Top 8 farm machinery news and reviews of 2020

What a roller-coaster of a year it has been, but it hasn’t stopped farmers from farming and machinery manufacturers from churning out the equipment and tools that farmers need to do what they do best.

Our most popular articles of the year is a bit of a mixed bag, showing just how diverse our audience is. Our readers read up on mowers, COVID-19 implications on the industry, and reviews of utility vehicles.

With the generous tax incentives introduced this year, it is perhaps no wonder that more people are doing their research looking to expand their fleet and taking advantage of the never-before-seen incentives.

Here are some of the articles that caught our readers’ eyes this year.

8. 2020 Kubota RTV-XG850 Sidekick review

We had the opportunity to check out one of Kubota’s newest additions to its utility vehicle range earlier this year, the RTV XG850 Sidekick, and we’re so glad we did.

It is Kubota’s fastest UTV, offering 48hp in output to deliver a max travelling speed of 64km/h, much faster than any other models in the range. For that reason, Kubota has marketed the Sidekick as a unit that is ideal for both work and recreational use.

We took the machine for a spin at a 4x4 proving ground in Melbourne’s west to put it to the test on steep slopes, across creeks and on undulating terrain.

Suffice to say, we were very pleased with the performance of the unit overall. Click through to read our full review and watch a video of the Sidekick in action.

7. An Aussie-made hydrogen tractor could be a reality

There are two key points here that have piqued readers’ interest. One, a hydrogen-powered tractor isn’t commercially available as of yet, and secondly, this tractor will be the first to be manufactured on local soil since 1986, if all goes to plan.

It’s no doubt a very ambitious plan put forward by brand new company, H2X Australia, which hopes to produce a series of hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles right in our own backyard, more specifically in Port Kembla near Wollongong on the NSW south coast.

Some vehicles on the company’s drawing board include SUVs, tractors, buses and trucks. Will it all eventuate? Time will tell.

6. Cub Cadet LTX1050 mower review

This American-made mower struck a chord with our writer, Howard Shanks. He has been a fan of American-made products due to their excellent quality and sturdy build and it didn’t take long for him to give his thumbs up to this handy LTX1050 mower.

A 24hp Kohler engine gives it plenty of power to trim the lawn and its hefty 50-inch cutting deck allows users to cover plenty of ground in a short time.

It wasn’t all rainbows and unicorns, however, as Howard found a few niggly issues with it. Read our comprehensive review to find out more for yourself.

5. Goldacres unveils next-gen G6 sprayer

Our readers seem to love a good local manufacturing story so when local sprayer expert, Goldacres, announced the latest addition to its stable, people got clicking.

Its latest G6 Crop Cruiser Series 2 sprayer is a big step up from its predecessor in terms of technology, capacity, boom and hydraulics.

While both machines might look similar from the outside, everything inside the machine – from the control system to the fuel tank have been given a facelift, making the G6 Series 2 sprayer one of Goldacres’ most advanced to date.

4. Kubota RTV-X900 Review

While not quite as speedy as its cousin, the Sidekick as mentioned earlier in this piece, this model is still selling like hotcakes thanks to its overall versatility as a reliable farm workhorse. To date, it remains Kubota’s best-selling utility vehicle model.

There isn’t anything really outstanding about it, yet it just ticks all the boxes. It doesn’t travel too fast but farm workhorses aren’t supposed to go too fast anyway. It has a decent load capacity of 500kg to carry a load of firewood, tools, fencing supplies or even a sprayer tank.

Operation of the unit cannot be simpler with plenty of space and comfort in the cab for two people. More importantly, it’s affordable and presents great value for money.

3. Krone Premos 5000 pelletiser touches down

Here at farmmachinerysales.com.au, we love anything that’s innovative and unique that will help make farmers lives easier, and it seems you, our readers, do too.

When Krone announced the arrival of its Premos 5000 pelletiser in Australia earlier this year, we know we’re on to something truly exciting. What is a pelletiser, you ask? It’s basically a machine that turns fodder into pellets that you either feed to livestock or use as fuel for fire, or simply as bedding in the pens.

Krone claims it has come up with the world’s first mobile pelletiser, which makes pellets on the go, much like how a baler bales and spits the end product out as it moves across the paddock. It is capable of churning out up to five tonnes of pellets per hour, depending on the type of crop being fed into the machine.

Now if that’s not an impressive piece of technology, I don’t know what is!

2. COVID-19- FAQs on buying machinery

Have you really done 2020 right if you didn’t have a COVID-19 related story rank on your most read list?                                 

In all seriousness though, this year has been a rough one for everyone, farmers involved despite the Government’s ruling of the agriculture industry as essential. When the country plunged into a state of lockdown, there was so much confusion surrounding what one can do, can’t do or should be doing.

And then the Government dangled a huge carrot to entice businesses to spend big on their operations by introducing the massively improved instant asset write off scheme.

So we decided to put together a list of COVID-19 related FAQs and answers to hopefully clear the air so farmers can be confident when buying their machinery at dealerships.

1. John Deere X350 ride-on mower review

Our lawn care expert, Howard Shanks, is at it again with another great little ride-on mower assessment, this time of a trusty John Deere X350.

To give you an idea of how much he liked the unit, he proceeded to purchase one for himself after giving it a good spin around his acreage.

John Deere is well-known for its product quality and built and this mower certainly didn’t disappoint. Sure, Deere products are…dearer than other brands in the same category but you get what you pay for and if you’re serious about lawn care, then this X350 will be worth every penny.

For a retail price of about $5500, you get a whole lot of standard features on the unit that allow you to give your lawn a nice trim and more.

The X350 can be specified with a wide choice of mower decks, from 42 inches (107cm) to 54 inches (137cm), with side discharge, mulching, or bagging grass options.

If I have some acreage and the money to spare, I wouldn’t hesitate to invest in a good ride-on mower. After all, it turns a pretty mundane and dreaded task into something fun that members of the family actually wouldn’t mind taking turns doing.