After a couple of seasons using the one brand of mixer wagon, Mark Fouhy thought it was time to branch out and see what other mixer wagons were out there for the larger scale farmer.
After talking with Murray Barclay of Power Farming, the local dealer for Jaylor, he put me onto Brad Eyre and James Welch. The pair are contract milkers on Oakwood Farm, located just south of Te Awamutu, who six months ago purchased a new Jaylor 4750 twin auger mixer wagon. They calve 800 cows (150 autumn/650 spring split) on a good concrete feed pad, using a variety of feed sources. Normally they feed maize right through the year, except November and December when grass alone is usually sufficient to maintain production. Other feed sources they are looking at using through the Jaylor mixer include whey and molasses.
Construction
Quality of build is always important, and the Jaylor ticks the boxes in this regard. The bright red paint job is well finished and the machine is built strong, with the ability to handle large round and square bales. It comes with a full five-year guarantee on the frame, and according to Power Farming, the Jaylor comes with the most comprehensive feed mixer warranty on offer.
The augers are square cut, which Jaylor claims to produce a quality mix faster and cleaner. There’s also less damage to cutters/knives as they don’t run over each other when achieving the cutting/mixing action.
The discharge conveyor is fabricated from galvanised steel and HDP plastic to reduce acidic corrosion.
Built into the side of the 24.1m3 tub is a handy viewing window to allow you to see how your mix is going. The viewing window has erased the need for a ladder on the side of the tub. Though the ladder is useful for checking out the mix from above, the flip side is that it can be dangerous, particularly with wet mucky boots — one slip and you could be in big trouble.
Another great design feature is the black plastic extension on top of the bin, which allows you to mix and carry more, without forking out for a bigger machine. In the case of operators not paying attention, this avoids damage to the panels and the high-quality paint finish too.
Oil fillers and grease nipples are located together to make for easy, frequent servicing/checking, instead of only once a month.
One stand out design feature for me was the dual oscillating axle Jaylor has on all its mixer wagons. The dual oscillating wheels on either side of the machine absorb the bumps and have less moving parts than a leaf spring set-up. The weight is spread across the machine and not all the tyres are on the same piece of track, so there’s no danger of ruts being deepened.
Also, with the tyres on the same axle, you don’t have the tyre scrub skidding the rear axle around when feeding on the hard concrete feed pad or turning on or off sealed roads. The only problem with the dual oscillating axle is if one of the inside tyres goes flat, you need to remove the axle to get it out for repairs. However, tubes in the tyres or higher ply rating tyres may help avoid this.
Operation
Jaylor suggests the 4750 mixer be operated with a minimum of 115hp as anything less could be a problem if you’re starting the PTO with the tub fully loaded — the bigger the load, the more power required. At Oakwood Farm they use a John Deere 140hp tractor.
If you’re like Eyre and Welch and are planning to operate the Jaylor mixer for 10 out of the 12 months of the year, I would suggest removing the linkage arms so there’s one less thing to get damaged when operating around tight feed pads.
Operation of the Jaylor mixer is not much different to your standard side-feed silage wagon. Loading time is much the same, which is helped by having the scales. The scale system on the 4750 had large LED read outs that are clearly visible at a distance and have a simple navigation and search menu.
The scales rotate to be seen from either side which makes loading sides flexible.
The sides of the mixer are about 2.85m (not including the extension on this model) which is high enough to hold a good load, but not too high so most tractors or telehandlers can still load it with ease.
Eyre and Welch had a McCormick 120hp tractor available for loading duties which worked well. A smaller tractor loader may struggle to get the feed over the side.
The twin augers mixed the feed consistently and efficiently. Basically, once all the feed is loaded and you’ve driven 500 metres down the road, everything is mixed well. However, different feeds will vary the mix time.
PTO speed at 1000rpm drives the two augers for cutting and mixing the feed. You do require three rear hydraulic remotes for the feeding out operation — one to open and close the feed door on the mixer, which lets the feed out onto the elevator, one to run the elevator and one to raise and lower the elevator arm to feed.
With the discharge height at 0.84m, Welch and Eyre have found they don’t get the same damage to the machine and bins as they did with their old silage wagon when trying to get close enough to the troughs.
When they purchased the Jaylor they were given a brief training session on operating the machine. The trainer suggested locking the side-feed elevator in the feed position, however, Welch and Eyre prefer to control this function manually due to the way the augers work, allowing them to feed out the mix more evenly. Emptying a full mixer didn’t seem to take long, about 10-15 minutes at the most. I did notice there was a small bit left over in the mixer around the augers, but this wouldn’t have been more than 50kg.
Nutrition
Some other mixer wagon brands include advice from a nutritionist as part of the package, which is sure to come at a cost. Jaylor doesn’t offer this as standard, which can be looked at as good or bad. If you know what you are doing you can make your own mixes, or get someone in to do the mixes for you. Because Welch and Eyre are relatively new to the world of mixing, they use their farm advisor (someone who knows their operation and goals/targets) to help put together their mixes. I am sure they will get a handle on it, as time goes on, and tweak things such as substituting different feeds based on cost and stock’s nutritional needs.
Verdict
The Jaylor 4570 is helping the Oakwood Farm run more efficiently. They can now feed out maize and grass silage in one mix, rather than having to come back and do either the hay or silage later. They have also found the feed-out allowances more accurate thanks to the clear and easy-to-read weigh scale monitor, so their stock are getting the right nutrition every time.
With an operation of this size and with so many staff, you need a machine that’s reliable and takes all of the guess work out of feed-out.
The Jaylor is a well-designed machine that’s built tough and requires minimal maintenance. The auger design in particular means cutters/knives remain strong and intact. The evidence was right there in front of me, as after six months of constant work, the knives on this machine still looked brand new, with none missing. For any medium to large scale farmer looking for a tough and reliable mixer wagon, the Jaylor is well worth checking out.
Photography: Mark Fouhy