For many fruit growers a new tractor is their most expensive machinery item, and many of the leading manufacturers offer a range of models designed to meet their special requirements. Recent developments include a major update for Massey Ferguson’s MF3400 series of VSF tractors, first introduced in 2003. VSF stands for vineyard, special and fruit, including the orchard and narrow models used by fruit growers.
The MF3400 tractors have engine outputs of 64, 80, 90 and 98hp, and the slimmest of the vineyard versions is only one metre wide, handy for working between canes and bushes as well as vines. The important design change introduced last autumn was the addition of a new power shuttle transmission for all models. This allows the driver to make forward/reverse changes without using the clutch pedal, using a special lever beside the steering wheel. It is ideal for jobs such as box or pallet handling with frequent forward/reverse movements, and it is also handy for turning on a narrow headland. Another advantage of the new transmission is the facility for using a push-button on the gear lever to make on-the-move gearshifts, also without using the clutch pedal.
Lamberhurst Engineering, UK distributor for Ferrari tractors, is offering a new Dualsteer version of the Vega series. Introduced last autumn, it offers increased manoeuvrability, making it easier to work inside buildings and tunnels as well as reducing the turning space needed at the end of rows. Dualsteer tractors have a 70 degree steering angle giving a 220cm radius turning circle, achieved by combining front wheel steering with articulated or ‘bend-in-the-middle’ steering from a pivot point between the front and rear chassis sections. Manoeuvrability is also helped by reducing the overall length of the tractors, achieved by a shorter wheelbase and a more compact driveline from the engine.
Ferrari Vega tractors are powered by four-cylinder engines with outputs of 64 to 92hp. The standard specification includes a shuttle gearbox with 16 forward and reverse speeds. The seat and principle controls swivel through 180 degrees allowing the operator to face either forwards or to the rear while driving the tractor, and the rear linkage has 2.3 tonnes maximum lift capacity. Options include a cab and an 800kg capacity front linkage.
A surprise newcomer announced last month by New Holland is a new high clearance addition to their TDD tractor series. Called the TD95HC, it is based on the 94hp TDD model and it has been introduced to meet a demand from fruit and vegetable growers for a tractor with extra clearance to avoid damaging crop plants. The modifications include fitting a different front axle, turning the rear axle upside down and switching to larger diameter front and rear wheels, boosting the clearance by an extra 8in to 26in.
Grass cutting is a routine job in most orchards and vineyards, using either a rotary or a flail type mower. Rotaries offer mechanical simplicity, lower prices and maintenance costs plus more output per horsepower, but in spite of this flail mowers are often the first choice because of their ability to mulch prunings.
The list of new flail mowers includes the BPR series from Kuhn Farm Machinery. They were introduced at the end of last year with 2.4, 2.8 and 3.05m working widths and power requirements of 57, 67 and 78hp measured at the p-t-o, making them suitable for most orchard tractors. They can be front or rear mounted and are suitable for a wide range of mowing situations including pasture topping and shredding scrub growth as well as orchard work.
Specifications include a gearbox with an integrated flywheel, and automatic belt tensioning is standard. There are eight rows of scoop type hammer flails that work with a pair of counter knives under a double-hinged hood to produce the shredding action that helps to deal with orchard prunings. They are arranged in a helical pattern to give a more even workload while cutting.
The Bandit range of flail mowers from Bomford-Turner is not new - they have been available for more than 20 years and are used for a wide range of jobs. A new version of the Bandit with an updated specification is being introduced this summer with a list of improvements that include a redesigned headstock, an all-new drive mechanism to the flail rotor using an oil-immersed shaft to transfer the power, and there are more flail head options to provide greater flexibility.
As well as the previous 1.5, 1.8 and 2.5m working widths, a new 2.8m version has been added to the Bandit range. The standard specification for all models includes a roller, dual-speed 540 and 1000rpm p-t-o input speeds and the cutting height adjusts between 13 and 105mm. The existing models can all be adjusted to an offset cutting position for working under overhanging branches, with the slide mechanism operating manually on the smallest model and with a hydraulic option on larger machines.
A different approach to flail mowing is available with the new engine-powered EF120 model from Teagle Machinery. It uses hammer type flails and, as the model number suggests, it has a 120cm cutting width. An 18hp Briggs and Stratton engine mounted on the frame drives the flail rotor, avoiding the need for a tractor p-t-o and allowing the machine to operate behind a quad bike or a 4x4 vehicle.
The engine powered machine is suitable for general mowing including orchard work and cutting the car parks for pick-your-own establishments. The specification includes a full-width roller, a lever to engage or disengage the drive to the rotor by controlling the belt tension and a turnbuckle type adjustment for the cutting height. The drawbar can be offset to one side to allow the mower to cut under trees and bushes.
Kent based Sayell Equipment is the UK distributor for a wide range of imported equipment for farmers and growers, but they also design and build specialised machines including a recently introduced trimmer for blackcurrant bushes. The aim with blackcurrant trimming is to remove only the growth that is hanging down to ground level, a job that demands a good degree of accuracy and control.
An earlier version developed by the company used multiple cutting discs, but the new, improved version was developed with the help of a local grower. He later bought one of the first two machines that were completed last year - the other was bought by the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk. The new design has only one circular cutting blade and is powered by a hydraulic motor with 25 l/min oil flow, well within the capacity of most orchard and vineyard tractors. It can be either front or side-mounted on the tractor and is adjustable for both height and tilt angle.
Designing spray equipment for table-top strawberry production is complicated by lack of standardisation in the growing systems, and this means sprayers often have to be tailored to meet individual requirements. N P Seymour has designed a sprayer that can span up to five rows of table-top strawberries in a tunnel, with a maximum gap of 50cm between rows. The sprayer has a 300-litre tank and a 55 l/min pump, and spray is delivered through hydraulic nozzles with air assistance. Output is up to 1,000 l/ha.
Their first table-top sprayer was designed and built last year following a request from a grower, and Nick Seymour says it has worked so well that they have sold four more of them this year. The principle design change for this year is using galvanised metal for the sprayer frame instead of the painted frame on the sprayer they sold last year. The sprayer can be linkage mounted on a narrow vineyard tractor or trailed behind a 30hp plus compact tractor.
The recently introduced Electravine from Micron Sprayers is tractor-mounted but is powered by two 12-volt batteries, making it independent of the tractor’s hydraulics or p-t-o. Micron designed the Electravine for applying foliar sprays in vineyards and it is a compact design that can be mounted on the back of a narrow vineyard or compact tractor. A 60-litre capacity tank contains the spray mixture, which is applied with air assistance from three of the Micron Turbair fan units.
The fans, which produce a constant output and have a low power requirement, are driven by electric motors operated by two deep-drain batteries.
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