SEYMOUR’S SPOTLIGHT: Perfect TKF200
Back in the March edition of our newsletter we discussed the various way in which growers can combine their spraying and mowing operations, to not only save operator time, but to reduce compaction and fuel costs. The T range of mowers from Perfect has really been designed with this in mind with low, streamlined profiles and the mow-spray-combination feature with standard or disconnectable gearbox.
Having taken delivery of a Perfect TKF200 at the start of the season, this month we caught up with Harvey Hazard, who looks after the blackcurrants at HW Twyman on the outskirts of Littlebourne, near Canterbury, to find out how he has been getting on with the new 2metre front-mounted mower in its first season.
An extensive mixed farming operation, HW Twyman comprises of around 500-hectares of cereals, potatoes, top fruit and blackcurrants. Having joined the family-run business from a livestock and arable farming background around four years ago, Harvey now looks after some 61ha of blackcurrants, all destined for Ribena. Stephen and Martin Twyman head up the family partnership. Harvey is married to Martin’s daughter, Tracy, who is also a partner, and closely involved in the business.
“Overall harvest looks very good, although volume will be down as we have an intensive replanting programme in place at the moment and are waiting for a lot of new stock to come online. Only 40ha of our total 61ha are in production at the moment so we will probably harvest about 250 tonnes this year,” said Harvey, who has been in touch to say that since our visit, the 4ha plantation at Lee Priory yielded 93 bins, which is around 4.7tonnes per acre; a “personal best” for the farm.
Due to the mechanical harvesting methods, blackcurrants have a short shelf life, and as the clock is ticking as soon as they are removed from their sprigs, harvest normally starts early in the morning, with fruit collected in the afternoon and taken straight to the processing plant. With this in mind, to ensure that the harvest is well timed and staggered through the season, a mixture of early, mid and late varieties are planted across several sites.
As fruit is positioned relatively low to the ground, particularly noticeable this season as branches really are laden and cannot help but bow under the weight of the fruit, it is vital that the rows are kept tidy, the herbicide strip is well maintained and that the likelihood of weeds establishing in between the plants is kept to an absolute minimum.
As well as needing to find a compact, low profile mower to suit the crop, it also needed to be suitable for combining with spraying operations.
“We don’t always spray and mow at the same time, but we do for the majority because it’s about saving time and looking at fuel efficiency,” said Harvey. “If you can do two operations at once, of course it’s going to be more economical.”
Previously Harvey had been working with a rear-mounted mower, with the sprayer then trailed behind that, however, when it was time to replace the old mower, he was determined to find a suitable front-mounted option.
“Having both the mower and a 1,500litre sprayer on the back not only made managing headland turns difficult, the weight of two implements would also drastically imbalance the tractor,” said Harvey. “Our sites are quite spread out so there’s a fair amount of road travel involved. There is nothing worse than feeling the tractor’s front wheels lift off the ground and skip along a bit when you hit a rut in the road due to the weight on the back.”
Deciding upon a front-mounted option also gave Harvey the chance to select a much wider mower, as there would be no concerns over the two implements clashing while turning, opting in the end for the Perfect TKF200, which has a 2metre cutting width.
“NP Seymour were extremely helpful and found a 2.3metre mower for us to try because I didn’t want to buy one unless I knew it was going to work,” said Harvey. “We had concerns about whether it would turn, and we were right in thinking that, for us, the 2.3metre model was too wide and too heavy. But at least we could see whether or not it was going to be possible. I must say too that the with the 2metre mower on the front, it is easier to get a much tighter turn than having the 1.8metre one on the back with the sprayer, so it’s a win-win for me.”
With an abundance of new spring plantings, which will not be in production until 2022, Harvey is also glad to have invested in the front-mounted Perfect mower this season.
“While some of the new plants are in biodegradable black plastic, some of them aren’t and this can make the husbandry challenging and weed control a real issue,” said Harvey. “The new plant cuttings may only be three or four inches tall but having the mower on the front of the tractor has allowed me to get really close. I can see exactly where I am mowing and can turn away quickly if it’s getting too tight. It’s allowed me to get some really accurate mowing in without having to rely on herbicide.”
With the farm also having orchards, Harvey also noted that “another huge advantage” of the Perfect TKF200 mower is the ability to adjust the positioning of the front casters.
“If you’re working in an orchard which has been previously rutted, you can swing the casters to a position where they’re riding on the ground, outside of your wheel marks, and not in the rut. As well as making sure the mower is in the right position, it also gives more stability,” said Harvey.
Having had the mower now for a full season, Harvey has found that one of the only drawbacks is that with four rotor blades, and two mulching blades, there are 10 tips to sharpen, which means it does take a little bit more time to maintain the machine. However, he does also note that the blackcurrants do tend to be planted on less viable, more stony ground and the new plantings in particular have a lot of exposed stone, which means blades will need to be sharpened and cared for more regularly anyway.
“The blades are excellent really and work at high speeds which gives a great finish. Being front-mounted too also means that you’re mowing before you’ve driven over the grass, which makes a better job. Too often, will a site look great straight after but a few days later you’ll be able to see where the tyres were and it just looks awful,” said Harvey.
While the farm does have other brands of mowers, Harvey personally finds the Perfect range to be the most reliable and sturdy.
“You absolutely do get what you pay for, and while they are a bit more expensive, they are extremely good. It’s a bit like the Fendt tractors too. I personally didn’t like ours for the first few months, but after I had put the time in to understand it, I wouldn’t consider driving anything else and you can really see where Fendt has spent the money,” said Harvey.
“NP Seymour is brilliant to deal with too. Personally, I like working with them because the sales reps are always really nice. Aside from that Nick is always at the end of the phone and it’s useful to be able to speak directly to someone who’s responsible, without being passed around various people. We had some teething problems working out how to fit the mower to the front, but Nick sorted that out very quickly. Goudhurst is also quite a long, inconvenient trip from Canterbury, but we’ve phoned and ordered parts in the past which have arrived next day in the post. The whole team is very nice to deal with and they do provide very good service.”