Looking for an additional mid-sized tractor to share the busy workload across the family farm, Richard Hyett favoured Kubota’s new M6002 series tractor.
“Everything about the M6 looked right,” explains Richard. “Power, size and weight were key considerations, as was the purchase price. Though the deal maker was a five-year warranty with hours structured to suit our use. It ticked all the right boxes for our business.”
Located at Pound Farm, Whaddon, near Gloucester, Richard and his family run an extensive farm shop and plant centre alongside the 300-acre mixed farming operation that comprises cereal cropping, potatoes, a 200-head beef herd and a flock of sheep.
The customer-centric business provides a wide variety of home-produced and locally sourced produce for customers, in addition to hay and straw for equestrian and pet owners. In response to seasonal demand, the farm also rears 1,500 turkeys every December.
“Everything we do on the farm is geared towards our customers,” he says. “We also grow 15 acres of potatoes, with the majority of the crop sold through our shop.”
While a frontline 200hp tractor handles the lion’s share of the heavy work, the farm’s existing 130hp tractor has been joined by the Kubota M6-142 to share in a wide variety of tasks that include spraying, fertilising, muck spreading, grain carting, mowing, tedding, baling and wrapping, plus cultivations, rolling and hedgecutting.
While a contractor provides the forage wagon services needed to produce clamp silage, the Hyett family takes care of everything else. And with over 250 hours under its belt in just six months, the M6002 tractor has already proved itself as a small but highly agile and powerful package.
“The M6 is a very competent all-rounder,” he says. “I like the visibility and high seating position that the cab provides. This tractor has extremely good manoeuvrability and an uncluttered cab layout too.”
He says the 6.1-litre four-cylinder engine pulls well with any amount of field work.
“I’m really looking forward to getting properly stuck into silage and haymaking with it next year,” says Richard.
That’s because the tractor was bought with a Kubota DMC 7028 front-mounted mower conditioner, all supplied by local dealer JJ Farm Services. The M6-142’s specification included front linkage and front pto, specifically to boost mowing capacity, which is due to be retro-fitted in readiness for the 2022 grass season.
“We already have a 2.8m rear-mounted mower conditioner, and did consider swapping for a wider 3m model,” he says. “But we decided on a front pto, so we could choose a front-mounted mower conditioner to give us a much wider combination. This way, we could take advantage of better output to meet changing weather patterns.”
The farm aims to be self-sufficient with its machinery, which keeps the family focussed on delivering high-quality produce.
“When you’re in control of what you grow and how you do it, you can respond to external influences to make the most of timings,” he says. “And that includes having the resources available to run our farm in a timely and efficient manner.”
“The M6-142 is our first Kubota, though we got close to buying a much smaller Kubota many years ago for the nursery operation,” he adds. “From what we’ve seen so far, and with the security of an impressive warranty, I don’t think this will be our last Kubota.”
