Purchasing a new piece of machinery is a decision that takes some thought, some comparisons, and some hard and fast facts about whether or not the purchase of this machine is beneficial to your farming operation and will show you the kind of return on your money you are looking for. So we have put together some tips to help you tell if you are buying a quality machine that will last you seasons and help you increase profits on your farm.
1. What type of steel is it made from and what is the life of this machine? Lots of manufacturers are trying to bring down the price of their machines by using cheaper steel, tires, ect. to make their product. But this isn’t necessarily a good thing if you plan to keep your machine around and get the most for your money. On many of the machines we sell we know that the most industrial strength steel is used in the making of the piece and that the life of the machine is dependent on that. Also something to keep in mind is making sure that you are getting a machine that coincides with the size farming operation you have. For instance, as far as bale wrappers go, if you have a hay operation that bales 5,000 bales per season but buy a bale wrapper that has a recommended amount of 400 or less bales per season- it doesn’t mean you cannot use that wrapper, but don’t expect to get extended life out of it. 2. Are there lots of parts sold for this machine? It’s always a good sign when the parts are readily available for the machine you have, but that also not many parts are needing or break often. How do you figure this out? You can always ask your local dealer how many parts they sell for a certain machine and if they are major parts or just small wear and tear parts. 3. Are there testimonials from customers out there? Just like if you were buying a new car, you would probably read some reviews about how customers are liking their new purchase and if they would recommend it to others. So read some online reviews of the machine you are interested in and see if a majority of customers would recommend this product to others. 4. Do you need more tractor power to run this machine? Something to think about when it comes to attachments and short lines is whether you can run this product with your current tractor set up or you would need more power, which would equal more expense. Most of the machine we sell are fuel efficient and faster, and use less horsepower- because we know that is a deciding factor when buying a machine. 5. What is the used market or trade in value of the machine? This would be another question for your local dealership, as they see machines go in and out and are able to get a sense of whether there are customers out there asking for used machines of this kind and if they keep a good trade in value. 6. Will this machine increase my profits on the farm? You have to look at the cost of the machine vs how much money you will be saving in time, fuel, and selling profits whether you are talking about crops, cows or hay. If your cows milk will be worth more, your hay will sell for a greater profit or your crops will be sold at a better price, you can estimate how many years the savings will take you to equal the price of the machine. Also remember something we all often forget: your time is money. So if a machine can save you 25% of your time each day, you should count that as money saved. Most new year’s resolutions involve saving money or making money, especially on the farm. 2017 can be the year that you save money on fuel and time, as well as with hay and grain, if you do it right. Below is a list of ways you can save money with forward thinking technology on the farm.
1. Wrap your hay. By wrapping your hay, you can save that 25% of the bale that would otherwise be spoiled if not wrapped. That’s right, for every bale that isn’t wrapped you can expect to lose 25% of it to spoilage and sorting from your livestock. If you have 100 bales, for example, and you don’t wrap them, you would need an extra 33 bales to account for spoilage (100 bales / 75%= 133bales) . If you put silage film on your bales you will save 33 bales at approximately $40 each. So 33 bales x $40.00 = $1320 in cost savings. And that’s just for 100 bales, if you are a larger producer, you can save even more. 2. Bag your grain. Next season it would be worth it to consider bagging all or some of your grain in order to save time, labor and fuel. If you bag directly in the field, you save all the fuel driving back and forth to the grain bins, as well as the labor you pay to have trucks sitting around waiting for grain. With a grain bagger, you can keep your combines running at all times, and one individual can run the grain bagger: saving again on labor costs. You do not need to run fans in grain bags, so you save on electricity too. And since you can wait to sell your grain until the price is right, you will increase your profit when you do sell. Also, if the next year you don’t need the grain bagger, there is a great used sales market- whereas if you don’t need the grain bin, you aren’t going to be able to resell it (and you pay property taxes on it). 3. Use machines that are faster to save fuel and time. If it’s a tillage machine, consider a one pass tillage tool so you only have to pass once through the field to get your desired till. If it’s a baler, consider a faster baler so you can save time overall in your baling operation. If a baler runs even 15 seconds faster than the competition, overall that’s 25% of your day you could save just by having a faster machine. 4. Recycle. One way to save a little money is to recycle the plastic you use for bagging grain or wrapping hay. You can use this plastic to cover gardens from weeds, or to cover machinery from the weather. 