For Cheshire contractor James Darbyshire ploughing is still very much a key part of his annual work load. Located near Warrington just off the busy M56 motorway James offers a full range of services to his customers which includes muck spreading, forage harvesting, big square baling and combining alongside a full cultivation and drilling service for a wide range of crops including maize and cereals. Having run another brand of plough for the last few years James was looking to invest in a new 6 furrow mounted plough that could work with his Fendt tractors that vary in size from 200 to 330 hp.

“We started looking at ploughs in the autumn, having got to a point with our two current ploughs that in some situations we were struggling to clear a wide enough furrow for large tractor tyres and also work competently with the wide range of soil types we encounter around here”. Travelling a 20 mile radius from his base James encounters everything from sand right through moss ground and onto heavy stiff clay soils. James’ customer base is as varied as the local soil types with local dairy farms needing ground ploughed out of grass, ploughing in wheat & barley stubbles plus a fair acreage of potato ground to be ploughed every year.
“LAMMA Show gave us the opportunity to really compare all the makes of plough on the market, it was here we saw the Pottinger SERVO 45S plough for the first time. The thing that really impressed us was the strength and design of the plough. There was really no other plough manufacturer who in my opinion came close to the build of the Pottinger plough, the huge turnover shaft, the internally re-enforced main beam and enclosed category 3 linkage really impressed us. Liking what he saw James ordered a 6 furrow SERVO 45S Plus model fitted with hydraulic variable width furrow adjustment, hydraulic front furrow adjustment and hydraulicaly adjustable depth wheel, whilst quite a high specification James felt this was needed for the wide range of conditions he faces when ploughing.

“Every customer has his own requirements when it comes to ploughing and with everything hydraulically adjustable, the operator can make all the adjustment he needs from the cab keeping downtime for adjustments to a minimum ensuring we get maximum output from the plough”. After 12 months of operating the plough James has nothing but praise for the SERVO 45S Plus model in particular the 46W plough bodies that have ensured the large 710 tractor tyes can fit snugly into the clean furrow bottom keeping wheelslip to a minimum. James feels this also has reflected in how level the Pottinger plough leaves the furrows. “Its great at clearing out the furrows even ploughing at higher speeds in the lighter soils, there is a clear furrow bottom and importantly a level finish on top. This level finish ensures that our following passes to establish the crop are easier and the seed gets the very best start to ensure the very best in germination and yield for our customers”.

James Darbyshire