NZ contractors harvest with Deere

Brothers Tim and Phil May run an agricultural contracting business in Canterbury, New Zealand. Since setting up May Brothers Contracting 10 years ago, when the siblings were still in high school, the business has provided a wide range of services including cultivation, drilling, windrowing, forage harvesting, baling, grain harvesting, fodder beet harvesting and trucking.

The business now employs 10 full time staff and 25 machine operators during peak season. Its machine fleet has also grown from one single windrower to an impressive fleet consisting of 13 John Deere tractors, two John Deere rotary combines, and two John Deere forage harvesters.

The latest addition to the stable was the 577hp John Deere 8500i self-propelled forage harvester which the pair bought in October 2016. The 8500i model was released by John Deere in 2015 and features a larger diameter DuraDrum cutterhead and redesigned crop flow system to deliver higher throughput with lower power consumption.

According to John Deere, its new 8000 series self-propelled forage harvesters offer up to six per cent of improved fuel efficiency in maize and up to 15 per cent efficiency in grass, when compared to previous models.

The May brothers use the 8500i for up to eight months a year, starting with grass in spring, then moving onto cereal silage and finishing up with maize in autumn.

Tim May says they are both very impressed with the 8500i's performance and have noticed significantly higher output with the new machine compared to earlier models.

"The per-hour productivity of the 8500i is a lot better. It has the same horsepower as our other harvester but it definitely processes more crop," he says.

"We have not yet analysed the fuel consumption in detail, but the output per litre of fuel is certainly higher."

He adds the 8500i is a "huge step up as a machine to work with", with new features that offer improvements on all fronts.

"The cab is more comfortable and there is a lot more room around the machine so it is easier to work on. There is a whole different design under the hood. It is a lot roomier which is just what a mechanic or service technician wants to see."

Phil May says the John Deere 8500i provides the reliability they need to get the job done.

"The weather in Canterbury can be trying. We can get small windows to work in. Once we start moving we need to keep moving to get the crop processed before the weather changes.

"If we do have a breakdown we rely on the dealership to get out there promptly and get us going again. That is a massive thing for us and a big reason why we run John Deere gear.

"The backup we get from our local dealer, Drummond & Etheridge, is very important to us. They provide us support when we need it, and we are very grateful for that."

The duo has tested a new John Deere HarvestLab crop sensing technology fitted to the self-propelled forage harvester which determines the nutrient quality of the silage as it is processed. They plan to install the newest version of the technology on their 8500i when it is released.

From now until April 30, John Deere is running a 2.5 per cent finance offer on its self-propelled forage harvesters and parts package. Conditions apply. For more information on the offer and full terms and conditions, visit John Deere’s self-propelled forage harvesters' "Just Chop It" promotion page.