5. Increase production. Perhaps you want to consider a TMR Mixer for feeding cows, since it has shown to increase your herds milk production and weight gain by creating a homogenous mix and not allowing for sorting by livestock. 6. Consider machines that do multiple things. Save money on bale processors for feeding and bedding or bale slicers that cut the bale and also retain the plastic wrap for easy recycling or disposal. Also machines that bale and wrap in one process can save money and time, and get two jobs done at once. We hope you have a successful new year on your farm! As the 2016 year ends, we hope everyone has nice holidays and successful 2017s. We have been staying warm and keeping livestock warm as well as unloading some corn for contract and checking on our bagged grain we still have in grain bags. We had a successful sales meeting and gained knowledge on our current products, great programs we will be able to offer our dealers, as well as new and improved products for 2017. We have hired some new employees and have picked up some new product lines and products that we are very excited about. One of the new manufacturers we are going to be working with is Thielen Manufactering in Eden Valley, Minnesota. Thielen attachments have drive-over pit conveyors, open top conveyors, field loaders and much more. Check out their website here: http://tmwattachments.com/ Another new manufacturer is going to be selling the Snow Wizard Snow Blowers. We chose to sell these snow blowers above others because of their great price, versatility and farm tested strength. We like these snow blowers because they are 3pt hitch linkage and you can rotate the head 360 degrees without having to get off your tractor. You can also choose electric or hydraulic chute. We also have exciting new products from our trusted manufactures like Richiger, Tubeline and Mchale. Richiger grain baggers will be updated to new models called R1090s for 10ft bags. Richiger has improved their hopper design to allow grain to slip even more cleanly into the bag. The capacity of the bagger will be 39,000 bushels an hour as opposed to the previous 25,000 bushels per hour. You can also see in the diagram below how the grain flow moves differently and more efficiently in the new baggers. There will also be a new unloader option that is faster (if that’s even possible! Our unloader gets things done). McHale has an exciting new product for wrapping round bales at high speeds called the Orbital Balewrapper. This wrapper (pictured below) is a self-loading machine with low maintenance required that runs itself with the press of a button from inside the tractor. It will wrap bales from 3’3” to 4’8”. Watch the video link here to see just how fast this machine is!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Mrjmj0x7Nw&feature=youtu.be Lastly, Tubeline has come up with an economically priced, trailed, round AND square balewrapper in a single unit called the TL1700SR. This wrapper will be available in 2017 and will wrap 3x3 square bales and 4 or 5ft round bales. This unit will be great for customers who wrap smaller amounts of single bales per season, and perhaps custom people who need the option of round and square wrapped bales. Many people know that wrapping your hay can increase your profit because you can sell your silage for more money because it has a better feed value, or if you are feeding to your own livestock you are going to make money because your livestock will gain weight faster, produce more milk, etc. For example, it takes 25lbs of dry hay to equal 1 lb of weight gain in cows vs only 8lbs of silage for that same 1 lb of weight gain. Below are some tips we have gained from the most reliable inline balewrapper manufacture , Tubeline Manufacturing. Bernard Adam trains our dealerships yearly on the best practices for wrapping hay and the significant benefits he sees farmers gain from wrapping their hay. When to Mow It is recommend to mow during the vegetative stage of growth. How do you know when grass is in the vegetative stage? It’s before the heads are out, or less than 10% blooms on legumes. See the graphic below for a visual. How short to Mow Tubeline recommends mowing at 4” for your first cut, because it leaves a higher concentration of nitrates that help to boost regrowth, avoiding having to use money to put nitrates back in the ground. Moisture Its important that you know the moisture content before you mow and wrap. Tubeline recommends starting to bale when you reach 40% dry matter (60% moisture). For legumes, you need 45% dry matter (55% moisture). They also recommend a simple moisture test that involves picking a sample of hay and using a microwave method and simple equation to get your moisture content with 100% accuracy (see pictures below) Where to Wrap and Choosing a Plastic
It is recommended to wrap the hay at the storage site with a preferable system of no delay (max 4 hours) between baling and wrapping. Another recommended place is directly in the field on a flat well irrigated place. As far as choosing plastic, you are free to pick the one you like best, but make sure that it will provide excellent oxygen barrier and will keep CO2 inside the bale. You also need to choose one that will last at least one year outside in the sun and requires good UV protection. Want to complete your grain bagging system? The Richiger EA910 is the grain bag unloader that we offer currently from our Richiger grain bagging line of machines. Once customers have bagged their grain and it has set for the time they desire and they are now ready to sell it, the Richiger EA910 unloader is the avenue to achieve that. The Richiger EA910 grain bag unloader is designed to unload bags at a rate of 12,000 bushels an hour.
