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Ballyboyland Biomass is based near Ballymoney, Co Antrim, and supplies woodchip from the north coast down as far as Dublin. The main machine in the business is a Jenz Hem 561 tractor-driven chipper. This machine requires in or around 400hp to run it properly. It has the ability to chew up logs up to 2.5ft in diameter and create around 30t to 35t of chip per hour.
They have been running Fendt 900 series tractors on the chipper since it arrived in 2016. The tractors are replaced each year after approximately 1,000 hours of work. They have had a 936, a 930 and have recently taken delivery of their current 936 model. This tractor produces 360hp, with no boost available.
The main feature that makes this tractor stand out is the fact that it has been specified to be reverse drive. This means that the seat and all the controls are able to rotate 180°. This gives the operator the ability to sit and operate the crane to load the chipper while facing in the correct direction.
When I asked Colin Newell of Ballyboyland Biomass, he said this was a major deciding factor when buying a tractor for the chipper, as well as the massive horsepower required of course.
Not only is there a horsepower requirement to run the chipper, but the machine weighs 16.5t, so it needs a big tractor just to move it.
Once the chipper is fired up, you can see why the power is needed and the big Fendt is really working when the timber is fed into the blades. They say that the tractor is drinking 65 litres per hour, so with a 500-litre tank, this allows them to get around 7.5 hours of chipping done before refuelling.
The Jenz Hem 561 is a smart piece of machinery. It senses when the tractor is coming under pressure and reduces the load by reversing the rotor to allow the tractor to get the revs up to carry on.
You may think that 360hp is enough to do any job, but on a couple of occasions while I was watching, it had to be saved by the chipper and allowed to get the power back up. With this tractor, the chopper is producing 25t to 30t per hour. The maximum for the machine would require more power. With the tractors clocking 1,000 hours per year, they are producing 25,000t to 30,000t of chip per year.
The spec of this tractor makes for impressive reading, with the Deutz engine producing 360hp and the 200-bar hydraulic system shifting up to 216 litres per minute. This hydraulic output is required, as the Palfinger crane on the chipper is run completely from the tractor’s hydraulic system.
The controls for the crane have been positioned both sides of the driver’s seat. This allows the operator to load the chipper from the seat without the need for any more machines. This, plus the ability to move the spout to load trailers fully, is the main reason for the reverse driver capability of this tractor.
This size tractor is rarely used to its maximum potential in an agricultural setting, but in this situation, the big Fendt is being pushed to its limits on a daily basis.
Ballyboyland Biomass is based near Ballymoney, Co Antrim, and supplies woodchip from the north coast down as far as Dublin. The main machine in the business is a Jenz Hem 561 tractor-driven chipper. This machine requires in or around 400hp to run it properly. It has the ability to chew up logs up to 2.5ft in diameter and create around 30t to 35t of chip per hour.
They have been running Fendt 900 series tractors on the chipper since it arrived in 2016. The tractors are replaced each year after approximately 1,000 hours of work. They have had a 936, a 930 and have recently taken delivery of their current 936 model. This tractor produces 360hp, with no boost available.
The main feature that makes this tractor stand out is the fact that it has been specified to be reverse drive. This means that the seat and all the controls are able to rotate 180°. This gives the operator the ability to sit and operate the crane to load the chipper while facing in the correct direction.
When I asked Colin Newell of Ballyboyland Biomass, he said this was a major deciding factor when buying a tractor for the chipper, as well as the massive horsepower required of course.
Not only is there a horsepower requirement to run the chipper, but the machine weighs 16.5t, so it needs a big tractor just to move it.
Once the chipper is fired up, you can see why the power is needed and the big Fendt is really working when the timber is fed into the blades. They say that the tractor is drinking 65 litres per hour, so with a 500-litre tank, this allows them to get around 7.5 hours of chipping done before refuelling.
The Jenz Hem 561 is a smart piece of machinery. It senses when the tractor is coming under pressure and reduces the load by reversing the rotor to allow the tractor to get the revs up to carry on.
You may think that 360hp is enough to do any job, but on a couple of occasions while I was watching, it had to be saved by the chipper and allowed to get the power back up. With this tractor, the chopper is producing 25t to 30t per hour. The maximum for the machine would require more power. With the tractors clocking 1,000 hours per year, they are producing 25,000t to 30,000t of chip per year.
The spec of this tractor makes for impressive reading, with the Deutz engine producing 360hp and the 200-bar hydraulic system shifting up to 216 litres per minute. This hydraulic output is required, as the Palfinger crane on the chipper is run completely from the tractor’s hydraulic system.
The controls for the crane have been positioned both sides of the driver’s seat. This allows the operator to load the chipper from the seat without the need for any more machines. This, plus the ability to move the spout to load trailers fully, is the main reason for the reverse driver capability of this tractor.
This size tractor is rarely used to its maximum potential in an agricultural setting, but in this situation, the big Fendt is being pushed to its limits on a daily basis.
The research confirmed that hedgerows on Irish farms are an important means of sequestering carbon.
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