Mistral - Peter Shaw
Landini scraper tractor is the only power unit bought new for Wiltshire dairy farm
It’s a measure of the importance dairy producer Peter Shaw attaches to the reliability of his scraper tractor that it is the only new power unit on the farm.
The diet feeder is entrusted to a second-hand John Deere while an ageing David Brown puts chopped straw on to rubber mats in the cubicles. Contractors look after most of the field work, partly to exploit their expertise but also to save putting money into machinery used only sporadically.
“I’d rather spend money on our cows and fixed assets like the milking parlour we installed a few years ago to cope with herd expansion,” he explains. “I can see a direct return from those investments.”
But Mr Shaw makes one exception: he recently changed the Landini Mistral compact tractor he uses for clearing cubicle passages, the collecting yard and feeding area with another one.
“The scraper tractor has to start on the button every morning,” he emphasises. “The thought of spending £3000 on someone else’s second-hand rubbish doesn’t appeal so we bought another new Mistral.”
A pair of Fordson Majors provided sole motive power when Peter and Beryl Shaw moved to Bishops Farm, a council holding at Bushton near Wootton Bassett, in 1989. The 75 acre unit has grown to 150 acres plus some rented land since then, and cow numbers from 75 to 150 pedigree Holsteins, forming a closed herd with the Chanter prefix.
New and extended buildings provided by Wiltshire county council accommodate the larger herd, providing airy housing that underscores the emphasis placed on high standards of cow health and welfare.
When it comes to the twice-daily scraping duty, Peter Shaw wanted a tractor with four-wheel drive for secure traction but with sufficient manoeuvrability to nip in and around buildings.
His first Landini Mistral, which took over from one of the Majors, clocked up 4500hrs in eight years. It was reliable and did the job well enough for local Landini dealer Neman Enterprises to replace it with the latest model earlier this year.
“It’s a fantastic little compact tractor, very impressive,” declares Peter Shaw. “You wouldn’t believe how much muck it will push and the four-wheel drive grip is essential on sun-dried slurry on concrete – it’s easy to forget how slippery that can be.”
Weighing in at just under 1.5 tonnes, the Mistral is powered by a 35hp Yanmar engine coupled to a 12x12 shuttle transmission, which is built along with the axles and other major components at the ARGO Tractors factory in Italy.
“I like the way the synchro shuttle gives you equivalent forward and reverse speeds,” adds Peter Shaw. “It means there’s only one lever to shift to change direction.”
Having just a roll-over protection hoop makes the tractor easy to hop on and off when gates have to be opened and closed – and makes it easier for the driver to avoid bumping into things.
“I didn’t want a cab because without one you have the best visibility and there’s no glass to break, get dirty or frost up in winter,” Mr Shaw points out. “The tractor lives outside and gets washed off regularly so it would be nice to have a seat that tips forward to stop it getting wet; still, a plastic bag does the trick.”
Slurry gathered off the collecting yard where the cattle also feed, and out of the cubicle sheds, is pushed and pulled using a flip-over scraper into a weeping wall lagoon. This de-waters the slurry over time and allows contractors to dig out and spread the solids that remain.
Another benefit of having a ‘compact’ as the scraper tractor is that it can be manoeuvred into the weeping wall system’s strainer box when it needs emptying.
“It’s a great little tractor with comfortable noise levels and easy servicing,” says Peter Shaw. “I wouldn’t want to be without it.”
(Above) Peter Shaw demonstrates how easy it is to reach service items behind the hood and side panels
(Above) This is the second new Landini Mistral bought by Peter Shaw - and the only new power unit on the farm
(Above) The Landini Mistral's small size makes it easy to drive in and around the cattle sheds - but it is still capable of handling a decent-sized slurry scraper
(Above) The Landini Mistral's small size makes it easy to drive in and around the cattle sheds - but it is still capable of handling a decent-sized slurry scraper
(Above) The Landini Mistral's small size makes it easy to drive in and around the cattle sheds - but it is still capable of handling a decent-sized slurry scraper
(Above) The Landini Mistral's small size makes it easy to drive in and around the cattle sheds - but it is still capable of handling a decent-sized slurry scraper
