The 865 loggers can be configured as a loader with boom options for various grapple types, or as a high capacity processor, capable of running large harvesting heads in demanding duty cycles. Dual swing drives will provide ample torque and speed for high-performance loading or processing.

Service access has been carefully thought out with the ability to step down into the center of the machine for clear, unobstructed access to the engine and daily service points. Large enclosure doors and a spring assist side service platform to provide a large, stable work area for performing maintenance on hydraulic components and changing filters. A large cast counterweight provides excellent stability with a swing-out door that allows access to the engine from the rear of the machine.

The rear entry elevated cab, full-length front window, and additional floor windows provide superior visibility with clear sightlines. LED lighting and the rearVIEW camera system further augment operator visibility.

Source: Tigercat

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The AGCO Agriculture Foundation (AAF) announced a new partnership with Self Help Africa (SHA) to implement a sustainable poultry production project that will contribute to enhanced food, skills, income, and nutrition security of smallholder farming communities in Chongwe District of the Republic of Zambia.

The official project launch event took place at the AGCO Future Farm Zambia on Thursday, November 5, 2020, with 50 stakeholders in attendance from across the Zambia poultry and agricultural industry, government officials, journalists, farmer cooperatives, poultry associations, and community leaders, including representatives of the Chongwe District’s Royal Highness Senior Chieftainess Nkomeshya Mukamambo II.

The poultry industry in Zambia is mostly dominated by small-scale farmers who depend on poultry as a social safety net, especially vulnerable households. Given the growing demand for poultry protein and global commitment towards the improvement of animal welfare, it is pivotal to develop tailored projects and initiatives that address key issues and provide sustainable solutions to hunger and nutrition among marginalized farming communities.

“We understand the urgent need to support small-scale farmers in Zambia so that together we can improve production and address existing food and nutrition insecurities. Our foundation is thrilled to partner with Self Help Africa to implement a sustainable approach to enhance the knowledge, skills, and practices of smallholders. Empowering the producers to improve their livestock management operations for economic and nutritional benefits will also highlight animal welfare practices for better treatment of farm animals across the value chain,”

says Metti Richenhagen, Managing Director, AGCO Agriculture Foundation.

The AGCO Agriculture Foundation’s funding is geared towards increasing the productivity, skills, nutrition, and income of 100 poultry farmers in the Chongwe district of Zambia and 50 female poultry farmers from the identified women’s groups.

“Supporting small-scale farmers to end hunger and poverty in rural Africa remains our key focus, and we are excited to work with the AGCO Agriculture Foundation to strengthen this zero hunger commitment. With the prevalence of hunger and nutrition insecurity in the targeted Chongwe district, which has been further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, we are optimistic about the timely intervention the project will bring towards sustainable poultry production,”

says Elia Manda, Zambia Country Director, Self Help Africa.

The project will be implemented in conjunction with the AGCO Future Farm in Zambia to provide training support for the project beneficiaries.

“Our agricultural training facility will play a key role to facilitate knowledge and skills transfer for farmers on best livestock management practices required to boost productivity and income. We will work with our Grain & Protein business unit to support selected farmers on improved animal welfare and livestock management operations,”

adds Kalongo Chitengi, Senior Manager, AGCO Future Farm.

Source: AGCO

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Komatsu announces the North American launch of its Smart Construction Remote application, which allows users to send new design data to machines in the field, and remotely support operators, without traveling to the job site.

Customers can remotely send files from their office to target machines, easily search all connected assets, and log in to a machine and see what their operator is seeing. They can also easily pinpoint the location of machines by job site and upload or download design files at any time from anywhere.

Using Smart Construction Remote’s capabilities, construction site managers can help operators troubleshoot issues in real-time by viewing the same data they do. They can add new files without the time commitment of traditional methods, and transfer design files to multiple machines on-site with one click.

