Equipment Hub

Winter-proof your farm tires: Essential tips for the cold season

jonesgreg@bfusa.com — Tue, 07 Jan 2025 00:00:00 -0500

Winter is here and with it comes colder temperatures, wet or icy ground and snow in some areas. Despite the changing weather conditions, you still need to get work done, and farm tire maintenance is crucial to staying productive, no matter the weather.

Equipment Hub: Anatomy of a simple repair

bnelson1946@live.com — Wed, 03 Jan 2024 00:00:00 -0500

The standard answer to reducing repairs in agriculture or anything else is simply to stop breaking things. The first step, IMHO, (in my humble opinion), is to figure out why something broke in the first place.

Equipment Hub: Getting attached to your loader

aoverbay@vt.edu — Fri, 14 Apr 2023 00:00:00 -0400

A front-end loader on a tractor can be a very handy thing to have on the farm.

Equipment Hub: Custom forage harvester adjustments to make you and the nutritionist happy

joshua.harkenrider@newholland.com — Wed, 07 Sep 2022 10:50:42 -0400

Whether you’re a custom chopper or harvesting forage for yourself, there are several adjustments you can make to your self-propelled forage harvester to meet the quality forage needs set by your customers’ (or your own) nutritionist.

Equipment Hub: Troubleshooting tips for servicing your robotic milking system

shawn.vannote@gea.com — Fri, 12 Aug 2022 14:44:20 -0400

What happens when your internet isn’t working? You’re probably not going to call your internet provider immediately. Instead, after some cursing and dusting off the barn grime, you might check your router, disconnect and reconnect your modem, check if there’s an outage or restart your device.

Equipment Hub: The case for electrification, automation and artificial intelligence in farming

Wed, 20 Jul 2022 20:51:07 -0400

The saying “work smarter, not harder” dates back to the 1930s and is attributed to Allen F. Morgenstern, an industrial engineer who created a work simplification program that boosted productivity while requiring less effort.

Equipment Hub: The precision farming way to measure feed nutrition

Tue, 24 May 2022 13:00:01 -0400

Alfalfa is a power-packed ingredient in cattle rations, especially for the dairy producer. Yet this crop can add more uncertainty to the ration than any other ingredient.

Equipment Hub: The scoop on the goop

aoverbay@vt.edu — Sat, 07 May 2022 13:00:01 -0400

A few days ago, friends on a Facebook group page were discussing the best way to create a substitute gasket for an antique tractor. All manner of methods and materials were cussed and discussed.

Equipment Hub: Pros and cons of straight piping

aoverbay@vt.edu — Tue, 19 Apr 2022 13:00:01 -0400

We’ve all heard those diesel pickups pulling away from a parking lot – black smoke rolling with the distinctive roar and whistle of a turbocharged diesel engine.

Equipment Hub: Top equipment trends for 2022

Fri, 11 Mar 2022 14:00:01 -0500

If we’re looking for the top equipment trends for 2022, autonomy and automation head the list.

Equipment Hub: Determine the right planter for your farm

Fri, 25 Feb 2022 17:09:48 -0500

With the approach of spring weather, dairy farmers are busy preparing for planting season. But many are looking even further ahead, thinking about and placing orders for new planters for 2023.

Equipment Hub: With rising input costs, forage quality matters

jordan.milewski@newholland.com — Tue, 18 Jan 2022 14:00:01 -0500

Many recent forward-looking articles have shared the central themes that uncertain availability and rising costs are expected to drive 2022 input costs near or above historic levels.

Farm Machinery Digest: Testing your diagnostic skills – Flex fuel and turbochargers

hotrodfarmer@farmmachinerydigest.com — Fri, 31 Dec 2021 14:00:01 -0500

Situation No. 1 There is a good deal of coffee shop talk about higher ethanol blends in gasoline.

Equipment Hub: Undetected protection

aoverbay@vt.edu — Sat, 11 Dec 2021 14:00:01 -0500

This spring, I had the opportunity to serve as a juror for a civil trial in federal court.

Farm Machinery Digest: Testing your diagnostic skills: Engine thermostats and BSFC

hotrodfarmer@farmmachinerydigest.com — Mon, 08 Nov 2021 22:00:13 -0500

The weather is getting cold tonight, and you are glad the heater in the combine works well. You have about another 20 acres of corn to go, and harvest is complete. You can almost feel that warm bed and soft pillow now.

