The difference is in the demos. That’s an apt description of the Sunbelt Agricultural Exposition, which for years now has distinguished itself as, “The largest farm show in the world with field demonstrations.”

There’s always plenty of new equipment at the Expo, giving growers the opportunity to “kick the tires,” but they can also get into the fields on a 600-acre working farm to view harvest and tillage demonstrations and test-drive and use the latest equipment available to the agricultural industry.

During each day of the show, Oct. 19-21, there will be equipment demonstrations in the fields, weather permitting. From 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. each day, the Tractor Driving Range and the Harvesting and Tillage Demonstrations will all be operating.

Tractor-drawn covered shuttle wagons will transport visitors to the fields to see the always-popular demonstrations. On the way, visitors will be able to get off the wagons and test-drive any number of new tractors, many with global positioning systems and other precision farming technology.

Major crops on the Expo farm this year include cotton, peanuts, corn, soybeans and bermudagrass hay. The Expo farm also features some of south Georgia’s largest plantings of alfalfa and perennial peanuts, both high-quality forage legume crops. 

Hay harvesting has always been one of the Expo’s most popular field demonstrations, attracting large crowds and offering the widest array of equipment. For the safety of Expo visitors, everyone attending the demonstrations is asked to stand behind the safety ropes in place this year.

Demonstrations in the fields are as follows, with all times being subject to change depending on weather or equipment:

Tuesday and Wednesday: 10 a.m. – Tedding; 10:30 a.m. – Raking; 11 a.m. – Cutting; 12 noon – Baling; 1 p.m. – Tedding; 1:30 p.m. – Raking; 2 p.m. – Baling; and 3 p.m. – Cutting. Thursday: 10 a.m. – Tedding; 10:30 a.m. – Raking; 11 a.m. – Baling; 1 p.m. – Cutting; 2 p.m. – Tedding; 2:30 p.m. – Raking; and 3 p.m. – Baling.
Several companies will be showcasing their new equipment offerings during the field demonstrations, including Krone NA, Inc., which will feature its EasyCut 3200 CV – Mower Conditioner; KWT 1122 – Tedder; Swadro 710T – Rotary Rake; VarioPack 1500 – Round Baler; and the Big Pack 1290 – Large Square Baler.

Twin basket hay rake

Lewis M. Carter (LMC) will be showing its model 8907 twin basket hay rake at the Expo this year. The LMC twin basket hay rake is built for capacity, gentle handling, and superb reliability. This unit comes outfitted with all new hydraulic fold for simple transport to operating positions in seconds.

Two large caster wheels in front support the basket hangers and allow a smooth ride, even in variable contours and terrain. The heavy-duty 8,000-pound jacks mounted in the front and rear allow a simple adjustment for the basket height. This model requires two hydraulic tractor remotes.

LMC will also be introducing a new product at the Expo, called the shred and pull, a three-point hitch unit that shreds cotton stalks and pulls up the roots in one pass. LMC will be demonstrating this product in the cotton fields.

Also, Pequea will be demonstrating its TR 8 Turbo Rake. Pequea TR Series rakes feature fully independent and adjustable wheel arms for superior raking consistency on rough terrain combined with the independent adjustments of the tail wheels makes the rake compatible with any crop conditions.

The unique folding design allows the operator to have full hydraulic control of the rake from the seat of the tractor. The TR series is offered in eight, 10 and 12-wheel models with center kicker wheels available.

All Pequea products are designed, tested and manufactured in New Holland, Penn.

Other hay demo participants include:

Kuhn’s new GMD 50 series trailed disc mowers provide hay producers with greater productivity, reduced maintenance, and simpler, more dependable operation.  

The GMD 50 series benefits include:

•A trailed mower design that increases productivity, since a wider cutting width is possible without the need for a larger tractor. It also provides better performance than a mounted disc mower with a caddy.

•The lubed-for-life Optidisc cutterbar with differential disc spacing and Protectadrive for a clean cut and reliable cutterbar protection.
•Proactive-LiftTM suspension to handle rough and challenging field conditions.

•Gyrodine swivel hitch fitted with Kuhn’s Generation 2 Drawbar Swivel Hitch for unsurpassed maneuverability with the convenience of a drawbar hitch.

•All-steel top and side sheets for long life and higher resale value. Steel side sheets cleanly separate down and tangled crop.

•Reduced maintenance with just two oil-change points and minimal grease zerks.

Kuhn round balers

Kuhn VB Round Balers — The VB 2160 and 2190 variable chamber round balers are new to Kuhn, but our baler factory has been the leader in baling technology for over 25 years. The 2160 is a 4x5 baler and the 2190 produces 4x6 round bales. Both models are available with an open throat intake design, an OptiFeed non-cutting rotor or a 14-knife Opticut integral rotor. OptiFeed and Opticut machines feature a wide 91’ pickup. VB balers provide high-performance throughput in diverse crop conditions. A well-designed pre-chamber ensures fast, consistent bale starting, while the Progressive Density System provides firm bales with variable core density. Completed bales are secured with twine and/or net wrap through a fast, efficient tying cycle. Kuhn balers provide outstanding performance from start to finish for quality bales with optimum integrity. A simple design with fewer moving parts helps these balers provide the years of reliable service expected from quality Kuhn machines.

