Hendriks Farm Believes in Quality KUHN Vari-Leader Semi-Mounted Rollover Plow
We live in an ever interconnected world and agriculture plays a major part. Farmers in every corner of the globe raise a variety of crops and animals in order to make a living. Sometimes farmers decide to move from one side of the world to the other in order to pursue their farming passion. That’s the story behind Hendriks Farm.
Peter Hendriks and his family immigrated from Holland to Listowel, Ontario, Canada five years ago. They now farm in Listowel and are currently milking 85 Holstein dairy cows in a free stall barn. The Hendriks family also works 240 acres of land while growing a variety of crops including corn, alfalfa and soybeans.
Farming has been in the Hendriks family’s blood for generations.
“I’ve been farming for close to 10 years with my Dad. My dad has been farming all his life, same with his father before him,” said Peter Hendriks.
Hendriks works on the farm with his parents, Johannes and Greta. Hendriks has an ever changing role on the farm since he does a little bit of everything, but the family works together to make sure all of the farm work gets done.
When the family moved to their new home in Listowel they found the soil was a little different from what they were used to in Holland.
“Our farm fields here are made up of a lot of heavy clay,” explained Hendriks, “The farm fields are also pretty long too.”
With these two thoughts in mind, Hendriks Farm decided to purchase a KUHN 6-body Vari-Leader semi-mounted rollover plow in February of 2016.
“We plowed last fall with it for the first time. It did a good job and we were able to plow with a lighter tractor so you don’t need much horsepower at all,” stated Hendriks.
This is just one of the benefits of the KUHN Vari-Leader semi-mounted rollover plow. The machine provides quality plowing that makes seedbed preparation easier and reduces power consumption. Another advantage of the Vari-Leader is the cutting width can be adjusted on-the-go from the cab. This is extremely beneficial for plowing in smaller and non-square fields, and when plowing different soil types much like the different types of clay soil that Hendricks has to plow on his family’s farm. However, these are not the only benefits Hendriks has noticed since he started using the Vari-Leader.
“With this plow we now have more room with being able to move around more between the bodies and the main beam,” explained Hendriks in regard to the design and construction of the machine which is suited for the most intense working conditions, “It’s a nice, solid machine.”
The Vari-Leader is made for added reliability. The structure on the Vari-Leader is made using a large, machine-welded frame measuring approximately 7”x7”. A stub axle is mounted on the tapered roller bearings which makes this turning system incredibly reliable. With two telescopic, single-acting cylinders, headland turns are jolt free. This also reduces stress on the tractor’s lift arms allowing for optimum comfort during the progressive turns. With a solid machine like the Vari-Leader assisting him with the plowing operations on the farm, Hendriks was also able to see some cost and labor savings for the operation.
“I could still plow with the same tractor I always had plowed with before. With this KUHN plow, we are only using 6.5 liters (1.7 gallons) per acre in fuel,” said Hendriks.
The cost savings and the fact Hendriks can still use the same tractor he always used all contribute to his success with the Vari-Leader. He also appreciates the ease of use with his Vari-Leader. With the system on this plow, there are less hydraulic valves to operate on headlands. Hydraulic sequencing also allows for automatic folding of the offset when the plow is being lifted. With an easy-to-use machine like this, Hendriks would recommend the KUHN Vari-Leader to any of his fellow farmers.
“I’m happy with the plow and our neighbors are saying it did a good job for them too. They are really impressed with the little tractor pulling the plow in such heavy ground,” explained Hendriks.
Hendriks Farm purchased their KUHN Vari-Leader from Stoltz Sales and Service in Listowel, Ontario and the customer-dealer relationship between the two has been great.
“We’ve been dealing with them for a couple of years now, but when we need service they are there and when we have questions about our machines they are there too,” explained Hendricks.
With a strong, solid machine and excellent dealer relationship, Hendriks knows he can go out into the field and plow knowing the machine will do a good job and save him time and money in the long run.
“Our plow does a good, quality job. That’s why we went with KUHN because we know the quality is always good.”