The conversation among farmers at the Q8 Oils Spring Farm Machinery Show at Millstreet, Co Cork, was very much about the revised road regulations for agricultural vehicles and the use of trailers.

Following on from that, some new machines were on view from young companies entering the business, while there were changes to products from the well established brands. The new regulations regarding the specification on the use of trailers are tempting some farmers to upgrade.

Lynch Trailers

Lynch Trailers displayed a number of trailers and some of the retrofitting requirements for existing trailers. Commenting on the new regulations, Donal Lynch said that they are welcomed from a road-safety perspective.

A typical grain trailer from Lynch Trailers is 18ft, with 5ft sides, a standard grain door, airbrakes with auto-slack adjusters and an automatic breakaway system.

According to Donal, all grain/silage trailers have LED lighting as standard, with all wiring connections centralised to a weatherproof junction box.

Reflective markings are standard at the sides and rear of all models. The trailers are painted with an industrial etch primer and an acrylic top coat. The hoses/cables are routed to the tractor within a hose guide and are contained in a protective sleeve.

This trailer is built to meet all of the new regulations and is on offer at €13,900, plus VAT.

UNIA spreaders

New to Millstreet and Ireland is the UNIA range of fertiliser spreaders. The machines are being imported by Andrew O’Riordan from Coachford, Co Cork, who displayed the RCW 8200 spreader. This trailed bulk spreader has an eight-tonne capacity, a spreading width of 12m to 36m, and it comes with a land drive for the belt and a PTO drive.

The UNIA spreader also comes with air and hydraulic brakes, and can spread both lime and fertiliser. The machine displayed also had a field boundary spreading mechanism and a hydraulic rollover cover. The UNIA trailed spreader has a list price of €28,000, plus VAT.

Kuhn plough

Cork Farm Machinery had the Kuhn VM 123 Vari width four-sod reversible plough on display. This plough has a full set of discs, with lateral and vertical adjustment.

The plough weighs in at 2.358t, and has hydraulic auto-reset bodies. According to DJ Kelleher from Kuhn Ireland, the plough is performing well in Irish soils and a notable feature is the 690mm depth wheel. The plough is manufactured by Kuhn, and costs €23,500, plus VAT.

Also on the Kuhn stand was the Kuhn FC 3125 D front mower. The mower has a sleek design but the changes don’t end here. The mower features the Opticut bed with protected drive. The new mower has a two-speed conditioner with steel tines, giving 750rpm and 1,000rpm.

Another nice feature are the flexible stone guards on the side of the mower. The mower also has a hydra pneumatic lift control suspension that allows front and lateral sway up to 30 degrees to follow the ground contours.

Prices start at €15,200, plus VAT.

McCarthy Plant and Agri Sales

McCarthy Plant and Agricultural Sales has reported to the Irish Farmers Journal that January 2016 has been its best month ever for tractor sales. The most popular Claas model sold is the 620 Arion.

The 530 Arion was one of the tractors displayed at Millstreet. This 138hp tractor is priced at €72,000 plus VAT and €77,000 plus VAT with the Claas loader fitted.

Claas is offering 0% finance. The deal requires one payment upfront and two years at 0%. The finance offer also requires 50% of the retail price to be paid as a deposit. The trade-in tractor could supply all or part of the deposit required.

Pöttinger

Pöttinger had its new Europrofi Combiline 5010 forage wagon on show in Ireland for the first time. This machine is ideally suited to Irish farmyards, according to sales manager Sean Fitzgerald. The machine has a 1.85m pickup with a six-tine reel and cam track.

The new wagon has a theoretical chop length of 39mm with 35 double-sided knives. The overall capacity of the wagon works out at 29m³ Din and the chopping unit is gearbox driven, which is different to the older EuroProfi models.

The Pöttinger 5010 has a hydraulic drawbar, and the model at the show was fitted with 710 tyres. According to Sean, the range will start at €61,000 plus VAT.