“We’ve been running a pair of 13m tedders, but needed a bit more reliability and durability from our kit,” explains James Seaton. “We’ve tried pretty much all of the wide models on demo, and the Kverneland model seemed to be the most well-engineered of the lot.”
As a forage contractor, James says that the business needs plenty of tedding capacity, but recognises that every year’s weather patterns, are different.
“Most of the time, we need a lot of tedding capacity for our hay and haylage workload,” he says. “But in some of the catchy years, like this one, we’ll also be asked to ted grass for silage. In this instance, the key to hitting dry matter targets is to get the grass flipped over and spread out as soon as possible after mowing, so it can start to dry out. And to do that efficiently, you do need wide kit.”
He says that the wider models also create the opportunity to travel at a slower forward speed, typically that of a brisk walking pace.
“There are several advantages for going slower,” he says. “Firstly, it doesn’t shake the kit to pieces and secondly, it gives time for the rotors to properly handle high volumes of grass. Tedding is a job that does not need lots of horsepower, it’s a very fuel-efficient job.”
Supplied by Battlefield Machinery, the Kverneland 85156C tedder uses 14, small diameter tedding rotors to provide a generous overlap while handling heavy crops. Its 15.6m working width delivers an even distribution of crop, over the full working width.
“That extra 2.6m working width over our 13m model is worth having,” he says. “Field sizes vary so much, but with auto-steering we can make the most of what we have. This machine will easily cover 30 acres/hour.”
Accurate contour following is a result of a flexible frame concept which ensures the rotor assemblies float independently of the trailed chassis. This feature helps to maintain a constant working height for the tines from one end of the tedder to the other, while a hydraulically operated swath board can be used to prevent over-spreading on that first run around the outside of the headland.
“I really like the way this tedder hugs ground contours, and it leaves nothing behind – yet it stays well clear of the ground, reducing contamination,” he says. “Rotor height adjustment is easily changed using a spool valve, and the whole machine is worked from the tractor hydraulics, rather than a complicated control box. And I like that.”
“It’s a very simple machine that anyone could use,” he adds. “And the whole lot folds up neatly onto a trailed chassis that keeps the transport width under 3m, which is great for the distances we travel for customers.”