Kuhn’s SR 300 series wheel rakes provide hay producers with both high-capacity raking and exceptional transportability in a 10- or 12-wheel rake.

The SR 300 benefits include:

•Easily-transportable carted design with centrally-positioned chassis for better maneuverability.

•High-clearance chassis and rake beams for high capacity. Optimized flotation allows rake wheels to follow ground contours without the need for caster wheels.

•Exclusive hydraulic, telescopic folding system opens and closes the rake with no need to leave the tractor. “On-the-go” adjustment of the working width provides greater operator convenience and does not change the windrow width.

•Front and rear rake wheels can be locked up to match conditions. In heavy crops, twin windrows can be formed for additional drying or for harvest by small square balers.

•Options include the choice of a single or tandem axle, a lock for single-side raking, and a “V-type” splitter-wheel system.

John Deere - This year John Deere is proud to demonstrate a 630 mower conditioner and 468 round baler at the Sunbelt Agriculture Expo.  

The 630 is equipped with the popular Impeller conditioner which can be adjusted to accommodate a wide variety of crop conditions without any tools required.  This model can also be ordered with the patented cool-molded urethane conditioner rolls.  The 630 has a cut-width of 9’9” and comes standard with a 3 year cutterbar factory warranty for all internal components.

Optional net wrap feature

The 468 round baler makes a four ft. wide bale up to six ft. tall and comes standard with a MegaWide pickup.  With an optional net wrap feature that utilizes Abraco net designed for our balers, it’s a productive way to make short work of your hay fields.

Add these features unmatched John Deere dealer support, and these machines will be putting up hay for many years to come.

Bale Band-It - The Bale Band-It bands 21 small square bales into a solid bundle that can be quickly and easily moved with a forklift or tractor. It is fully automatic, bands and unloads on the go. We are introducing a brand new model for 2010. The Bale Band-It Model 200 features greater bale length capacity with our shorter bale option, allowing you to bundle bales as short as 35” and up to 42” long. Our new model can handle a bale every 5 seconds. Also a versatile pickup attachment is available enabling you to switch from pulling behind the baler to picking bales up out of the field within minutes! Our new Model 200 is now manufactured by GFC in their new state-of-the-art facility at Pittsfield, Ill.

New Holland — Top quality haymaking begins with top quality mowers, balers and tractors from the industry leader in haytools, New Holland. Watch as New Holland’s newest round balers, the Roll-Belt 450 utility baler and Silage Special BR7060 round baler, produce dense, tight, uniform bales.

See New Holland’s H6830 disc mower speed through even the toughest conditions for non-stop, trouble-free cutting.

Witness crop cutting and conditioning at its best with New Holland’s new H7230 swivel-hitch Discbine disc mower-conditioner. It’s got the large capacity of a self-propelled windrower in a highly maneuverable pivot-tongue package.

The new H5920 deluxe carted wheel rake makes short work of high-volume raking, and produces fast-drying, fluffy windrows. Its compact design makes it super-easy to maneuver, even at field ends.

These haytools will be powered by state-of-the-art New Holland T5000 and T6000 Series tractors, with performance and power perfectly matched for New Holland haytools.

Southern Silage Supply will demonstrate an in-line bale wrapper and discuss the process from start to finish.

Fella SM320 Disc Mower — The Fella SM320 Disc Mower has a 9’10” cutting width.  Mounted with optional KC320 tine conditioner for faster hay curing. The Fella heavy duty professional series mowers feature shaft drive technology, with individual replaceable drive units for fast, simple servicing. Fella mowers are available in cutting widths from 6’8” to the 33 1/2’ mega cutter.

Fella TH800 Hydro Fold Tedder — The TH800 Hydro 25’ 2” contractor grade hay tedder folds onto its own caddy for safe, compact transport.  Fella tedders are built for long working life due to Fella’s Super C flexible heavy duty tines, greasable bronze bushings at all hinge points and heavy duty cast gearboxes. Fella tedders are available in widths from 17’ to 42”7”.

Fella TS426T 13’7” Trailed Turbo Swather Rake — The Fella TS426T 13’7” trailed turbo swather rake is designed for long life under the toughest conditions. Fella swathers offer precise raking even in heavy crops due to extra long tines and castoring undercarriage. The Fella rotor system features ball bearing supported steel rollers, greasable camtrack and greasable sealed bronze bushings for low maintenance and long life. Fella swathers are available from 11’5” to the 40’5” Fella mega swather.

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