Scott Christman, Earthwork division manager at Cornerstone One LLC, said:

“In today’s ever-changing construction environment, Smart Construction Remote is an invaluable, must-have tool. It provides troubleshooting and file transfers with the touch of a button from anywhere with internet access, minimizing crew downtime and maximizing production.”

Smart Construction Remote’s software is compatible with select makes of machines with installed Topcon devices and all Komatsu intelligent Machine Control models. Komatsu-certified experts are ready to help users get the most from the application and develop team capabilities.

Smart Construction Remote is one of Komatsu’s new Smart Construction Solutions, an umbrella of smart applications created to help construction customers orchestrate construction planning, better handle management, and scheduling, streamline costs, and optimize processes remotely in near real-time.

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AGCO Agriculture Foundation (AAF), a private foundation based in Liechtenstein committed to ending hunger through sustainable agricultural development, has donated US$90,000 to three non-profit organizations to address hunger and poverty in communities worst hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The donations spread across the United Kingdom, Turkey, and Spain, will be used to purchase and distribute emergency food and household items for vulnerable households in communities where AGCO’s customers, dealers, suppliers, and employees live and work. The donations are part of the second phase of the AAF COVID-19 Aid Program, which supports emergency responses globally in communities where AGCO’s customers, dealers, suppliers, and employees live and work, including in the EME region.

During the first phase of the aid program, the AAF supported the emergency response by the United Nations World Food Program (WFP), with a funding amount of US$100,000 concentrated on the most vulnerable populations in countries in Latin America and Africa. Please visit the World Food Program USA’s donation page to support the AAF’s funding campaign or visit the SharetheMeal app and donate through the #AGCOAgricultureFoundation Team.

The AGCO Agriculture Foundation matches any contribution made to this campaign up to $100,000 to double its impact by raising additional funding to feed 342 children for a year and support WFP’s lifesaving work in 83 countries, which includes initiatives to support small-scale farmers and more.

said Metti Richenhagen, Managing Director, AGCO Agriculture Foundation:

“The AGCO Agriculture Foundation is committed to making long-term impacts in our most vulnerable communities as the presence of COVID-19 calls for ongoing support. We are proud to provide not only global but also local funding to support resources and initiatives that help communities in our EME region that are heavily impacted by the pandemic and economic uncertainty.”

The respective non-profit organizations are committed to utilizing the donation to provide emergency responses and drive impacts on their communities.

Trussell Trust will direct the donation to the food bank program in the UK to provide emergency food and support to people locked in poverty and crisis and campaign for change to end hunger in the UK. The funds will be used to support the development of emergency storage and distribution systems to ensure that donated bulk supplies are rapidly delivered to individual food banks. The foodbanks distributed more than 6,250 emergency food parcels every day at the onset of the pandemic, and 3,000 of the beneficiaries were children.

For World Food Program-Turkey, the donation will be used to provide a critical lifeline to vulnerable people in Turkey, mostly refugees. The funds will also be used to support the WFP Adaption of Livelihoods Project (“Kitchens of Hope”) under COVID-19 in eight provinces of Turkey – Ankara, Istanbul, Izmir, Urfa, Adana, Kilis, Mardin, and Gaziantep. Funds will cover for the purchase of food, raw materials, and other inputs to support municipal soup kitchens as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey. The organization will provide up to two meals per day for over 4,000 people in eight cities.

Banco de Alimentos will use the donation to enable the food bank in Madrid to obtain food, transport, and distribute it to the neediest people in the region of Madrid, which has been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The organization is collecting whole foods from supermarkets and fruit and vegetables in the central market of Mercamadrid. In addition, the organization will facilitate social integration of the most disadvantaged community and education on food waste, healthy diet, and health safety. The organization is now delivering more than 190,000 meals per day, reaching most children.

“AGCO is always looking for the best way to support communities and customers in our regions. In such an unprecedented time like this, this support becomes a joint responsibility to address the impacts of the pandemic on economies and livelihood,”

said Torsten Dehner, Senior Vice President and General Manager of AGCO EME.

