This machine was seen in Ireland for the first time at the FTMTA show, which attracted the attention of Tom Shaw from Tom Shaw Machinery in Birr, Co Offaly.

His first impression of the machine was that the build quality would make it ideally suited to Irish fields and the grass here.

Belair is a family-owned French company. Established in 1964, it employs over 45 people manufacturing a range of forage and feeding equipment. The company is based in the Brittany area of France, which has similar grass and fields to Ireland.

The first machine that Tom has imported for the Irish market is the Gabare 2030PH. Tom believes that this size of wagon is well suited to the farming systems around him.

Size-wise, the model is just over nine metres long and 2.4 metres wide. A notable feature on this machine is that it is relatively low for entering sheds at 2.9 metres including the net ropes for filling. The unloaded weight of the machine is 4,400kg, which is not the lightest out there at the moment.

The wagon features a Galfre two-drum mowing unit found commonly on this type of machine. Each drum has four reversible blades, giving a 2.1-metre cutting width.

The mowing unit is floated on two springs to reduce the weight of the mower on the ground.

The working height, raising and lowering is all electro -hydraulically controlled via the control terminal. This allows for various other functions to be performed by the tractor’s hydraulic system also.

Behind the cutting unit is Belair’s own conveyor design. The unit uses a position sensor to raise or lower the height based on the cutting position of the machine.

The hydraulic rams also act as a suspension to protect the whole unit from any unwanted shocks on uneven fields.

The conveyor is 1.09 metres wide and is driven by a gearbox on the top shaft of the conveyor. The chain tension is manually adjusted on a slide.

Another feature of the machine is that all bearings are located on outside panels, which makes them very accessible for servicing.

According to Tom, the tractor requirements are approximately 90hp with a hydraulic pump output of 80 litres/min. The PTO is only required to drive the mower at 540RPM for this model.

This machine is expected to cost in the region of €35,000 including VAT with a one-year warranty as standard. Tom is looking for dealers across Ireland to work with him on the Belair range.