Silage harvester sales look positive for 2017.

Though the number of harvesters actually sold in the country cannot be officially stated until all the new arrivals have been registered, the main manufacturers and importers told the Irish Farmers Journal it has been a good year for them.

Last year, it was reported that 30 machines were sold in the Republic of Ireland. This was a 14% drop on the 2015 figure of 35. It is expected that the 2017 number will reach similar levels to 2015, or maybe even 40.

Claas led the way in harvester sales for the last number of years and 2017 is looking like another good year for the German giant, with 22 harvesters sold in the republic so far.

John Deere and Krone are vying for second place, having sold 10 and six machines respectively. It is believed that two New Holland harvesters have been sold into the Republic by a Northern Ireland dealer. So far, there are no reported sales of the Fendt Katana but they hope to make a push for the 2018 season. This brings the total to 40 so far – a 33% increase on 2016.

Fendt additions

Meanwhile, Fendt is now offering integrated guidance on its baby 300 Vario series tractors when ordered in top-spec ProfiPlus guise and fitted with a 7in in-cab terminal.

In addition, the 500 and 700 series models are now available in PowerPlus spec, which was first introduced on the larger 800 and 900 tractors in 2015 where there was a need for guidance systems.

It means the smaller machines can now be ordered with fully automatic steering – an important step for Fendt, given that more than 60% of 700 series tractors leave the factory with some form of guidance kit.

Customers can choose between a NovAtel or Trimble receiver, with precision levels from +/- 20cm on the standard Vario guide through to the all-singing +/- 2cm RTK option.