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MILK producer Brian Harrison and his family farm 400 Holstein cattle, 200 Lleyn sheep, and a couple of hundred acres of arable land at Low House Farm in Cumbria.
As well as their own hard work, they rely on effective, dependable machinery to stay efficient and successful.
Mr Harrison said: “We’ve had tractors from various manufactures in the past, but when we started to replace them, we asked our suppliers, Carrs Billington, what would be a good fit. They suggested we try some Massey Ferguson models, and they were right. They knew exactly what we needed, and now we’ve got four Masseys doing different jobs on the farm.”
Low House very quickly has become home to several Massey Ferguson tractors: the 5475, the 6160, the 6715S, and the 7718S models.
Brian said: “They’re very good machines. We’ve not had the two newer models long, but they’re definitely up to the job. The 6175S is very nimble for its horsepower, and it has a shorter wheelbase, so it tends to do the tricky jobs where we need something with a bit of agility. Whereas the 7718S lends itself very well to lots of different jobs, so we can adapt it to mostly anything that needs doing. Both are also well balanced, requiring fewer weights changing between tasks.”
“My son, James, and I agree the cab access is much better than we’ve been used to, which is important when we’re in and out of the tractor all day.”
More than anything, Brian says he’s been impressed by the machines’ fuel efficiency: “We’ve noticed a real difference in how much less fuel we’re using with the Massey models. We work the tractors hard and we use a lot of fuel, so any saving is fantastic.”
Chris Kelton, machinery sales specialist for Carrs Billington, said: “The Harrisons are excellent customers, and I’m delighted they’re finding the Massey models suitable. Fuel efficiency is one area where we really thought we could help them out.
“The MF 7718S and MF 6715S are reportedly saving them up to ten litres of fuel per hour on some tasks such as running slurry pumps, compared to their previous machines. This has a significant reduction to farm inputs each week of potentially hundreds of litres. The Harrisons are looking forward to similar improvements in economy during the forthcoming silage season.”
Mr Harrison added: “We’ve been using Carrs Billington since we came to Low House Farm 16 years ago, and the amount of business we do with them has just grown and grown. To be honest, the main reason we switched to Massey models was because of their backup and support.
“They’re a very good firm, I’d always recommend them. They understand what we’re about and what will suit our farming, and their staff know their products very well.”
Carrs Billington Agriculture has 33 country stores across England, Scotland, and Wales, which supply the farming and rural communities with a comprehensive range of agricultural products and services. The full range of Massey Ferguson products are available to test drive at any of their machinery depots in Annan, Barnard Castle, Carlisle, Hexham, Morpeth and Penrith.
Carrs Billington Agriculture Ltd
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