“We firmly believe that a resilient agriculture industry is essential, and our top priority is maintaining access to safe, healthy, and nutritious food throughout the COVID-19 pandemic fight.”

AGCO donates personal protective equipment and medical supplies in the EME region

In Germany, Fendt, an AGCO brand, and its cabin factory in Asbach-Bäumenheim produced 3D-printed face shields and donated them to doctors, local aid organizations, county associations from the Bavarian Red Cross, and regional dentists. In addition, five Fendt face shields were sent to every dealer location in Germany, Italy, France, Spain, and England to ensure the safety of AGCO dealers and their host communities.

In France, AGCO and Massey Ferguson are responding to the call of the specially created French non-profit organization “Les Visières de l’Espoir” – “Hope’s Face Shields” initiated by 3DNatives, a French specialized 3D printing media. In the Beauvais manufacturing facility, Massey Ferguson is now using its 3D printing capacity to donate full-face shields to its local community and frontline health workers who are heroes working hard to save lives from the coronavirus pandemic. The AGCO Beauvais team, together with its GIMA colleagues donated 10,000 surgical masks as well as gloves and overalls from its own stocks to the Beauvais Hospital to support the medical personnel.

In Italy, AGCO’s Gold Harvesting Competence Center in Breganze has contributed to the fundraising campaign Aiutiamo i nostri medici (Help our Doctors) with the full commitment of all the staff and workers’ unions, raising 20,000 €. The project was promoted by the Santorso Town Council to support the local hospital’s COVID-19 center for the whole province of Vicenza. In addition to buying essential items and equipment to increase the number of intensive care beds, some of the donations went towards alternative housing for health workers who did not want to put their families at risk by going home after their shifts.

Source: AGCO

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In this third 2020 Fendt Momentum Crop Tour field update, Agco Corporation agronomists report their observations of the effect of compaction on plant height.

Cornrows of uneven height can be a sign of compaction caused by planters. The weight of most high-capacity, central-fill planters is concentrated on the center transport wheels, causing excessive compaction on either side of the center wheel-track rows.

This compaction at planting, resulting in what is commonly referred to as pinch rows, restricts root growth on both sides of the row and reduces uptake of nutrients and water, often preventing plants from reaching their maximum height. Stunted plant growth above ground is often an indicator of what is occurring below ground, typically translating into yield reduction in the shorter rows, says Jason Lee, Agco agronomist, and farm solutions specialist.

Managing planter weight and compaction

In 2020, Agco Crop Tour plots were designed to compare how different levels of soil compaction at planting affect plant growth and corn yield. Lee and the Agco team planted three side-by-side plots in several states using the Fendt Momentum planter at one of three settings:

1. Load balance. The planter’s optional Load Logic system automatically monitors and hydraulically transfers weight equally to all wheels, while also automatically adjusting inflation pressure in the wide, very high-flexion tires to the lowest manufacturer-recommended pounds per square inch (psi) for the weight of the planter at any moment during planting.
2. Controlled traffic. The Load Logic system intentionally pulls the weight from the wings and concentrates it on the in-line tandem transport wheels, also with auto-adjusted low tire pressure. This setting is best for growers who strive to keep all field passes in precise traffic lanes to protect the rest of the field―and yield―from wheel-traffic soil compaction.
3. Disabled. With the Load Logic system disabled, the planter operates much like other central-fill planters, with the weight concentrated in the middle of the planter and tire inflation pressures at a static 55 psi, a common road-transport pressure level.

Because the same tractor was used to plant all three plots in a given location, any differences noted between plots could be attributed solely to the different planter settings described above. Tractor tire pressures also were maintained at a low psi to minimize the soil compaction damage created by the tractor.

