An interview with Morris Corfield Hereford Customers Dave and Chalie Blandford from Brobury Farms.

Making the switch from generations of straw walker combines to a hybrid rotary could be considered a bold move but for Herefordshire brothers Charlie and Dave Blandford it’s a change that has paid off in multiple ways.

“Increasingly unpredictable weather patterns mean we have to try and get field operations done in ever tighter weather windows,” explains Charlie.

“With just Dave and myself on the farm looking after 370-head of stock as well as 240ha of arable cropping we have to have the equipment to get the work done as quickly and efficiently as possible. That applies to everything right through from cultivations and drilling to spraying and ultimately harvest. Of course, it’s the combine that brings the cash crops home so we place a lot of importance on that.”

And last season saw a significant upgrade in the business’ harvesting capacity with the arrival of a TRION 730 equipped with a 6.7m VARIO cutterbar and TERRA TRAC system. With its single rotor hybrid threshing system, it’s a significant change from the five straw walker LEXION 5400 that went before.

What are the key challenges facing the business?

“It’s a real challenge to find people who are prepared to work long hours when needed. We’ve had to change what we do so that we can manage our livestock and our entire arable acreage between just the two of us.

“A core part of that has been in equipping ourselves with the kit that means we minimise our reliance on others. Having a modern, reliable combine that is well on top of the job means we can get the crops cleared at their driest without too much stress.”

In that vein, two years ago the brothers decided to trial a demonstration TRION 730.

“Being in a region where straw is almost as valuable as the grain, we were initially very cautious about moving to a hybrid rotary. Pretty quickly those concerns were proved unfounded.

“Running the demo machine alongside our 5400 you could barely tell the difference between the swaths of straw. More impressively it was travelling 15-20% faster without throwing anything out over the back – that sealed the deal.”

How has the TRION 730 performed? “We’re certainly well up in terms of harvesting capacity. The TRION is easily capable of running at 38-40 tonnes an hour. But why push it, especially given the easy conditions we’ve had these last two harvests?” says Dave.

“It’ll comfortably burble along at 25-30 tonnes with minimal engine loading and zero losses. At that rate I can easily keep up on trailers which means we’re generally able to keep to a two-man operation.

“The beauty of moving to a hybrid is that if we’re ever really up against it with the weather, we can crank the TRION right up and get the output required.”

What are the key features that have brought about the extra output?

“While the change in the threshing and separation system is clearly the biggest factor in giving us extra capacity, the Cummins engine’s torque back up makes for a more consistent delivery of power with the result that the flow of crop right through the combine feels smoother and quieter. That clearly has a big impact on how efficiently it’s working,” says Charlie.

“We’re never limited on power, even when we’re chopping and unloading going uphill.

“With a combine that’s well on top of the job we’re never having to push anything to its limits. In the extra dry conditions of these last two harvests, we’ve been able to slow the drum and rotor down and we’ve never come close to overloading the sieves.

 “That means the TRION consistently produces a clean sample – very important given we’re aiming to achieve premium prices with spring oats and beans for seed.”

Why the move to tracks?

“When we had the tracked demonstration TRION here you could clearly see how much more smoothly the header travelled, particularly over rutted ground.

“Our soils are quite compaction prone so we could see the benefit the extended footprint would bring in spreading the load – it made sense to go with tracks.

“It’s proved to be a worthwhile investment. On our steepest ground we’re never scrabbling and thanks to the narrower overall width, road moves are a completely stress-free experience.”

How does the TRION cope with undulating ground?

“In the past we’ve had combines equipped with MONTANA body-levelling but going to a tracked combine meant that was no longer an option.

“Surprisingly it’s not been an issue. With the AUTO SLOPE function on the TRION tweaking fan speed and sieves settings depending on whether it’s travelling up- or down-hill and the 4D rotor flaps throwing grain to the topside of the grain pan, I haven’t found I’ve had to pull the stick back at all, even on our steepest

Why CLAAS?

“By aiming to be as self-sufficient as possible and minimise our reliance on others, we need to know we’ve got back-up if and when things go wrong.

“CLAAS kit has a fantastic reputation for reliability and with good reason. Their combines are recognised as leading the field wherever you go. Everywhere you look around the machine you can see it’s built to last.

“More important than anything, the service we get from our local dealer MORRIS CORFIELD is just brilliant. Their mechanics are so experienced in working on combines they can do the job with their eyes shut and if you need any parts you can be pretty certain they’ll have them on the shelf.

“CLAAS moves with the times. Each combine we’ve had has brought a significant increase in capacity, matching the growth in our acreage. This latest machine has gone above and beyond that, enabling us to wait an extra hour or two each day to ensure we’re cutting crops at their driest.”