Tullow Double Chopper

[jf 850]

Having watched the Double chops finishing their plot last Sunday at the hugely successful Extravaganza , I was making my way up the last field to be cut, the Precision chop one, to where I had the tractor parked, near the gate, with the view to head home . Pickells Green Dream a Machine Started up to mow , and it would have been rude to leave without watching it at work.:whistling:
Next thing an acquaintance and his 20 something yo son stops to chat. He was in his element , and asked me had I noticed any Tullow double chops in the field. I hadn't. He has one at home in the shed , that he bought new in, he thinks, 1988. His next comment I took with a grain , or 2 , of salt. For £2000 straight out. There was 3 year old JF FC80 bought here in 85 for £1800, so I couldn't see his machine being less money for brand new , 3 years later. He worked the Tullow with a MF 290 first, then a 390, and finally ended up using it behind a 399. He reckons to have regularily done 20 acres a day with it, admittedly side filling, even with the 290. He has a wagon now , due to labour issues.

My questions,
Was there a Tullow harvester at the event ?
Did any members ever have one ?
What sort of money was a new double-chop in 1988 ?
And finally, surely you would need at least 120 hp to consistently cut 1 1/2 acres an hour with a double chop ?

Looking forward to hearing your views.

 

[Arthur]

I didn't notice one at the event, Kidd, NH and Taarrup were the main players and have used all three, NH was the hardest to drive of the 3 and they even made a 6' cut version. 17 acres a day was a right good day with one, 14 or 15 would be more the norm with 100+ hp. 75 acres was considered a good week as you would maybe loose a day to rain, later years we used mow the grass in front of the double chop and that way you would top 20 a day as the side flail must have been the most power hungry way to beat strong grass off the ground, it certainly wasn't what you could call cutting when they had about 100 acres done. Apart from the makes mentioned I think Gyro also made one.

 

[jf 850]

Elho still make them, and also heard of a Nordsten? But have never seen one 1 in the metal. I think JF made one as well.

 

[jpt]

Was the Tullow a direct copy of the Kidd.
I remember their main selling point was low Hp requirement.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk so it is

 

[Arthur]

Elho still make them, and also heard of a Nordsten? But have never seen one 1 in the metal. I think JF made one as well.

Now that you mention Elho I was surprised at the range of stuff they had at Agritechnica, would be scarce this end of the world but they make a huge variety of mowers and groupers, why they havent taken off over here I wonder is it a price thing as they looked very well made bits of kit.

 

[jf 850]

Were you buying double chops around that time, the late 80s?

Would 6 or 7000 have been more like the price?

 

[Arthur]

Were you buying double chops around that time, the late 80s?

Would 6 or 7000 have been more like the price?

I was driving other peoples then had my own tractor on a Kidd, first harvester I owned was the JF FC80, must have a root through old paperwork and see if I can come up with the sales invoice.

 

[kverneland es 80]

Were you buying double chops around that time, the late 80s?

Would 6 or 7000 have been more like the price?

The last double chop landed here in 1989 a new holland 339 .with auto hitch .6k seems to stick in my mind .auto hitch was 400.we used work with a neighbour who also ha a 339 .20 acres per machine was a big days cutting. Involving 7 am starts and 11pm finishing.tractors on the harvesters were mf 698t 4wd and ford 7610 4wd

 

[jf 850]

The last double chop landed here in 1989 a new holland 339 .with auto hitch .6k seems to stick in my mind .auto hitch was 400.we used work with a neighbour who also ha a 339 .20 acres per machine was a big days cutting. Involving 7 am starts and 11pm finishing.tractors on the harvesters were mf 698t 4wd and ford 7610 4wd

Thanks es 80. That tallies with what I thought myself. I remember in 1983 drawing silage for a lad , with his 188, two trailers, a 13 x7 ft 6 and a 14 x 8. Anther 188 with maybe a 7 ft , certainly no bigger and maybe 6 ft 6 rake on the pit. A 7 year old Ford 7600 with a brand new 7610 engine in it, pulling a Kidd double chop, that was replaced with a new one every 3 years

Start at 8.30 and finish at 8 . 12 acres would have been average going , one day with another. The younger amongst you will think what short days they were, compared to now , but silage started in early June, and could go on till August, and that was mainly 1st cuts. There was feck all pressure on lads, time wise or money wise. The lad owned the above outfit had a new car every 2 or 3 years at that time.

The whole outfit cost less than one of the trailers do now. Output was 10 % of today's big SP jobs, but rates were about £40 an acre at the time , I think. Converted to today's money, today's big shiny circuses going around the country are not making much return for the money tied up in them.

 

[kverneland es 80]

Brings back memories. Was drawing myself in 83 with the 168 and 14x8 trailers.harvesters here were changed every 2 -3 yrs when they needed a new set of fails .mf 690 in the pit with a 9ft donmac rake.my mum used to do the cows on her own that week every yr

 

[diesel power]

Elho still make them, and also heard of a Nordsten? But have never seen one 1 in the metal. I think JF made one as well.

