Pneumatic suspension in the front counterweights. Fabrication process

Once our friend Heliodoro published a post about suspension systems for front counterweights, our friend Julián Martínez decided to build his own suspension system for his new Massey Ferguson 5712 SL. He is really a handyman and he has a complete set of tools for working... here you can see how we made a tool for downloading big bags on our seed drill.

As he told us, the  fabrication process is not very complex... although he needed some professional help to get a good finish. Firstly, he looked for information on Internet to find some outline where he could see some measurements. Secondly, he manufactured all the pieces using wood to create a prototype. After that, when the prototype was a very fine model, he manufactured all the pieces using iron of 20mm and 15mm (a company cut all pieces with laser cutting). The two shock-absorbers and pneumatic balls were acquired on his own on Internet too. The total cost of this pneumatic system was about 600€.

As you can see in our pictures, the system is anchored with a bolt and two screws of 20mm. It can support about 800kg with 7 bar of maximum air pressure. It is a pneumatic suspension so it is cleaner than hydraulic suspension and it is easier to configure when you have to change the number of counterweights used.

Nowadays, he uses 9 counterweights of 55kg (about 500kg) and the pneumatic suspension is configured at 3,5 bar of air pressure. As you can see in our video, the system works perfectly and the driver has good feeling when the tractor works on field or road.

Versión en español.

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Ensiling Sorghum: chopping, transport and pressing

Last August, we visited our friends of Gala Merino Farm (Escalona del Prado - Segovia). This time, we went there since they were ensiling a special and unknown crop for us: the Sorghum.

The Gala Merino Daily delivers its milk production (over 3.5 million per year) to Danone. This year, Gala Merino Farm was awarded the prize for Sustainable Competitiveness because they meet the highest requirements of respect for the environment. To achieve this goal, they use solar panels, together with four milking robots; apart from that, the design of the farm is optimal in ventilation, which allows increasing animal welfare.

The Sorghum crop is not very common in Spain, although it could be a good alternative for ensiling. On this occasion, the sorghum was sowed (using direct seeding) on a field where there was winter barley that was ensiled in spring. The water that the sorghum need is less than corn (about half the water) and sorghum can be harvested twice (in that moment, they worked in the first harvesting). About its yield, it is really good... about 40,000 kg/he.

On the other hand, our friends performed a Sorghum analysis, which indicated that the average protein level is 12.6%. This rate is quite low compared to other crops with similar characteristics, such as Rye, which has a protein level of 15%, although its production is much smaller. Nevertheless, when you ensile corn is with the aim of getting a good level of starches, not protein. On this occasion, forage sorghum will be included in the feed ration of cows to increase the quality of milk.

Versión en español.

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