Equipment Focus: Zetor earns its stripes with pedigree suckler herd

The time period ‘stockman’s tractor’ is usually used to explain the Zetor vary in addition to different manufacturers that aren’t usually thought-about to be within the mainstream.

This considerably dismissive perspective just isn’t significantly truthful to both the farmer, who usually has specific necessities, or the producer, which is working to fulfil them.

Give attention to cattle rearing

One such farmer wanting a tractor to fulfill fundamental wants with out frills is Tom Bowe of Durrow, Co. Laois, who runs a pedigree herd of Limousin cattle alongside Charolais and extra business animals.

Tom is a devoted stockman by and thru, and his curiosity is primarily within the welfare and breeding of the animals he efficiently sells to a loyal buyer base.

The farm tractor is a needed software fairly than an object of veneration; it must do the duties required reliably, with out the necessity for fixed consideration to digital methods which can profit the devoted followers of expertise, however can in any other case get in the way in which of the operator.

Self contained

The Zetor Proxima HS120 which serves on Tom’s farm is the best match for his enterprise he believes, for it matches into his system fairly than dictating what that system needs to be.

In help of the suckler herd, Tom grows 12ac of barley and 12ac of oats, each of that are fed as concentrates to the animals whereas the straw is retained for feeding and bedding.

Forage provision is a mixture of clamp silage, hay and haylage, a feed which is given to the the animals on the peak of their manufacturing cycle.

The clamp silage is left fully to an area contractor who runs a Claas Jaguar and fleet of New Holland tractors to maintain up with it. The tillage, dung spreading and baling are additionally jobs left to outdoors assist.

Zetor saved busy

Regardless of this reliance on contractors, the Zetor nonetheless clocks up a median of 500 hours a 12 months filling within the gaps.

The three heaviest duties it undertakes are mowing, slurry spreading and pulling a 14t dump trailer, which is usually the case in the summertime because the farm monitor and drainage networks are upgraded.

Aside from working with the dump trailer, the place Tom thinks it’s just about at its restrict, the 120hp Proxima copes completely effectively with all that’s requested of it with energy to spare.

Mowing is finished with a 2.8m Krone with no conditioner which reduces the facility requirement on its first go, wilting is inspired by a number of passes with a tedder earlier than baling.

Whereas the dearth of conditioning might seem to sluggish the method down, there isn’t any doubt that the result’s vastly spectacular with a really candy smelling forage that the cows in early lactation thrive on.

Yard-sized tractor

Whereas it meets all his wants out within the area, across the yard the tractor is compact and manoeuvrable.

Large heavy tractors usually are not yard pleasant Tom feels, and the Zetor is giant sufficient to do the roles required, however stays sufficiently small to suit into buildings and never stumble upon partitions.

Reliability has by no means been a difficulty. It has began and labored completely every single day with no electronics to pander to earlier than it fires up.

The one downside in 18 months of possession has been a snapped hitch launch cable, which can have been a case of it being nipped in some unspecified time in the future fairly than an inherent weak spot.

Zetor revival

It’s no secret that Zetor has had a tough time over the previous few years, with annual gross sales all the way down to single figures at one level.

That is unlucky, for the corporate has been producing tractors since 1946 and has an incredible legacy in Eire with the Crystal being the inspiration stone of extra contracting companies than is mostly admitted to.

This specific tractor was bought to Tom by Michael Brennan of Castlecomer, who represents a brand new breed of Zetor seller in that he’s completely devoted to the model and an enormous fanatic of the machines typically.

Tom replaces his tractors each 4 or 5 years with this being his fifth Zetor. Judging by his total satisfaction together with his newest buy, there will likely be a sixth alongside when the time for the following renewal comes round.