The Richiger EA910 also rolls the bag up as it is unloading it, making it easy to recycle the bags once all the grain is out of the bag. For safety reasons, a grain bag unloader like the Richiger EA910 is the only choice when you think about unloading your grain from your bags. We have been receiving videos and pictures (shown above) from all around the US and Canada this season of farmers bagging their grain with Richiger grain baggers and Plastar grain bags. From small farms to large grain coops, people are bagging grain as they see piles of grain being put on the ground and know that is not how they want their hard-earned grain placed after harvest. Some are first time grain baggers, while others have been doing it for 8-10 years. The Richiger EA910 unloader is a big step up for farmers that have been bagging grain for many years, because the unloaders use to be just geared toward 9 or 10 ft, but with the new EA910s (and other newer models will be available in 2017 with even more features) they are happy that the Richiger EA910s will unload whichever size bagger you have, 9 or 10ft and at high speeds with the same machine. The Richiger EA910 makes it simple to unload your grain for sale, we have farmers that unload in the deep snow (shown below), and all other times of year with ease. There are several TMR mixers on the market, but the reason we sell Jaylor is simple: no one else has features that matter like the patented square cut auger of the Jaylor mixers. Jaylors square cut auger has features like a sloped top, alexander and vertical knives and slide plate that others simply do not offer. Let’s look at why these features matter when using a TMR. Sloped top: the slanted sloped top of the auger forces the material back into the center of the mixer, allowing for a more uniform mix. You want a uniform mix because then each bite your livestock eats is the same and this is what creates better nutrition and weight vs them being able to pick through to get the corn or whatever they deem the tastiest while ignoring the other nutrients they need in your mix. Consistent ph stomach balance in your livestock is what keeps them healthy and gaining weight. Alexander and vertical knives: Jaylor has alexander knives that are 45 degrees on the screw and can cut up into the mix aggressively instead of simply bashing through it on a straight level. These knives efficiently process long forage faster, and any time you can get to a homogenous mix quicker, you are saving money by reducing fuel. Slide plate: the slide plate that Jaylor TMR mixers use on their square cut auger also reduces horsepower (overall horsepower requires is 20% less than competition) rather than a plow which competition mixers use. The slide plate again pushes the mix back to the center of the mixer.
These features are simply not available on other mixers. The shaker box: the shaker box was developed by Penn State and comes with each mixer so that customers can test their mix. If any competition mixers test with the shaker box against a Jaylor, it will conclude that Jaylors mix is more uniform and will result in better stomach ph for livestock. Bottom Line: With a Jaylor TMR Mixer you will spend less time, less fuel, and have less wear and tear on your equipment- making your mixer last longer. To read more click the link below: "Best Barn has the Best Equipment in Loudoun County, Virginia."
Nestled in the hills of Loudoun County, Virginia some 54 miles from the Nation’s capital reside Wendy and Don Denman. The farm is home to the “Best Barn” in Loudoun County according to Michael Gast their local veterinarian and it seems fitting that the owner also invested in the best machine to bed the barn a Teagle 8500. Don and Wendy are farming 300 acres’ total which is divided into 40 to corn, 10 to millet and the remaining acreage to a variety of haylage and hay. The 60x105ft “Best Barn” is home to 150 Angus Hereford cross cattle which are fattened up to 500lbs and then sold at auction at nearby Winchester Auction Mart. Producing 350 4x5 net wrapped round bales annually for this operation the Denman’s focus on using marginal hay for bedding and the remaining for feeding. Don researched many bale processor manufacturers and opted for the Teagle 8500 due to the ease of the wide body when loading, capacity, along with the ability to simply control and direct the discharge head. Wendy viewed the purchased as a unit that focused on safety, labor and efficiency. What was taking the Denman’s most of the day to bed is now done in less than an hour she says. The Denman's are impressed with the “feet on the ground” controlled rear tailgate switch without having the need to jump up in the cab to raise the tailgate or forward the bed chain. Wendy is impressed the fact of the PTO shaft stand - stating it helps them quickly attach the 8500 to either their John Deere or New Holland tractors and has the added benefit of keeping the PTO shaft off the ground. The cattle immediately take to the bedding presentation and frolic happily whilst the pens are been replenished says Wendy. They have also trench lined hay in the pasture as a supplementary feed and or bedding making this a very flexible machine. To the future a new vision, the herd will increase plus one they say, with the addition of a Jersey cow for their use, but after all is that not how it all starts? Wendy & Don Denman, - Loudoun County, Virginia, USA 01/08/2016 (https://www.teagle.co.uk/en-gb/testimonials.php) We have a new product just in time for winter for farms and roads alike. The Snow Wizard snow blower has standard features that include choice of electric or hydraulic chute that allows you to rotate the head 360 degrees without having to get off the tractor. They are quick hitch compatible, and the option for hydraulic spout deflector at the top of the chute can be adjusted to direct the trajectory of the snow to blow exactly where you want it. This is a 3-point hitch linkage machine, meaning the PTO drive will easily attached to your 3pt hitch and it has adjustable and replaceable skid shoes which come standard with your machine.
