Belair is a family-owned French company. Established in 1964, it employs more than 45 people manufacturing a range of forage and feeding equipment. The company is based in Brittany, which has similar grass and fields to Ireland.
Back in December 2016, contractor Tom Egan was still harvesting grass for Paddy Ryan using the Belair Gabre 2740-2 zero-grazing machine. Paddy needed one cut of grass every two days to feed 70 cattle in the shed. He fed the animals no meal all winter and they were very happy on the fresh harvested grass. Tom charges Paddy €50 for every load of grass collected. He has a 5km limit on distance when travelling from the field to the yard at that price. Paddy said: “It works for me. The fields are left in good condition afterwards, and I think it’s the system that suits me best.” The farm is dived by the motorway, leaving two blocks for zero-grazing. The Gabre 2740-2 is contractor specification with a 40m³ loaded volume of grass, when fitted with extensions. 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.
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The mowing unit is floated on two springs to reduce the weight on the ground. The working height, raising and lowering is all electro-hydraulically controlled via the control terminal. This allows 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.
All bearings are located on outside panels, which makes them very accessible for servicing.
Driving the wagon was a Valtra T171 that had ample hp. The machine works offset off the drawbar which may cause some nervy moments on hilly ground.
Tom said he never had a problem in any field. He also added that he has collected around 260 loads of grass with only one set of blade tips that now require changing.
The build quality seems to be robust enough for Irish fields, Tom said, and it is light enough not to damage fields with the bogie axle and suspended mower unit.
Large tractor tyres of around 650mm in diameter can cause some problems with the cutting width; nevertheless they are better for reducing compaction.
For fragmented farms, this system allows herd expansion for dairy farmers. It is cheaper than making extra silage, and more reliable than silage, eliminating the variable chance of a bad week at harvesting time. It’s the next best option Tom believes to grazing the grass itself.
Teagasc estimates that the cost of harvesting 1t of DM is €61 using the zero-grazing system. Looking at figures on this farm, based on grass at 16% DM, Paddy estimates his costs are closer to €35/t of DM harvested. Wet weather will invariably add to the cost as it means you draw water back to the yard, added Paddy. So it is very hard to get an accurate figure for the whole season.
Tom Shaw Machinery, Birr, Co Offaly, is now the main importer and distributor for the Belair range specialising in zero grazing.
The company will have Jeantil muck spreaders on display with the Belair zero grazing machines at the FTMTA Farm Machinery Show.
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Belair is a family-owned French company. Established in 1964, it employs more than 45 people manufacturing a range of forage and feeding equipment. The company is based in Brittany, which has similar grass and fields to Ireland.
Back in December 2016, contractor Tom Egan was still harvesting grass for Paddy Ryan using the Belair Gabre 2740-2 zero-grazing machine. Paddy needed one cut of grass every two days to feed 70 cattle in the shed. He fed the animals no meal all winter and they were very happy on the fresh harvested grass. Tom charges Paddy €50 for every load of grass collected. He has a 5km limit on distance when travelling from the field to the yard at that price. Paddy said: “It works for me. The fields are left in good condition afterwards, and I think it’s the system that suits me best.” The farm is dived by the motorway, leaving two blocks for zero-grazing. The Gabre 2740-2 is contractor specification with a 40m³ loaded volume of grass, when fitted with extensions. 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 on the ground. The working height, raising and lowering is all electro-hydraulically controlled via the control terminal. This allows 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.
All bearings are located on outside panels, which makes them very accessible for servicing.
Driving the wagon was a Valtra T171 that had ample hp. The machine works offset off the drawbar which may cause some nervy moments on hilly ground.
Tom said he never had a problem in any field. He also added that he has collected around 260 loads of grass with only one set of blade tips that now require changing.
The build quality seems to be robust enough for Irish fields, Tom said, and it is light enough not to damage fields with the bogie axle and suspended mower unit.
Large tractor tyres of around 650mm in diameter can cause some problems with the cutting width; nevertheless they are better for reducing compaction.
For fragmented farms, this system allows herd expansion for dairy farmers. It is cheaper than making extra silage, and more reliable than silage, eliminating the variable chance of a bad week at harvesting time. It’s the next best option Tom believes to grazing the grass itself.
Teagasc estimates that the cost of harvesting 1t of DM is €61 using the zero-grazing system. Looking at figures on this farm, based on grass at 16% DM, Paddy estimates his costs are closer to €35/t of DM harvested. Wet weather will invariably add to the cost as it means you draw water back to the yard, added Paddy. So it is very hard to get an accurate figure for the whole season.
Tom Shaw Machinery, Birr, Co Offaly, is now the main importer and distributor for the Belair range specialising in zero grazing.
The company will have Jeantil muck spreaders on display with the Belair zero grazing machines at the FTMTA Farm Machinery Show.
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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. 
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