Mike Solari of Gore - LiveUpdater

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C U S T O M E R P R O F I L E Contractors fizzing with new Lemken and Fella gear Martinborough based contractors Colton Bros Limited are in total agreement about the benefits their new Lemken Rubin disc cultivator and Fella TS4000 rake are delivering to their business. Colton Bros Limited was formed more than 40 years ago and is today owned and operated by Jim Alpe, Philip Reid, Rob Gawith, Doug Colton and Warren and Sharon Colton. The business offers a full agricultural service, including spraying, ploughing, cultivating, drilling, regrassing, grass and maize silage, hay baling, grain harvesting and cartage. The owners purchased a 5.0m Lemken Rubin cultivator in October from Norwood Farm Machinery Centre in Masterton, after demonstrating a smaller model last autumn. “We trialled a 3.0m three-point linkage model and we liked the concept, so we decided to buy the bigger one, which folds up for transport,” Jim says. “It’s a straw incorporator and is an exceptional machine. We’re most impressed with the job it does. We got it for our autumn work but we utilised it in the spring time for jobs we thought it would be handy for. It really improved our seed bed preparation. Some of the paddocks were ex-fodder crop and we went straight in and levelled then drilled them.” The Lemken Rubin is a versatile disc harrow with working widths from 2.5m to 12m, depending on whether it is mounted or semi-mounted. It is ideal for incorporating tall stubble, green manure crops, and vegetable waste. The Rubin features two rows of scalloped discs of 610mm diameter, 6mm thick with spring auto reset protection, and two integrated straw harrows to give an even flow of trash through the machine. Jim believes the Lemken Rubin did a far better job than tandem discs, because of the crumbler roller on the back. “Instead of burning barley, wheat or maize stubble we disced it with the Rubin and then roller drilled our grass seed over the top. It’s especially good when you get damp seasons like we’re having and trouble with burning off stubble. Last year we had a lot of barley stubble that got wet and we couldn’t burn it. That’s why we trialled the small machine and bought this one.” Philip Reid is also pleased with the job the Lemken has done and says they’re looking forward to their autumn cultivation work, which will involve incorporating stubble and preparing ground for regrassing after crops. “It seems to be easy to set up and it does the job very nicely,” he says. “We’ve demonstrated various brands that were fully mounted and we decided that the trailed version would be more suitable for us, plus it’s wider so you can cover more area. That side of it is very user friendly for the tractors and it seems to track nicely.” Colton Bros also purchased a Fella TS4000 rake in October – the first Fella rake the business has owned. Jim and Philip decided to buy the rake after visiting the Fella factory in Europe. “We liked the robustness of the construction,” Jim says. “I’ve looked at other rakes and they tend to be very over complicated, with a lot of electrics and hydraulics, which makes the cost of the machine more expensive for what you get. This TS4000 rake has only two hydraulic services and everything else is manually operated, which also makes it better for potential breakdowns.” Colton Bros has suffered a lot of broken tines with other rakes over the years. “We’ve used this one for the season and there’s no sign of any broken tines. With one brand we had tines breaking almost daily.” Philip agrees the Fella rake has been quite a revelation. “We always thought it would be nice to get into a four-rotor rake and it’s proving very successful. We’ve used it in a number of situations, mainly in front of our self-propelled chopper for fine-chop silage. We’ve also used it in front of a round baler and silage baler and it’s proved very successful.”
Lemken continues to expand range Since 1780 the Lemken name has been synonymous with innovation and quality in cultivation equipment. The recent opening of a 20,000,000 Euro paint facility combined with the launch of a range of new products continues to place the German manufacturer at the forefront of efficient cultivation technology. Famous for its Opal range of ploughs, Lemken has now added the Juwel and Tansanit which feature fully integrated hydraulic trip mechanisms for truly non-stop operation. The new Juwel range is designed for the professional contractor looking to utilise 200 plus horsepower in a mounted reversible plough, whilst the Tansanit shares the same features but in a hybrid mounted/trailed combination up to seven furrows. Essentially a semi-mounted plough, the Tansanit uses a hydraulic top link controlled by pressure sensors which are set by the operator to add weight to the rear of the tractor, thus enabling a smaller tractor to be utilised. The well proven Zirkon power harrow range has been extended with the addition of a completely new model, the Zirkon 8 series. Designed for use with tractors up to 180 horsepower, the Zirkon 8 is available in four working widths from 2.5 to 4.0m in a rigid format and the option of a two speed gearbox and reversible quick change tines. The most obvious feature of the new Zirkon 8 range is the sloping profile of the top of the gear trough to prevent the build up of soil. Closely spaced, small diameter rotors produce a very consistent seedbed and this combined with a choice of seven roller options enable the Zirkon 8 to be specified to suit all soil types and finish requirements. Shallow cultivation and incorporation of crop residues continue to become more popular as the benefits to soil structure and moisture retention are appreciated. Adoption of minimum tillage techniques require careful consideration as well as the equipment required to do an efficient job in one or two passes. PRODUCT NEWS Incorporation of high levels of crop residue such as grain maize and chopped straw require a machine with an aggressive mode of action to chop residue and penetrate hard soils, yet with a sufficiently close disc spacing to prevent the formation of large clods which require further breaking down. It is in this role that the Lemken Rubin continues to excel. Two rows of large diameter (620mm) scalloped discs set at a very aggressive angle, mounted on coil spring protected arms perform the job superbly in all conditions, and will take stones in its stride. Fitted with a roller from one of the largest ranges available from any manufacturer, the Rubin will create the perfect stale seedbed with optimum residue incorporation and consolidation. In addition, the Heliodor is a lighter disc type incorporator with slightly smaller discs individually mounted on leaf springs again for stony conditions. Available with a hydraulic levelling board and a choice of rollers, the Heliodor is perfect for the incorporation of lighter residues such as wheat/barley stubble etc and is perfect for use in conjunction with a small air seeder such as the StocksAG TurboJet for the establishment of fodder crops etc. The Solitair seed drill continues to be the machine of choice with many operators, particularly those who appreciate the benefit of a power harrow/drill combination for its flexibility and ability to cope with virtually all conditions. The Lemken seed drill range has now been further enhanced with the addition of the Compact Solitair which combines the benefits of the Heliodor disc system, levelling board, tyre packer and a new hydraulically controlled coulter system in one machine. Be it in a ploughed or reduced tillage system, the Compact Solitair offers the ultimate in seeding flexibility.
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Mike Solari of Gore - LiveUpdater

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