Sward lifter

[Toms820]

This is a long post but hopefully someone can help.

Been looking for the last few weeks at buying my own Sward lifter for my self (120 acres perminant pasture and 70 acres of crops and rotational grass for silage) and abit of contracting to help cover the cost of running one.

The one that has stood out to me above the rest is the Sumo GLS due to plenty of good reviews and watching videos of it in action, has anyone here got first had experience of them? Reason I like the sumo is the staggering of the legs so not to lift slabs and that you can fit a seeder unit!

Also for contracting has anyone got any current rates for what I should be charging? What are the Wear rates of metal and current cost And if someone could offer a Sward lifter with seeder would there be the work for the seeder unit or not bother with it. I live in a area with mainly beef and dairy units all around me(south west)

Lastly running it with a old ford tw what weight would I need to look at putting on the front?

 

[Speedstar]

This is a long post but hopefully someone can help.

Been looking for the last few weeks at buying my own Sward lifter for my self (120 acres perminant pasture and 70 acres of crops and rotational grass for silage) and abit of contracting to help cover the cost of running one.

The one that has stood out to me above the rest is the Sumo GLS due to plenty of good reviews and watching videos of it in action, has anyone here got first had experience of them? Reason I like the sumo is the staggering of the legs so not to lift slabs and that you can fit a seeder unit!

Also for contracting has anyone got any current rates for what I should be charging? What are the Wear rates of metal and current cost And if someone could offer a Sward lifter with seeder would there be the work for the seeder unit or not bother with it. I live in a area with mainly beef and dairy units all around me(south west)

Lastly running it with a old ford tw what weight would I need to look at putting on the front?

We had a sumo GLS 5 leg machine it did a great job and paid for it's self in the first year we had it we were on £20 per acre + fuel , wear rates on metal could be up to £4 per acre if ground was hard , that was In 2013 after the wet year of 2012 ,then the next few year 2014/15 it was never out of the yard so we sold it and have never had any one want the job done since that wet year, it is something to do everything few years but not every year

 

[ploughman1963]

I think the Earth machine does every bit as good a job as the sumo - and leaves a smoother finish in some conditions- but I’ve got one so I would say that. Sumo will be grand - will be lots to learn to get the best out of it like most machines

 

[Toms820]

We had a sumo GLS 5 leg machine it did a great job and paid for it's self in the first year we had it we were on £20 per acre + fuel , wear rates on metal could be up to £4 per acre if ground was hard , that was In 2013 after the wet year of 2012 ,then the next few year 2014/15 it was never out of the yard so we sold it and have never had any one want the job done since that wet year, it is something to do everything few years but not every year

What kind of acreage did you have to do to cover the cost of the machine? That’s the only thing that has concerned me is that it’s a one time thing for people but with enough bid dairy’s around I’m hoping I’ll get some repeat customers. What tractor did you have on the front of your 5 leg sumo?

 

[ih1455xl]

Why not just buy a Howard Paraplow

 

[Speedstar]

What kind of acreage did you have to do to cover the cost of the machine? That’s the only thing that has concerned me is that it’s a one time thing for people but with enough bid dairy’s around I’m hoping I’ll get some repeat customers. What tractor did you have on the front of your 5 leg sumo?

we pulled it with a MF7620 & did about 2500 acres with it

 

[highland-man]

3 years ago I was looking at buying a Sward lifter. Had a demo of very make that could be supplied to where I am.
The two standouts who imo were way ahead of the other makes were Erth Panbuster and the Sumo Gls.

So I would say the folk praising either of these machines are bang on, they were both excellent. We had these two on demo in the same field and their work was side by side. The difference made to the field is huge, equally good from both makes.

I would say the erth made a slightly smoother finish but the sumo looked stronger built. Both these machines did a better job and finish than the rivals though.

I actually still haven’t bought one and got the use of one instead as I wouldn’t be contracting and I decide it was the kind of machine that costs a fair bit new and I would go mad and do the whole farm in a year and then it would lie in the yard for five years untouched. I might buy one yet if I can’t hire one again. We had an awful year up here again and there is fields needing it so time will tell.