Aye JF made them alright. The neighbour has one and it looks like it's down feck all.

 

[Arthur]

I was driving other peoples then had my own tractor on a Kidd, first harvester I owned was the JF FC80, must have a root through old paperwork and see if I can come up with the sales invoice.

[MENTION=4579]jf 850[/MENTION]

 

[Arthur]

Another few more . http://www.staalmeester.co.za/Video...hop_forage_harvester_on_grass_demo_video.html

 

[Arthur]

Elho still make them, and also heard of a Nordsten? But have never seen one 1 in the metal. I think JF made one as well.

An Irish one for sale in Longford last year.

 

[jf 850]

[MENTION=4579]jf 850[/MENTION]

Very interesting, [MENTION=3698]Spanner[/MENTION]. The 80 that was here would have been the same year as yours , but was bought s/h after 200 acres of private use in 3 years for £1800. So it had lost approx half it's value over the 3 years.

I still have a JF FCT 110 in storage, that I was using up to 4 years ago . It had a 1100 mm wide pick-up and drum and was the same basic construction , but bigger , and trailed compared to an FC80.


I had a fair collection of old machinery leaflets from the 70s , such as yours , but during an en-suite construction clearance, they got " recycled" , .

 

[jf 850]

[MENTION=4579]jf 850[/MENTION]

Very interesting, [MENTION=3698]Spanner[/MENTION]. The 80 that was here would have been the same year as yours , but was bought s/h after 200 acres of private use in 3 years for £1800. So it had lost approx half it's value over the 3 years.

I still have a JF FCT 110 in storage, that I was using up to 4 years ago . It had a 1100 mm wide pick-up and drum and was the same basic construction , but bigger , and trailed compared to an FC80.


I had a fair collection of old machinery leaflets from the 70s , such as yours , but during an en-suite construction clearance, they got " recycled" , .

 

[Stock]

Followed a few gobble chops in my time all of the above including a UG..... most pulled by 12011/45, 3130 jd,7000 188 etc

 

[gone]

Tullow Engineering closed in '85, I'm almost positive, but pre 87 anyway, but all unsold stock was sold at an auction later, 87 I think and he may have bought it at auction. There were some bargains at the auction, if you were setup to deal with the lots as they sold, there were very odd lots from what I remember.
Funny that it should be mentioned that it was a direct copy of another make, because that was their forte.

 

[jf 850]

Tullow Engineering closed in '85, I'm almost positive, but pre 87 anyway, but all unsold stock was sold at an auction later, 87 I think and he may have bought it at auction. There were some bargains at the auction, if you were setup to deal with the lots as they sold, there were very odd lots from what I remember.
Funny that it should be mentioned that it was a direct copy of another make, because that was their forte.

I asked him where he bought it, and Tim Gleeson in Nenagh was his reply. Says he has a full set of new flails for it as well. Two cousins of my wife bought a Similar harvester off Tim Gleeson sometime in the mid 80s .
Maybe he managed to buy a few machines at the auction, and sold them on at handy money, as they were without any factory backup, and parts down the line would be a big problem ?

Another maker after coming into my head. Did Gyro make a double-chop?

 

[jpt]

Another maker after coming into my head. Did Gyro make a double-chop?

Yes they did,don't think I ever saw one though.

 

[gmc541]

New, New Holland 341 double chop c.w.electric controls and puh £4000 +vat and for six knives instead of 3 an extra £135
That was1991 so knock a few hundred off for 1988

 

[kverneland es 80]

New, New Holland 341 double chop c.w.electric controls and puh £4000 +vat and for six knives instead of 3 an extra £135
That was1991 so knock a few hundred off for 1988

The 341 was a kidd painted in new holland colours and was cheaper than the 339 or 342

 

[Angus283]

We still cut our pit silage with a Taarup DC1500 II & two old 13x7 tandem axle trailers, about 18 acres would be a good day with one. The whole outfit didn't cost much & it does our bit of grass the finest

 

[gmc541]

The 341 was a kidd painted in new holland colours and was cheaper than the 339 or 342

The Kidd version of the New Holland was the only double chop available other than a tarrup which was a few hundred £ more.

 

[jf 850]

We still cut our pit silage with a Taarup DC1500 II & two old 13x7 tandem axle trailers, about 18 acres would be a good day with one. The whole outfit didn't cost much & it does our bit of grass the finest

When it gets the job done for you, that's what it's all about.

You must be on somewhat tender ground, if you need tandem axles on a 13 x 7 trailers ? What sort of power have you driving it?

The man I was talking to in Moyglass did say he was side filling. I know that when we started side filling , it made a big increase in output.

I bought straw from a man a few years ago, who was cutting his own silage with a Taarup double chop , and driving it with NH TS 115. He was also saying that he was managing over 20 acres a day as well.