X-Steam-inator Agricultural Products signed a memorandum of understanding with Honey Bee Manufacturing to build an implement that uses steam to kill weeds. Kevin Hursh works with X-Steam-inator and he said it made sense to align with a Saskatchewan-based manufacturer instead of setting up a new plant. “It’s actually a lot of component parts that need […] Read more
Machinery — page 58
New MT800 from the ground up
Tractor pushes leading edge of two-track technology a little deeper into the industry but not the soil
Agco’s new MT800 series provides up to 673 horsepower along with a step-less transmission and front suspension system that provide a more comfortable ride than previous parallel track Challengers. It’s a tractor designed for deep ripping, sub-soiling, installing tile or pulling high-speed seeding equipment, Agco engineer Adam Sills said in a recent phone interview. Sills […] Read more
Pull the big planter with the big 4-wheel drive tractor
If your regular MFWD planter tractor doesn’t have the ponies to pull the new 1790, you need an adapter interface between your big four-by-four tractor drawbar and the planter hitch. Fred Dueck, founder of Schnelll Industries in Winkler, Man., has been making custom hitches for 18 years. It started when a local corn grower bought […] Read more
Driving force behind Claas equipment company dies
Helmut Claas, the pioneer behind Claas agricultural machinery, died Jan. 5 at the age of 94. Born in Harsewinkel, Germany, in 1926, he was exposed to farm machinery at an early age because his parents managed a small agricultural machinery firm with about 100 employees. “After studying agriculture in Paris, he took over the planning […] Read more
Equipment dealers fight COVID-19
Keeping the essential services of farm equipment companies rolling through the pandemic took some creative thinking
In farming areas there’s one category of stores that remain open 365 days of the year. Farmers need their local equipment dealers like Jack needs Jill, pandemic or no pandemic. Farmers are accustomed to standing three feet away across the counter from the parts guy, or sitting with their feet up on the sales representative’s […] Read more
Feeding the agricultural machine during COVID-19
It was unclear if farmers would have access to parts they needed to keep equipment running when the pandemic first hit North America. Agriculture equipment manufacturers have been considered a critical service through the pandemic, so they have stayed open. But often, they are global enterprises that rely on international supply chains, and it is […] Read more
Battery recycling program for Sask.
Saskatchewan will implement a battery recycling program beginning Jan. 1. The 73 SARCAN collection depots, along with other designated sites, will accept single-use and rechargeable consumer batteries that weigh less than five kilograms each, excluding lead acid batteries. The program will be operated by a non-profit environmental stewardship organization called Call2Recycle Canada. It has been […] Read more
Gentle gradual drains from TerraFormer
Although conventional scrapers are still the predominant machines for drainage, new field ditching concepts have fostered a new breed of dirt moving implements: V-Wing, Pulldozer and Ag Shield’s new TerraFormer. The new concept machines use large adjustable blades to pull soil from one point to another in a continuous smooth line. Farmers and operators who […] Read more
Remote and autonomous small aircraft make crop scouting personal
The market for drones, sensors, and agronomic software that quickly turns images into actionable intelligence is racing forward at a breakneck speed. It’s difficult to know which systems will save agronomists or producers time and provide a return on investment, so Glacier FarmMedia had Markus Weber provide a presentation during Farm Forum. Webber heads up […] Read more
Big force, delicate balance, 5-bu. benefit
SureForce hydraulics balance 1,000 pounds down force with 350 pounds uplift and leaves seed just right
Hydraulic depth control has been available on planters for a decade, but they’re seldom installed, despite the fact that field trials give hydraulics a five-bushel benefit over spring-type down force. In a recent side-by-side trial in Iowa, a dozen strips planted with an Ag Leader SureForce hydraulic system averaged 5.128 bu. better than the adjacent […] Read more
