Dairy NewS AUSTRALIA august, 2012
machinery & products // 31
Total solutions for dairying GEA Farm Technologies
Smooth Fendt has all the extras for Cobram farmer “The hardest thing about the Fendt,” John said, “and in the this tractor is to stay awake while end the dealer played a big part. you’re driving it”, says John Watson The package from Cobram Farm of Cobram East in northern Victo- Equipment was too good to turn down.” ria. The Fendt 822 uses a 6.056 litre “The comfort, quietness and smoothness have far exceeded six cylinder engine, rated at 200hp, which ramps up to what I expected.” 220hp if needed He is talking under load. about the brand “The big thing new Fendt 822 of people say is that which he took delivit is expensive, but ery in mid-April, when you contrading in a 3-yearsider the extras old CASE Puma that come with it, 180. This tractor Who: to build up other represented a huge John and Hayley tractors to this change in technolWatson level would be ogy, even in that relWhere: more expensive. atively short time, Cobram East It even has a GPS he said. What: Fendt 822 system, including John and Haylee autosteer, which were milking 260 can come on line Holsteins out of a total herd of 400 when we visited in September. Working at night, the in June and putting 6000 litres per lights are far superior to what we’ve been used to,” said John. day into the vat. “This will only be operated by Last year they ran 550 cows but moved 210 of them about 4km away me, Haylee and my dad, Peter. I am when they started up another dairy going to spend 90% of the time in on another property. That other it. I wanted the most comfortable and quiet unit. I hadn’t driven one farm is now up to 300 cows. “When we build back up to before I owned it. There’s so much 350 cows on this farm,” John said, room around you compared with “we’ll do 200 to 230,000kg of milk our previous tractors. And the visibility is great. So far it’s done 130 solids.” With their expansion plans, hours.” Fendt says the ease of operathey discussed the machinery options for a couple of months tion in the cab owes a lot to the before making the purchase deci- new touch screen ‘Varioterminal’ sion. “I was yet to hear anybody which unites all the tractor, implewith any negative comments about ment and Variotronic functions
tor, and Watson in one terminal to explained they need make demanding the horsepower for work more managedeep ripping for able. lucerne and the They claim a Case tractor wasn’t huge reduction quite big enough. in the number of “We need it hand movements each working day as working clothes mainly for ground chris dingle work and it doesn’t operators make all matter what load is settings and adjustments from one central operating on it – if you want more speed it doesn’t range change, because of unit on the right-hand armrest. The 800 series Vario tractors the variable transmission. There’s no jerkiness through the are equipped with a headland management system, so that drivers gears. You just set the speed and it can activate automated operating holds it, regardless of hills, slopes sequences at the headlands with up and down, sideways. There are the touch of a button. The sequence very few moving parts compared can be edited and adjusted individ- with other tractors. “We do a lot of deep ripping and ually when the tractor is at a standheavy work that loads the transmisstill. “It has absolutely incredible sion up. The main work for it will transmission and the fuel economy be cultivation, running the baler/ is unbelievable,” added Watson. wrapper, and it has been brilliant “We recently baled and wrapped 45 with our trailed boom sprayer. We bales an hour over three days, using plan to laser 300 acres on the other the McHale Fusion baler/wrapper. farm, that’s one of the reasons that We used 11½ litres of diesel per we went as big as we did. We’ll get a laser bucket when we need it. hour.” John Shannon, from Cobram Everything is going bigger these Farm Equipment, explained that, days, like air seeders and fertiliser with Fendt’s Selective Catalytic spreaders. “In the long run it will save us a Reduction (SCR) technology, the exhaust is treated with Adblue, a lot of hassles. We haven’t bought solution containing urea which much else in the way of big gear converts 95% of nitrous oxides into from Cobram Farm Equipment, non-toxic nitrogen and water to other than the McHale Fusion, but comply with emissions standards the service that we get far exceeds anything that we’ve had from and lowering fuel consumption. The Fendt 822 seems bigger anyone else – and that plays a big than your average dairyman’s trac- part.”
Looking for the most efficient upgrade? Choose WestfaliaSurge IQ clusters for faster milk out, improved udder health, cleaner milk. “We are milking 280 cows an hour, without pushing it. We can put the cups on three cows in the time that it took to do two.” John Watson, Cobram VIC.
GEA Milking & Cooling
High-quality products for manure handling Houle electric effluent pumps and agitators a full line of equipment to cover all applications
GEA Farm Equipment Houle
Have a master chef in the calf shed WestfaliaSurge Automatic Calf Feeders provide a better way to rear strong healthy calves. Save time, labour and effort: freshly prepared feed, temperature controlled, precise feed monitoring and dispersal, automatic cleaning
GEA Milking & Cooling Call 1800 789 100 for the name of your nearest dealer Email info.auft@gea.com www.gea-farmtechnologies.com.au
GEA Farm Technologies The right choice
GE11221
John Watson with his new Fendt 822.