Fertiliser Price Tracker

[Cowabunga]

I’ll be spreading less than half that this year
Time is allways precious, the most important thing for me with any machinery is reliability if it don’t work on the day I want it to its time it was gone, dealer parts and labour soon add up, plus jobs usually take time to get sorted, days for mechanic to turn up, more days for parts to arrive, I’m not a fan of complex second hand machinery for time critical jobs

For just that reason, these machines tend to need to be justified, worked and written off by the first owner. They struggle to sell as used machines. The farmers that want them can certainly justify buying new. The user must have a certain mindset as well. It’s not a matter of just hitching up, jumping on and off to go, not that any spreader is that easily set up, but there’s control panels and sat-nav and so on to set for different fertilisers etc on these things.
The main thing is to set the correct spreading width for the fertiliser type. This though is common to all machines, however simple and mechanical they may be.

 

[teslacoils]

Kuhn 1211 here has twenty years spreading under its belt now. For half that time it was covering 2500ac up to three times a year. Good machine.

 

[Tarw Coch]

For just that reason, these machines tend to need to be justified, worked and written off by the first owner. They struggle to sell as used machines. The farmers that want them can certainly justify buying new. The user must have a certain mindset as well. It’s not a matter of just hitching up, jumping on and off to go, not that any spreader is that easily set up, but there’s control panels and sat-nav and so on to set for different fertilisers etc on these things.
The main thing is to set the correct spreading width for the fertiliser type. This though is common to all machines, however simple and mechanical they may be.

Been mulling things over in my mind this morning, trying to work out if I can justify one, the increased accuracy from variable spread width could mean that I could go to 36m, the contractor who does my spraying has upgraded a couple of years ago so he’d probably be quite pleased, not that he’d make a significant saving on my bit of corn ground.
But as I found going from 12 to 24 , it’s surprising how cutting out a few passes gets over the ground quicker but the wider you go the more variable spread width will help with overlaps/overdosing, indeed that’s what a mate who’s got one said the biggest advantage is, reckons he doesn’t save any fertiliser but puts it on more accurately which on his arable land means no flat patches where it gets overdosed on sloping headlands.

Might just see if I can find a demo machine, don’t know if such things exist but with the cost and complexity of these machines it would be nice to try one first.

 

[Phil P]

Have you no wind ,be nothing done here till monday night ,

Think you need to lay off the vindaloo if it’s that bad .

To be honest if it was my own I wouldn’t have been spreading but it was a customer and he said get on with it so what can you do

 

[Cowabunga]

Might just see if I can find a demo machine, don’t know if such things exist but with the cost and complexity of these machines it would be nice to try one first.

You can forget a demo machine. The nearest you’ll get to that is to see one in use with an existing user in your area. It takes a lot of time for the dealer to install one of these. You either know you want one or you don’t. It is probable that if you order one now, it will be for use in 2023 not for this year. They don’t grow on trees.
Have a look at online brochures and videos to assess just how they work. You’ve had several testaments here that they do actually work as advertised.

 

[Gormers]

How much do you charge for contracting?

Flask of tea (Yorkshire) & a couple of beef sarnies with salt & raw onion

 

[Steevo]

Flask of tea (Yorkshire) & a couple of beef sarnies with salt & raw onion

Perfect!! I'll pay you double!!

Let me know when you set off and I'll start preparing them....!

 

[Cow2000]

Anyone had prices on liquid N recently? 30%N

 

[Steevo]

You can forget a demo machine. The nearest you’ll get to that is to see one in use with an existing user in your area. It takes a lot of time for the dealer to install one of these. You either know you want one or you don’t. It is probable that if you order one now, it will be for use in 2023 not for this year. They don’t grow on trees.
Have a look at online brochures and videos to assess just how they work. You’ve had several testaments here that they do actually work as advertised.

Interestingly, when I went shopping for mine the dealer had a Kverneland Demo machine in their yard. So it shows they are about.

 

[bobk]

Good time to buy a spreader ,

 

[DrWazzock]

I’ve had my Amazone ZAM 1200 for 22 years. It still does the job. No electronics on it. It’s essential to calibrate it using a bucket underneath driving in the field over a set distance. Set the vanes right for spread width.
Do we really need the electronics with all the extra overhead of setting up, calibration, maintenance, unreliability? Nit wishing to dissuade those who can perhaps make productivity gains over a large area with such equipment but for myself doing lots of different jobs on a small farm who just wants to hitch it on after breakfast and get more or less straight to it, I like to keep it as simple as possible. It’s starting to get seriously corroded in the joint where the steel tank meets the stainless tank bottoms but other than than that it’s been fine for the price.

 

[Cowabunga]

Interestingly, when I went shopping for mine the dealer had a Kverneland Demo machine in their yard. So it shows they are about.

You were amazingly lucky if they had a Geospread demonstrator.

 

[bobk]

You were amazingly lucky if they had a Geospread demonstrator.

How can you be amazingly lucky to spend 20k on a fert spreader ?

 

[Cowabunga]

How can you be amazingly lucky to spend 20k on a fert spreader ?

It’s only the same price as 20 tons of fertiliser these days.

 

[bobk]

It’s only the same price as 20 tons of fertiliser these days.

I've just bought one for 800 quid , holds 5 bags , all stainless too .

 

[Cowabunga]

I've just bought one for 800 quid , holds 5 bags , all stainless too .

I’m sure you will be very happy with it and hope the spread pattern won’t be photographed from space.

 

[bobk]

I’m sure you will be very happy with it and hope the spread pattern won’t be photographed from space.

It's same as yours except I put the information in .

 

[Steevo]

You were amazingly lucky if they had a Geospread demonstrator.

Quite likely, I’m sure it’s rare.

Not that I had a demo of it though…..just went to view a stock machine and saw that one sat next to it.

 

[Phil P]

You were amazingly lucky if they had a Geospread demonstrator.

Kvernaland came with a demo and spent the day with me when I was looking at my first spreader. It paid off because I bought one and so have 2 of my neighbours after sitting in with me.

 

[Steevo]

Kvernaland came with a demo and spent the day with me when I was looking at my first spreader. It paid off because I bought one and so have 2 of my neighbours after sitting in with me.

Good service that!!

Was that a CL they demoed for you? I'd think that would probably be more rare than a TL.