Compaction from the load on the center of the planter stunts plant height

In the Agco Crop Tour location near Chillicothe, Ohio, in particular, Lee says center rows were noticeably shorter in the plots planted when Load Logic was disabled (see the top half of photo) or operating with controlled traffic settings. The height of corn planted with the planter at Load Logic’s load balance setting, however, was even across all rows (bottom of photo). Based on previous research related to pinch-row compaction, Lee says he would expect to see even greater differences in plant height if the corn had been planted with a central-fill planter with dual transport wheels, as opposed to the Momentum planter, whose in-line tandem center transport wheels eliminate planter-induced pinch rows.

To record plant height differences in the plots, Agco agronomists measured the height of several plants in rows on both sides of the in-line tandem center transport wheel tracks in each of the three different plots. Figure 1 shows the average height differences due to compaction found in the Crop Tour plots in Pontiac, Illinois; Stewartville, Minnesota; and Casselton, North Dakota. When averaged across all three locations, corn in the center rows planted with equal weight on all planter wheels (Load Logic’s load balance setting) was, on average, 2 inches taller than center-row corn planted with Load Logic’s controlled traffic setting, and 4 inches taller than center-row corn planted with no weight management and with constantly high tire inflation pressure.

Check your fields for compaction

Lee says:

“Compaction severity is going to vary from year to year and from field to field. Depending on soil type, moisture conditions, tire inflation pressure, axle loads, and more.”

In addition to noting plant height variations between rows in fields,

“a good way to assess pinch row compaction in your fields is to do hand-yield checks in rows between center transport wheel tracks and in rows with no compaction effects (no tire tracks on either side),”

he says.

“Compare the yield differences in those two types of rows, then do that in multiple areas of the field to better assess if you are losing bushels to pinch-row compaction,”

Lee says. If you see losses, he recommends considering lower tire pressures, not planting into wet soil, and looking at technology changes to lessen soil compaction in the next season.

Source: AGCO

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Flip through a commodity seed catalog today, and the choices seem nearly endless. In 2020, growers selected from arguably the largest and most diverse set of seed technologies the industry has ever offered.

Whether it’s corn, soybeans, rice, wheat, or cotton, seed companies have developed crops with the characteristics that growers want — everything from heightened disease tolerance to improved insect resistance to greater yield potential. However, the trait that often gets the most attention is herbicide tolerance.

According to the International Survey of Herbicide Resistant Weeds, there were 514 unique cases of herbicide-resistant weeds worldwide as of August 2020. Resistance was reported in 262 different species and in 93 crops across 70 countries. Of the 26 known herbicide sites of action, weeds have evolved resistance to 23 of them and to 167 different herbicides.

Sprayer setup best practices maximize weed control efficacy

“We’re living in a world where weed resistance to herbicides is becoming a bigger and bigger issue, and we don’t want to exacerbate it by poorly applying herbicides,”

says Darren Goebel, AGCO director of Global Agronomy and Farm Solutions.

“We’re really thinking about how spraying equipment affects herbicide efficacy. With the AGCO Application Crop Tour locations this year, we’re demonstrating several best practices to maximize the effectiveness of a farmer’s weed-control program.”

This year’s program included demonstration plots of LibertyLink crops — cotton in Georgia and soybeans in Illinois — that are tolerant to the herbicide glufosinate. Jason Lee, the Agco agronomist, and farm solutions specialist, says this particular weed-control platform was chosen for the trials because it employs a contact herbicide.

he explains:

“Contact herbicides require more coverage to get an effective kill, as compared to an herbicide such as glyphosate, which is systemic and can be translocated within the targeted weeds. So, an herbicide like Liberty is going to be a little more sensitive to errors in sprayer setup that result in less coverage. We want to help educate growers and applicators about optimizing their equipment for the chemistries that they’re spraying.”

Because growers do have a growing list of options when it comes to “over-the-top” weed-control products, sprayer cleanout has never been more important, Lee says.

he adds:

“As we fight herbicide-tolerant weeds, we’re using more modes of action and more chemistry mixes. As we’re going from field to field and changing products, we want to make sure we’re not contaminating the sprayer’s tank or booms.”