The Snow Wizard snow blowers are equipped with four fan paddles to move snow faster and to greater distances if you need to. The PTO and sprocket to the main auger include shear bolts to minimize damage in the event of debris or overload. The Snow Wizard has a working width of 72 inches, recommended RPM of the tractor is 540-1000 and the gearbox minimum is 30 HP. At Show Me Shortline we like to see how our machines benefit the end user, so today we were at Lorenzen Farms in Sturgeon, Missouri while they were bagging corn with a Richiger 9ft grain bagger with 200 ft bags. John Lorenzen has been bagging grain with a Richiger bagger for 3 years now and also has a Richiger unloader. Zack, at Lorenzen Farms told me that it takes a little effort to get the bags on the bagger, but after that it’s a piece of cake and easy to operate. Zack said he prefers the smaller length bags to the larger ones and that he feels he can control it more if the length is shorter. So at this point they had 2 , 200 ft bags out, which would total about 16,000 bushels of corn. Zack said he also likes the fact that he doesn’t have to worry about moisture content constantly, that he knows the quality of grain he puts into a bag, is what he will get out. He also likes how fast the Richiger grain bagger is. While I was videoing, it took consistently under 3 minutes to unload each grain cart, so it keeps things moving pretty fast. Lorenzen farms has had excess corn and lack of storage for the past three years, and bagging the grain has helped them create more storage easily and at only approx. 0.7cents a bushel for bag prices. When I asked if they had needed any parts in the past 3 years, there was only one part they could think of that was needed. We stock all our Richiger parts in Centralia, Missouri and ship all over the US and Canada, so our customers never have to worry that we will not have a part if they do happen to need one.
Bagging grain is used in conjunction with bin storage on Lorenzen Farms and they said they recommend Richiger baggers to anyone who needs flexible storage options because they are fast, easy to use and a reliable form of grain storage. Click the link below to learn more about bagging grain with Richiger grain baggers. Teagle Tomahawk 8500s are always in season at Show Me Shortline and customers who are looking for feeder/bedders are always interested in how other customers are getting along with their Teagles and why a Teagle might be right for them, below is one customers review, and check the button below for all the testimonials from Teagle customers! "Norfolk Free Range is owned by Steve Heart and comprises pig units across Norfolk, all certified by Freedom Foods and the CMI Red Tractor.In total the units accommodate a 45,000 strong finishing herd, in addition to the breeding herd, from which around 2,200 pigs are sold to a Waitrose contract every week. Norfolk Free Range are one of a few farms that finish free range pigs outside in tented hurdles, from the age of 4 weeks, and John Clark, Production Manager for 14 finishing units, is well aware of the benefits of providing the animals an environment which offers choice for them to be inside, outside, eating, drinking or sleeping. Experience has shown that in these conditions the best returns in live weight gain and feed conversion from the animals are realised. Whilst the tented hurdles offer this choice, it also brings a specific challenge in keeping the pigs clean and comfortable when half of their running area is outside. With recent wet winters fresh in mind, along with straw becoming an increasingly expensive commodity due to the local demand from renewable power stations, owner Steve Hart started looking to mechanise the bedding operation to make it more efficient. Reasons for choosing a Teagle Tomahawk: The requirements of a straw spreader were clear, reduce straw usage, provide a deep bed to improve comfort, spread straw evenly around the entire bedded area, and accurately place straw so that it does not contaminate the drinkers. Local dealer B W Mack (Machinery) Ltd. were keen to get involved in the project and delivered a demonstration Teagle Tomahawk to the farm to ensure that all of the requirements could be met. With their experience in the sector, Teagle offered a machine with a side chute – ideal for achieving the maximum blow distance, whilst offering a low delivery height suitable for the tent doorways. Following the demonstration Steve ordered 4 machines, two mounted Tomahawk 7100s to offer greater manoeuvrability, and two trailed wide body Tomahawk 8500s, fitted with oversize wheels to overcome the soft ground in winter. All machines were delivered with tailgate extensions to make loading full size Hesston bales easier. So 12 months after their arrival, how are the machines performing? John Clark is keen on the approach of being able to deliver exactly the amount of straw that is required using a ‘Little and Often’ approach to provide a comfortable bed, typically achieving ‘an improvement in bedded temperature of around two degrees’. For the smaller pigs which enter the tents at around 4 weeks this is essential, and you can see them climbing ‘into’ the bed of straw. John notes that ‘whilst a similar amount of labour is required, the straw savings are substantial as a typical unit is using between 20 to 40 Hesston bales each week, depending upon the weather conditions’. And from the driver’s point of view; operator Sam at the Lexam unit says ‘You can’t beat it’. " (teagle.co.uk) Steve Heart, - Norfolk |