Good luck whichever you choose.

 

[Barleycorn]

Get some deep rooting herbs in your mixtures, a lot cheaper than diesel and metal!

 

[neilo]

Pretty well everyone I know that has one, myself included, used it to sort a few problem areas out and have left it parked up most of the time since. I only use mine occasionally now, and usually in an arable situation.
If anyone is needing to use one regularly, I would suggest they need to look at what's causing the compaction issue and change that.

Given the above, I would look very closely at the viability of running one as a contractor, or even buying one outright.

 

[Dyna_vt]

Very happy with our sumo GLS, does a tidy job with good results. Needs to be £25+ per acre depending on what the ground is like and how abrasive it is on the wearing metal.

 

[Ormond]

We bought a sumo 4 leg a few years ago...used it in the end more on arable ground. Never seen a lot of improvement on the grassland tbh....and in silage ground...the stones it kicked up were a nightmare....well built machine.... Saw a lot of grassland subsoilers over the past few years around cumbria....never see them now. Im more for investing in wide tyres to cut down the compaction. I've never really missed the machine

 

[warksfarmer]

Sumo GLS isn’t exactly minimal disturbance even at very slow speeds. The front discs need redesigning.

 

[Toms820]

3 years ago I was looking at buying a Sward lifter. Had a demo of very make that could be supplied to where I am.
The two standouts who imo were way ahead of the other makes were Erth Panbuster and the Sumo Gls.

So I would say the folk praising either of these machines are bang on, they were both excellent. We had these two on demo in the same field and their work was side by side. The difference made to the field is huge, equally good from both makes.

I would say the erth made a slightly smoother finish but the sumo looked stronger built. Both these machines did a better job and finish than the rivals though.

I actually still haven’t bought one and got the use of one instead as I wouldn’t be contracting and I decide it was the kind of machine that costs a fair bit new and I would go mad and do the whole farm in a year and then it would lie in the yard for five years untouched. I might buy one yet if I can’t hire one again. We had an awful year up here again and there is fields needing it so time will tell.


Good luck whichever you choose.

I like the look of the erth pan buster and the quality of work it left behind but the stronger build of the sumo swayed it for me and I have a dealer just down the road for spares is a big bonus.

Warksfarmer was that your own unit or just a demo? For the disks how would you change them to improve the quality of the output? That’s the first pictures I’ve seen of the sumo leaving abit of a messy job behind.

 

[Father ted]

Been about for years the old Shakerator looks to be doing a fair bit of lift in this video.

 

[Barmyfarmer]

Sumo GLS isn’t exactly minimal disturbance even at very slow speeds. The front discs need redesigning.

Ours was like that when it first came, nothing to do with the disc, half an hour of messing around with a spanner and lineing them up with the leg and it is put back absolutely perfect, I did let sumo know they need to sort them out before they are loaded on the wagon

 

[warksfarmer]

I like the look of the erth pan buster and the quality of work it left behind but the stronger build of the sumo swayed it for me and I have a dealer just down the road for spares is a big bonus.

Warksfarmer was that your own unit or just a demo? For the disks how would you change them to improve the quality of the output? That’s the first pictures I’ve seen of the sumo leaving abit of a messy job behind.

Hire machine. I think the discs need to pivot more like the McConnel.
Erth is the one to buy though.

 

[Tommy]

Or you could build one yourself

 

[ILovebaling]

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[le bon paysan]

I've got an Erth, generally needs less power than a Sumo. Did 1 day put the Erth on the back of a TL100(?) and it pulled it but conditions were perfect.
Some pictures on pictures from france, pages 13 post 245 and 14 post 266 and others later, cba to look for the rest.

 

[Toms820]

I can’t see much difference between the finish the erth and the sumo leave to be honest. The erth doesn’t look as well built as the sumo and having a sumo dealer just down the road is handy for parts which are the main reasons I’m swaying towards the sumo. I’ve got to amit around from where I am I’ve never seen a Sward lifter working and neither has anyone I know