Equipment Hub: Maximizing the value of manure management

Tue, 19 Oct 2021 13:00:01 -0400

In today’s world of maximizing yields while minimizing costs, everyone is searching for a better method of production and utilizing every resource to its fullest.

Farm Machinery Digest: Testing your diagnostic skills – Transmission

hotrodfarmer@farmmachinerydigest.com — Wed, 29 Sep 2021 03:13:37 -0400

Like most farmers, you keep old equipment around since it still has some useful life left in it.

Farm Machinery Digest: Testing your diagnostic skills: Diesel

hotrodfarmer@farmmachinerydigest.com — Wed, 15 Sep 2021 17:36:29 -0400

Situation No. 1 Your brother lends you his 1-year-old ¾-ton diesel pickup truck to use for a few weeks while he’s on vacation. You are considering buying one, so you welcome the opportunity for the extended “test drive.”

Equipment Hub: The energy-independent farm is within reach

mark.lowery@newholland.com — Wed, 25 Aug 2021 17:46:27 -0400

Think about a world where you didn’t have to worry about rising energy prices and the negative impact they have on your farm income – a world where you can fulfill your own energy needs.

Farm Machinery Digest: Testing your diagnostic skills: Alternator belts

hotrodfarmer@farmmachinerydigest.com — Fri, 06 Aug 2021 13:00:01 -0400

Situation No. 1 You just finished changing the alternator on the haybine and are happy that it can now go back to work, cutting the alfalfa before the rain hits tomorrow.

Farm machinery digest: Testing your diagnostic skills - Equipment

hotrodfarmer@farmmachinerydigest.com — Mon, 19 Jul 2021 17:49:00 -0400

Situation No. 1 Like most farmers, you keep old equipment around since it still has some useful life left in it. You applied this mindset last year when you bought your wife a new SUV and kept her old one with 300,000 miles on it as a “spare.”

Equipment Hub: Right tool, right task

aoverbay@vt.edu — Tue, 19 Jan 2021 14:00:01 -0500

I am often confronted with a new challenge when it comes to repairs around our family farm. Much of the machinery and buildings we own were purchased or constructed when I was in elementary school.

Equipment Hub: Skid-steer loaders: Do you know the best safety practices?

Fri, 06 Nov 2020 14:00:01 -0500

As a farmer, you know your dairy operation like the back of your hand. But do you know the best safety practices for your compact track loader or skid-steer loader?

Equipment Hub: How much are you paying for time?

aoverbay@vt.edu — Mon, 19 Oct 2020 13:00:01 -0400

Time. We say we never have enough of it, but the reality is: It is the only truly fair thing on earth.

Equipment Hub: Don’t wait for winter

Thu, 01 Oct 2020 13:00:01 -0400

The job isn’t over just because the temperatures drop. Harsh winter weather can have a harsh impact on your equipment, especially without the right maintenance.

Equipment Hub: Making the most out of your silage

Fri, 11 Sep 2020 13:00:01 -0400

Forage crops are an essential part of every successful dairy farm. Not only are they critical to the cattle’s health, but the forage fed to livestock can also affect an operation’s bottom line.

Equipment Hub: How to remove sprockets and pulleys from tapered shafts

Sun, 19 Jul 2020 13:00:01 -0400

Removing sprockets and pulleys can be a difficult task whether they are on a straight-cut shaft or a tapered shaft. But while removing any sprocket or pulley, wear safety glasses and use appropriate safety items when working with these types of parts.

Equipment Hub: Making ‘good fences’

aoverbay@vt.edu — Tue, 30 Jun 2020 13:00:01 -0400

Good fences make good neighbors. Good fences also serve as “curb appeal” for your farmstead. I sometimes find myself in the unenviable role of a farm business analyst and, frankly, one of the first observations I make about the future prospects of a farm is the state of its fences.

Equipment Hub: Nutrient application and the 4R nutrient stewardship principles

Thu, 11 Jun 2020 13:00:01 -0400

Ensuring that plants receive adequate nutrition is a critical component of a profitable yield, no matter which forage crop you produce. Nutrients come from a variety of mineral or synthetic fertilizer sources, and many producers also rely on organic materials including manure and compost.