Improper cleanout leads to herbicide injury

In this year’s Application Crop Tour plots, AGCO agronomists demonstrated how improper cleanout can damage crops. In Georgia, they contaminated sprayer booms with Valor pre-emergent herbicide, then sprayed cotton plots. In Illinois, they contaminated the booms with Capreno corn herbicide before spraying soybeans. In both cases, the crops showed herbicide injury.

“When the spray boom hasn’t been cleaned out properly, the new chemical enters the boom at the center and pushes the first chemical out of the boom from the center toward the tips, creating a recognizable V-shaped pattern of crop damage,”

Lee says.

He adds that sprayers equipped with features such as self-priming, recirculating booms, and product-recovery systems are agronomically valuable. These features can minimize contamination issues that lead to crop injury while also preventing settling and clogged nozzles.

Proper boom priming reduces the opportunity for weed escapes, resistance development

The Crop Tour plots also revealed that entering a field with a boom fully primed has further agronomic advantages for weed control as well as gains in productivity.

Goebel says,

“If you start spraying before the boom is fully primed, you risk poor herbicide coverage and create an opportunity for weed escapes that could lead to future herbicide resistance. The self-priming boom boosts productivity by saving time and eliminating wasteful spraying on the field edge.”

In addition to demonstrating issues related to contamination and boom priming, this year’s AGCO Application Crop Tour included other plots demonstrating how variables such as boom height, carrier volume, droplet size, speed, and application timing all impact weed control. Those findings will be shared with producers as well.

Source: AGCO

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The DLA contract qualifies JCB to supply heavy equipment machines to the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), U.S. federal and international agencies, and foreign governments as authorized throughout the world.

Chris Giorgianni, vice president of Government & Defense and Product & Marketing for JCB North America.

The JCB equipment – including, backhoes, excavators, Access aerial work platforms, wheel loaders, skid steer loaders, compact track loaders, and JCB’s innovative Teleskid – will be used for a wide variety of applications. U.S. military personnel operating JCB’s skid steers, Teleskids, and track loaders, which are manufactured in Pooler, GA, will experience the world’s first loader with a single-arm Power boom, designed by JCB for better visibility, greater lift, further reach, and deeper dig depth than any other loader on the market. JCB’s unique side entry door prevents operators from having to climb over dangerous attachments to enter the machine and once inside the cab, operators have 270 degrees of visibility, the best in class providing unsurpassed safety.

JCB is the world’s largest privately-owned manufacturer of construction and agricultural equipment. At 22 plants spanning four continents—and countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, India, and Brazil—JCB manufactures a range of more than 300 products including Loadall telescopic handlers, backhoe loaders, excavators, wheel loaders, compact excavators, skid steer loaders, compact track loaders, Access aerial work platforms, rough terrain forklifts, and Fastrac tractors.

Source: JCB

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Liebherr-MCCtec Rostock GmbH together with Aibel AS has signed a contract for the delivery of a cylinder-luffing crane, type RL 2600-35 Lit. The company TenneT TSO GmbH commissioned Aibel AS to build the offshore platform DolWin epsilon on which the Liebherr crane will be used for supply and maintenance tasks on the German North Sea.

The RL 2600-35 Lit is a weight-optimized and compact designed offshore crane. It is the ideal equipment for small platforms, where space is limited. The RL 2600-35 Lit has a box boom with a maximum working outreach of 52 meters and a maximum lifting capacity of 35 tons.

“With the RL 2600-35 Lit, we are delivering the latest innovation within our offshore crane portfolio. The crane is ready to be equipped with innovative maintenance features to meet the demanding requirements of normally unmanned offshore platforms and with its reliable and maintenance-friendly design the RL 2600-35 Lit will help to lead the DolWin5 project to a success”,

says Matti Basan, Sales Manager Offshore Cranes.

