On our stand at Farm Expo this year, we will be displaying a dual-purpose BMV FL800 PC orchard trimmer which can be used to control growth and promote heavier cropping in new fruit wall systems.
Designed with economical orchard management in mind, the BMV FL800 PC can be equipped with saw blades in the winter for mechanical pruning, and then with knives in the summer for trimming and cutting green wood.
Mounted on the front of a new Gen 3 Fendt 210F, the FL800 PC from BMV features one lower, seven middle and two top 400mm saw blades. The bottom blade can work either vertically or at any angle up to 90 degrees. Equally, the top cutting bar can work both vertically and horizontally, and on the PC model, operators can also adjust the proximity of the two top disks.
While we also stock and supply other brands of mechanical pruners and trimmers, the BMV has been selected as it has been praised recently by growers for its multipurpose capabilities.
“The BMV FL800 PC can even be used for cutting hedges and windbreaks around the orchard up to 4.5 metres tall,” said Claire Seymour, sales and marketing director at NP Seymour.
“With the economy the way it is at the moment, everyone is looking to get more for less. Investing in orchard and vineyard machinery is no different, and so we are always looking for ways to provide growers with quality products which suit budgets and can also be used to tackle more than one job on the farm.”
To find out more about the BMV FL800 from a grower’s perspective, we caught up with Steven Woodfield, an organic contract grower for a cider producer who grows 14 different apple varieties, plus perry pears, on his 60-acre farm, Luston Fields, in Leominster.
“So far, so good really,” said Steven. “It’s nice and quick, operating at about 8km/hour and is giving good results.”
Before investing in the BMV, which was recommended to him by Nick, Steven was spending around 225 hours hand-pruning his trees by himself.
“It’s a beast! I did 60 acres in a day!” he said. “There are no drawbacks, and it means I can get out and prune when the weather conditions are just right.”
While Steven is only currently using the BMV trimmer for winter pruning on his orchards, he says that he is openly looking to do some contracting work with it in the Leominster area.
“We have bush trees so won’t use it in the summer unlike those with modern fruit wall systems,” said Steven. “I’m also planning to use it for hedges. Being organic we have taller hedges to keep the beneficial insects which will eat the nasties and so I’ll just do some siding up.”
Previously an agricultural engineer himself, Steven chose to set the machine up by himself.
“Nick phoned and went through everything and was more than willing to send someone out if I needed, but I like to do things by myself,” he said. “I’ve even adapted the frame a little so that I can store it more easily.”
The NP Seymour team looks forward to seeing you on Stand 242 at Farm Expo on 1 March 2023.
