt was going to be €25k per annum less over the life of the machine. One of our group on the visit also runs a 1050 (might well be the same chap @Brisel was referring to ).

 

[ajd132]

So your quad and sprinter is going, what other direct drill do you fancy? I am still concerned about 250mm rows particularly in barley otherwise I think it could do everything????

Don’t know we have a lot of decision to make. I’ve seen loads of spring and winter barley this week on 25cm and there’s is absolutely no issue

 

[Bald Rick]

We are about to start doing this, we also have a quad track and cultivators but I think we will sell them and just run 250hp tractors with direct drills and perhaps a 6m shallow cultivator if we need it. The same tractors can cart corn and spray. These big tractors are dinosaurs and we must focus on our fixed costs (which are already low) and be cleverer about how we farm.

Won’t be long until tiny little robots are running around doing all the field work bar harvesting but even that will become autonomous
All electric of course

 

[ajd132]

Won’t be long until tiny little robots are running around doing all the field work bar harvesting but even that will become autonomous
All electric of course

Could well be right. I have some involvement with small robot company and it’s very exciting.

 

[ollie989898]

Won’t be long until tiny little robots are running around doing all the field work bar harvesting but even that will become autonomous
All electric of course

Right up until some folk of no particular fixed abode half inch them and put them on a boat to Poland.

 

[Daniel]

Could well be right. I have some involvement with small robot company and it’s very exciting.

It’s years away though commercially?

 

[Banana Bar]

I’m going to put a 5” offset in ajd132’s hoeing robots!

 

[Brisel]

So your quad and sprinter is going, what other direct drill do you fancy? I am still concerned about 250mm rows particularly in barley otherwise I think it could do everything????

I agree with you on the 25cm rows. It's too wide for spring barley unless you get a good tillering year & you certainly need higher than normal seed rates. @ajd132 got his in early and well this year so it has had time to fill in the gaps. My Claydon is on 33cm rows but banded so the gap is around 25cm. Spring oats & everything else seem to cope ok.

 

[Will7]

I agree with you on the 25cm rows. It's too wide for spring barley unless you get a good tillering year & you certainly need higher than normal seed rates. @ajd132 got his in early and well this year so it has had time to fill in the gaps. My Claydon is on 33cm rows but banded so the gap is around 25cm. Spring oats & everything else seem to cope ok.

I don’t agree with this. My optimum spr barley drilling date was last week March-first week of April. Av yield was 9t/ha. This was on land which had a pass with a low disturbance subsoiler and then raked the previous autumn.

Then I tried to dd spr barley and the first year the yield was 7.5t/ha and the second was 5.5t/ha.

I am now cultivating again.....

I use a seedhawk at 250mm rows. Starter fert helps a lot.

 

[Brisel]

Which bit don't you agree with? My row spacing is fine as long as the crop tillers out to fill in the gaps.

Why cultivate? Just to get better establishment and therefore yield?

 

[Will7]

Which bit don't you agree with? My row spacing is fine as long as the crop tillers out to fill in the gaps.

Why cultivate? Just to get better establishment and therefore yield?

The concern over 250mm rows. One observation from my spring oats this year is that I planted them too thick in the row at the beginning of March which has prevented them tillering I feel. Something to learn for next year.

I am cultivating to increase profit. Firstly slugs were absolutely horrific, more hollowing seeds than grazing, and secondly to allow easier rooting and improve surface drainage. Interestingly on land with limited slug pressure I have had better initial establishment from dd.

You know this land and a typical soil analysis is 55% clay, 30% sand and 15% silt. I think the silt causes a problem in washing the soil together, if you see what I mean.

Probably making excuses for my lack of skill but I can grow crops cheaper with a bit of steel than I can with covers and dd.

 

[Brisel]

The extra yield pays for an awful lot of tillage!

I'm the amateur growing 6.5-7 t/ha on chalk but the lack of topsoil really shows when we don't get weekly rains.

 

[D14]

I don’t agree with this. My optimum spr barley drilling date was last week March-first week of April. Av yield was 9t/ha. This was on land which had a pass with a low disturbance subsoiler and then raked the previous autumn.

Then I tried to dd spr barley and the first year the yield was 7.5t/ha and the second was 5.5t/ha.

I am now cultivating again.....

I use a seedhawk at 250mm rows. Starter fert helps a lot.

On last years barley price of £178/tonne that average extra 2.5t/ha is £445/ha. That is very significant across a few ha's.

 

[ollie989898]

The concern over 250mm rows. One observation from my spring oats this year is that I planted them too thick in the row at the beginning of March which has prevented them tillering I feel. Something to learn for next year.

I am cultivating to increase profit. Firstly slugs were absolutely horrific, more hollowing seeds than grazing, and secondly to allow easier rooting and improve surface drainage. Interestingly on land with limited slug pressure I have had better initial establishment from dd.

You know this land and a typical soil analysis is 55% clay, 30% sand and 15% silt. I think the silt causes a problem in washing the soil together, if you see what I mean.

Probably making excuses for my lack of skill but I can grow crops cheaper with a bit of steel than I can with covers and dd.

Can't argue with that. But is it not worth the savings on the other drops and keep a cultivator for the spring barley?

 

[ajd132]

The concern over 250mm rows. One observation from my spring oats this year is that I planted them too thick in the row at the beginning of March which has prevented them tillering I feel. Something to learn for next year.

I am cultivating to increase profit. Firstly slugs were absolutely horrific, more hollowing seeds than grazing, and secondly to allow easier rooting and improve surface drainage. Interestingly on land with limited slug pressure I have had better initial establishment from dd.

You know this land and a typical soil analysis is 55% clay, 30% sand and 15% silt. I think the silt causes a problem in washing the soil together, if you see what I mean.

Probably making excuses for my lack of skill but I can grow crops cheaper with a bit of steel than I can with covers and dd.

Spring barley seems to be really hard to direct drill, all the other crops are okay. A bit of tilth seems to add quite a lot of yield onto SB very cheaply, don’t even need any deep cultivation just the surface.

 

[Brisel]

Spring barley seems to be really hard to direct drill, all the other crops are okay. A bit of tilth seems to add quite a lot of yield onto SB very cheaply, don’t even need any deep cultivation just the surface.

I agree. I've had better establishment on heavier soils where I disced the top inch for a weathered tilth to put the seed into unless it dried out. More soil disturbance = more mineralised soil N which a bonus unless you're rabid about protecting your earthworms.