Royal Show awards highlight engineering excellence
Reduced labour, greater output and superb quality of work have earned the Bryce Suma Post Driver and CHK’s Spread-a-bale the top machinery award at this year’s Royal Show. The prestigious Royal Agricultural Society of England’s (RASE) Gold Medal will mean pride of place for the two manufacturers in the machinery area at the show, taking place at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire, from 2-5 July.
The RASE Machinery Awards are unique in that they are based on a rigorous examination of the performance of the machines in the hands of commercial users. These judges, primarily farmers and contractors, noted how the Bryce post driver allowed one man to safely replace a three-man team, yet still drive in posts quickly and accurately. A similar save on labour has been found with the Spread-a-bale. Even spreading from this one-man operated, self-loading device, designed for use with a material handler, means less straw is used and lower dust levels.
“The Spread-a-bale is robust, easy and quick to attach and use, and self-loading is entirely reliable,” is the verdict from the judging panel. “Similarly the Bryce Suma post driver is easy to operate, has excellent safety features and should have an indefinite life, so a good resale value.”
A silver medal, and a new sustainability award goes to Simba’s Aqueel. This roller consolidates seedbeds but conserves water and reduces wind and soil erosion on more fragile soils, earning it the Institution of Agricultural Engineers award for equipment contributing to sustainability in agriculture and land use.
Three other manufacturers have been awarded Silver Medals for innovations that have outstanding advantages for the user. The Claas Scorpion Telehandler is a “delight to use”, with high performance and trouble-free loading work from a compact and fuel-thrifty machine.
Knight’s “outstanding” service and support helped win silver for the 1830 self-propelled sprayer, with excellent boom-suspension and high forwards speeds delivering superb coverage and significant time savings. Quick to install and switch between machines, the Trimble EZ Steer is a low-cost, reliable and accurate way to bring to bring GPS steering assistance to a tractor, sprayer or other farm vehicle.
The Burke Trophy, for sustained and substantial contribution in a particular sector of the machinery industry will be awarded to Harry West (Prees) Limited. The judges considered that the long term record of the Shropshire company to the grassland-based livestock industry was outstanding, spanning 40 years of innovation, quality, service and close attention to the needs of the industry.
“Visitors to the show will be able to see a truly prestigious line-up of the very best of agricultural machinery,” comments Royal Show event presenter Jimmy Birchmore. “The awards stand has become a central attraction in the machinery area and the stand is staffed by well-qualified engineers, throughout the Show period.
“An RASE Gold or Silver Medal brings a manufacturer well-earned esteem throughout the industry, since it is the only set of awards based on the experiences of those that use the machines. It’s well-worth coming to the stand and finding out what makes these innovations worth the prestigious gold or silver award they’ll carry.”