With DolWin5 TenneT realizes a high-voltage direct current offshore grid connection system in the German part of the North Sea. The grid connection has a transmission capacity of 900 MW and is located in the DolWin cluster. DolWin5 is to connect the offshore wind park Borkum Riffgrund 3 to the high-voltage grid onshore.

Long cooperation with Aibel AS and TenneT

The RL 2600 will be delivered in the middle of 2021. Until that, Liebherr will collaborate closely with Aibel AS, who is responsible for building the offshore platform. With this order, the business relationship between Liebherr and Aibel AS is expanded and strengthened. Once the platform has been completed, TenneT will take it over and operate the RL 2600-35 for maintenance work and the loading and uploading of offshore supply vessels.

Liebherr delivered already 13 RL cranes to the customer TenneT. Various sizes were requested, from the RL 850 and the RL 1500 to the RL 2650 with a possible maximum lifting capacity up to 60 tonnes. All of these cranes are placed on offshore platforms, which are necessary for the operation of offshore wind farms. Liebherr and TenneT are thus contributing to the expansion of renewable energies and emission-free power supply.

Weight-optimized and compact design

A weight-optimized and compact design with a load-bearing capacity up to 100 tonnes makes the ram luffing crane series (RL) from Liebherr an ideal piece of equipment for small and unmanned platforms or floating storage vessels. The ram luffing crane RL can be powered electro-hydraulically or diesel-hydraulically and is available for explosive areas in accordance with the requisite classification. The box-type booms in the RL crane have a cylinder luffing design. This lowers the height and weight to a minimum and enables low-maintenance operation.

Source: Liebherr

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Trail King’s 2020 update to the Sliding Axle includes features and options you want and need.

The TKSA is now the fastest sliding axle available now with more corrosion resistance, simplified maintenance, and 100% remote control of the unit, some great new options just to name a few!

Watch the video below to learn more:

Source: RedHead Equipment

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The environmental issues associated with excavation and construction work are easy to overlook, but as machines become more efficient it does have a positive impact. Engcon’s smart tiltrotator, which is tilting and rotating quick coupler, adds a whole new dimension to the excavator – the machine can use the tiltrotator to perform movements that were not previously possible. And with the rest of Engcon’s smart range, efficiencies can be significantly improved. A good start is to combine the tiltrotator with the automatic quick coupler system with EC-Oil to upgrade to a more efficient excavator:

”EC-Oil is a smart quick coupler system that automatically connects hydraulics, electricity and central lubrication between the machine’s quick coupler and under the tiltrotator. In addition, all Engcon hydraulic tools, grippers, ground vibrators, fork racks and sweepers have automatic oil coupling as standard. In fact, the combination of the tiltrotator and EC-Oil means that the entire excavator industry is being revolutionized,”

says Stig Engström, founder of Engcon, and continues:

”Digging, planning, trenching, sloping, tearing, grabbing, lifting, sweeping, compacting – the possibilities are endless for what an excavator can perform when it is equipped with our tiltrotator and the tools we offer”.

With Engcon’s automatic quick coupler system EC-Oil, the driver can remain in the cab and safely change tools on the machine – mechanical as well as hydraulic. The fast and smooth tool changes also enable the machine to perform several different types of work in a shorter time frame. Engcon’s products mean that the driver can turn the bucket instead of driving the machine around, allowing the bucket to access difficult and narrow passages with less machine movement.

“The excavator becomes a tool carrier with automatic quick coupler systems that in combination with a tiltrotator increase the excavator’s efficiency. “Do more. Earn more” will revolutionize digging all over the world and we want North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia to follow in the Nordic region’s footsteps and the progress they have made. But we do not want to stop there! If all the excavators in the world were to consider ways to improve efficiencies, there would be enormous benefits for the environment and also for the individual excavator operator, who has the opportunity to develop a more profitable business,”

Stig Engström concludes.

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