The expectation of quality among buyers of farm machinery has risen substantially in past decades. As a result, all manufacturers have felt the heat to live up to customer demand and implemented a host of new quality control programs both on and off assembly lines, including at the design phase. That goes for vehicle manufacturers […] Read more
Shaking things up
Here's how manufacturers test the durability of vehicles and machines
Turning combines into hot rods
Saskatchewan farmer builds redesigned combine parts with an eye on performance
In the past few years most major equipment brands seem to have recognized the need to offer combines better suited to small grains harvesting, which makes them a bit different than the bulk of machines they build that are tailored to corn and beans growers. Even though new models have hit the market that better […] Read more
Grainews UTV Challenge
We’re putting 10 UTVs to the test during the Ag in Motion farm show next month
The number of side-by-side UTV models on the market has grown pretty significantly in the last couple of years. And no wonder. These machines can be pretty handy around the farm. But has the wide variety of choices left you wondering what each model is capable of, how they compare and which one best fills […] Read more
Your money can’t buy you love
On the eve of the Brexit vote I was sitting in a restaurant in Hungary having dinner with a group that included a British freelance journalist who also farms in the UK. She correctly predicted the then-pending referendum would fall in favour of an “out” vote, which would remove the UK from the European Union. […] Read more
How to replace worn steering components
Replacing old, loose tie rod ends is an easy on-farm repair you can do yourself
Older tractors, self-propelled machines and farm trucks tend to get a little hard to control with age. Driving some of them down the road at maximum speed can be a bit like herding goats, and a little dangerous. They will only go approximately where you want them to. The reason is often due to excessive […] Read more
New Vermeer bale wrapper
Inline wrapper designed for larger operations
Vermeer has added a new inline bale wrapper to its hay and forage equipment lineup. The BW5500 is designed to cut down the wrapping time for large-volume hay growers and custom operators. “As you increase the number of bales wrapped each year, producers should consider moving from an individual wrapper to an inline wrapper,” said […] Read more
Life after a dealership divorce
Every farmer needs to have a decent relationship with at least one local machinery dealership. Those businesses play a pretty big role in keeping farm operations ticking along, and getting to know the staff in the parts and service department can definitely help with machine maintenance and repairs. A good service manager will almost certainly […] Read more
Cool it: cold temps for a smooth fit
How to use extreme changes in temperature to ease parts installation in your shop
A variety of parts on ag equipment and vehicles are designed to have a friction or interference fit, which means components fit together so tightly they maintain their position relative to each other without any kind of fastener holding them in place. Bearing races, for example, remain fixed tightly in a housing this way. It’s […] Read more
It’s showtime
Now that we’re well into June, the farm show season is about to kick into high gear. Every year the major shows highlight the cutting edge innovations about to hit the ag equipment market. And in past years, there has been an avalanche of them. Although with the slowdown in machinery sales that started last […] Read more
High-flying farm workshop project
These men went to great lengths to bring in and restore a 1943 Canso PBY-5A airplane
Many farmers have travelled long distances to bring back a unique restoration project to put in the workshop for the winter. But six men from Fairview, Alberta, may hold the record for having the most-difficult-to-retrieve farm shop project ever. They trekked all the way to Sitidgi Lake, Northwest Territories, to rescue an abandoned 1943 Canso […] Read more