KVERNELAND HEADLAND NEWS
IDC BOOSTS OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY An increase in tramline widths combined with the aim of future-proofing machinery purchases saw Henry Peasgood invest in an Kverneland Exacta TL GEOSPREAD with iDC – intelligent disc control.
“We had been using a four-bag capacity, 17-year old spreader on 24m tramlines, so there was an opportunity for us to improve accuracy and efficiency, and try to save money,” explains Henry Peasgood of Peasgood & Sons, Langtoft, Lincolnshire. “Adopting variable rate brought in SFI payments that have more than covered the cost of our new spreader. It’s been a no-brainer.” From an investment viewpoint, Henry says the funding that was available outweighed the cost of buying the range-topping spreader, which he and his Dad Robert couldn’t ignore. “SFI is paying out £15,000/year over three years for variable rate applications, while SOYL’s sampling costs us £3,000/year, so we’re getting a net gain of £12,000/year for investing in Kverneland’s spreader technology,” he says. “We couldn’t afford not to buy the spreader and it will be easily paid for in under three years.” With the exception of a small area of land rented out to a local potato grower, the Peasgoods farm around 2,000 acres of combinable crops spread over a six-mile radius of its Langtoft base. Cropping includes winter and spring barley, winter wheat, beans and sugar beet. Field sizes vary from two to 110 acres, and tramlines are now at 30m spacings. Equipped with three hopper extensions, the new spreader can carry up to 3.6 tonnes – the equivalent of six bags. “The extra hopper capacity means fewer trips to the fields and we’re spreading 25% wider too, and one of the key innovations on this model is the lack of PTO shaft,” he says. “It’s a huge safety improvement, but it’s also delivering a big fuel saving for us too.” Used on either the farm’s Fendt 724 or 728 tractors, Mr Peasgood says the hydraulic disc drive means the engine is running at a leisurely 1,300rpm. “Where fuel consumption with a PTO shaft was from 18-20 litres/hour, it’s now down to around 8-12 litres/hour,” he says. “I’m also spreading at around 18km/hr.”
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