Top 8 farm machinery stories and reviews of 2021

Just when we thought 2021 was going to be better, we were served with a massive reality check in the form of a new COVID wave in the latter half of the year, effectively locking down most of the country and causing the cancellation of most major field days two years in a row.

With that in mind, farmmachinerysales.com.au held its very first Virtual Field Days in September this year, in the hopes of keeping farmers informed on the latest machinery releases of the year in absence of physical events.

That became of our biggest hits of the year, alongside some news and reviews of big tracked rigs, as well as utility vehicles.

Here are the top eight content pieces of 2021 that caught the most attention:

8. Tractor of the Year 2022 unveiled

Every year, a group of international journalists convene and decide on a Tractor of the Year award winner, which went to the John Deere 7R 350 AutoPowr this year.

According to the panel of experts, John Deere's 7R 350 AutoPowr ultimately took home the top prize thanks to its onboard technology and automation capabilities, which is a testament to the importance of precision tech in agriculture in 2021.

John Deere also took out the Best Utility Award with the 6120M AutoPowr, which was commended for its versatility and high specs despite being a utility tractor.

7. New sprayers from John Deere

It is no surprise that anything John Deere related gets good clicks on our site, including this piece of news about John Deere bringing a range of new sprayers into Australia.

As part of one of its largest product launches in a decade, John Deere announced it is bringing in eight new self-propelled sprayer models with tank sizes up to 7500 litres.

In addition to five John Deere branded sprayers, the company is also bringing in Hagie branded sprayers into Australia for the first time.

The new models incorporate Hagie’s tried and tested features, including high clearance, four-wheel steer and front boom with John Deere’s technologies and the comfort of an all-new cab.

6. New Serafin Ultisow single disc seeder bar “one of Australia’s widest”

This was an exclusive for farmmachinerysales.com.au that local machinery manufacturer and distributor, Serafin Machinery, shared with us as part of our Virtual Field Days initiative.

The manufacturer designed and released new Forward Fold single disc seeding bars with working widths of up to 24m to cater to farmers chasing higher productivity.

Serafin says the bars are one of the widest in Australia.

5. CLAAS AXION 900 TERRA TRAC launch review

You’ve heard all about the launch of CLAAS’ half-tracked and half wheeled tractors and this year, they officially touched down in Australia, ready to go to farms.

We had the chance to take the CLAAS AXION 900 TERRA TRAC tractors for a spin in paddock-like conditions earlier this year, and can testify that CLAAS’s claims with the new tractors are all true. The all-round suspension provides one of the smoothest rides on the market, while the track and wheel configuration gives farmers the best of both worlds – reduced compaction and increased manoeuvrability.

4. Fendt high power tracked rigs make Aussie debut

Farmers sure love their tracked machinery, with this story about the arrival of Fendt’s new tracked tractors attracting a decent amount of reads.

After debuting in the US in 2020 to much fanfare, Fendt's Vario MT crawler tracked tractors with power up to 673hp have been confirmed for Australia earlier this year.

One of the key benefits with a crawler track tractor, Fendt says, is increased flotation which translates to reduced soil compaction - something that most farmers are chasing nowadays.

The powerful tractors also feature some new Fendt innovations such as a steerable three-point hitch system and a hydraulically controlled swinging drawbar option that make headland turns with large implements smoother for the operator.

3. Kubota M5-1 ROPS tractors review

From powerful broadacre specific tractors, we move on to a tractor that sits almost on the opposite end of the scale- a Kubota ROPS compact tractor.

Kubota’s M5-1 ROPS range follows the release of its M5-1 cabin tractor line-up a few years ago. The functions and controls are essentially the same across both ranges except the former comes with ROPS canopies instead of fully enclosed cabs.

Kubota said it decided to introduce the ROPS range Down Under as farmers were looking for a sturdy yet affordable tractor for multiple jobs around the farm.

Read the review to see what we thought of the machine.

2. Farmmachinerysales Virtual Field Days 2021

As mentioned before, we came up with the idea to introduce a virtual field days event in response to the cancellation of major field days across Australia such as AgQuip and Henty two consecutive years in a row.

We spoke to manufacturers and dealers across the country to get a list of the latest products released in the local market in the last 12 months that traditionally would’ve been exhibited at farming field days. That way, farmers or machinery fans will still be able to keep their finger on the pulse even if they can’t travel to these field days to see the machines for themselves.

From tractors to harvesters, and from balers to sprayers, we got it all under one ‘roof’.

1. Kubota RTV520 review

Taking the top spot this year is a review of Kubota’s slightly upgraded version of its entry level utility vehicle, that has none of the bells and whistles but all the power and performance you will need for your farm.

The RTV520 offers more power than its predecessor, the RTV500, as well as several aesthetic and performance upgrades. While it offers more grunt, it still maintains a low noise level of 83dbA, Kubota says.

Improved suspension allows users to traverse rough paddocks, tricky slopes and creeks with ease and comfort.

Read our review for our full appraisal of the machine.