AG Equipment Machinery reviews and rural business insight for UK farms

AG Equipment

Machinery reviews and rural business insight for UK farms

Latest Articles

The Slow Closing of the Parts Book: Managing an Older Tractor’s Support Window
Machinery Maintenance

The Slow Closing of the Parts Book: Managing an Older Tractor’s Support Window

A tractor does not become obsolete when it stops working; it becomes obsolete when a critical part can no longer be sourced in time. This guide sets out a practical parts-support audit for mixed UK fleets, from dealer-only components and pattern-part availability to lead times, critical spares and the point at which obsolescence should trigger replacement rather than repair.
The Weighbridge Is a Management Tool: A Pre-Harvest Audit for Tractor and Trailer Haulage
Rural Business

The Weighbridge Is a Management Tool: A Pre-Harvest Audit for Tractor and Trailer Haulage

As harvest combinations grow and wet seasons load trailers beyond expectation, a pre-season audit of plates, axle loads, tyre ratings and routes is cheaper than a prohibition notice. This guide sets out a practical evidence trail for UK farms in 2026.
The Paper Tractor and the Real One: Verifying Implement Specifications Against the Machine in Your Yard
Technology & Powertrains

The Paper Tractor and the Real One: Verifying Implement Specifications Against the Machine in Your Yard

Brochure figures are written for the best-case tractor, not necessarily the one in your shed. This guide sets out how to read PTO power, linkage lift, hydraulic flow and transport dimensions properly, where optimistic numbers tend to hide, and how to run a straightforward field check before signing for a mower, spreader, cultivator or loader attachment in 2026.
The Boundary of the Bonnet: Mapping In-House Repair Rights Across a Mixed Fleet
Machinery Maintenance

The Boundary of the Bonnet: Mapping In-House Repair Rights Across a Mixed Fleet

Most UK farms can still wield a spanner on their own machines, but the practical limit of in-house repair is increasingly drawn by software access, warranty wording and proprietary tooling rather than by mechanical complexity. This guide separates the legal position from the dealer's terms, and offers a workable framework for deciding which jobs stay in the workshop and which go back to the franchise.
The Lubrication Ledger: Turning Fleet Greasing into a Documented Routine
Machinery Maintenance

The Lubrication Ledger: Turning Fleet Greasing into a Documented Routine

Greasing schedules on mixed farms rarely fail because operators are careless. They fail because the route lives in one person's memory. A fleet-wide lubrication ledger records the points, intervals, access hazards and sign-off that make the routine repeatable.
The Gateway Is Part of the Specification: Auditing Farm Access Before a Machinery Purchase
Rural Business

The Gateway Is Part of the Specification: Auditing Farm Access Before a Machinery Purchase

Most machinery-buying discussions begin with power, hours and hydraulics, yet on many UK farms the fixed constraint is access: gateways, track edges, yards and lane junctions. A structured access audit before purchase turns those physical limits into a specification, a budget and a defensible decision.
After the Cover Ends: A Planned Handover from Dealer Service to Independent Support
Machinery Maintenance

After the Cover Ends: A Planned Handover from Dealer Service to Independent Support

When a tractor, telehandler or groundcare machine reaches the end of its manufacturer warranty or dealer service contract, the change should be managed rather than allowed to happen by default. This guide sets out how to compare dealer and independent support, identify what is genuinely lost, and stage the transition around the farming year while keeping a route back to the dealer for urgent breakdowns.
Layers, Not Locks Alone: A Winter Security Audit for Farm Machinery
Rural Business

Layers, Not Locks Alone: A Winter Security Audit for Farm Machinery

Dark mornings and early nights give machinery thieves more room to work, but farm security spending is most effective when it follows evidence rather than fear. This audit examines yard layout, key control, marking, tracking and the policy conditions that can decide whether a claim is paid.
Before the First Hard Frost: A Practical Diesel Audit for UK Farm Tanks
Machinery Maintenance

Before the First Hard Frost: A Practical Diesel Audit for UK Farm Tanks

A farm diesel tank is a maintenance cost centre, not just a storage vessel. This winter 2026 audit covers fuel specification, water and microbial contamination, bund compliance, filter loading and stock rotation before cold weather exposes weak points.
Your Farm Is the Test Bed: A Controlled Trial for Prospective Machinery
Rural Business

Your Farm Is the Test Bed: A Controlled Trial for Prospective Machinery

Dealer demonstrations are designed to show what a machine can do in favourable conditions. A controlled on-farm trial shows what it will do in your fields, with your implements and your operator, and produces the evidence needed for a 2026 machinery decision.
Peak Weeks, Not Peak Power: Sizing Groundcare Machinery to the Working Year
Rural Business

Peak Weeks, Not Peak Power: Sizing Groundcare Machinery to the Working Year

Groundcare purchases are often justified on peak capability rather than annual workload. This article sets out a duty-cycle worksheet for UK farms, estates and rural contractors, linking annual hours to cost per working hour and the point at which a larger or more specialised machine ceases to pay.
Shed Before Specification: A Tractor-Buying Sequence for Mixed UK Farms
Rural Business

Shed Before Specification: A Tractor-Buying Sequence for Mixed UK Farms

Tractor buying often starts with a horsepower figure and ends with implements that do not match. This article sets out an implement-led sequence for 2026, using a yard audit to define PTO, hydraulic, linkage, transport and ballast requirements before any deal is discussed.
Machinery Maintenance

The Arithmetic of Renewal: Rebuild or Replace a Mid-Life Tractor

A mid-life tractor with a tired engine or transmission is rarely an automatic write-off, but a rebuild is not automatically the cheaper route either. This decision ledger sets out the costs, lead times and trigger points that should govern the choice in 2026.
Yard Clearance with a Purpose: Valuing the Machines You No Longer Use
Rural Business

Yard Clearance with a Purpose: Valuing the Machines You No Longer Use

Dead tractors and orphan implements are not neutral occupants of the yard; they consume space, capital and management attention. This practical guide sets out how to decide whether to salvage, sell, part-exchange or scrap, and how to dispose of oils and batteries legally.
The Hammer Price Is Only the Opening Bid: Costing Used Machinery at Auction in 2026
Rural Business

The Hammer Price Is Only the Opening Bid: Costing Used Machinery at Auction in 2026

Auction catalogues present a clean number, but the cheque written after the sale rarely matches it. This analysis sets out the add-on costs that turn a tempting bid into a capital decision, with worked examples for a tractor, trailer and implement.
The Spares Shelf That Earns Its Keep: A Practical Stock List for Mixed UK Farms
Machinery Maintenance

The Spares Shelf That Earns Its Keep: A Practical Stock List for Mixed UK Farms

A modest, well-chosen spares shelf can prevent a small fault from becoming a lost day. This guide sets out the filters, belts, pins, hoses, fuses, bearings and consumables worth holding for tractors, trailers and telehandlers, and the items better ordered next-day.
Rural Business

Distance, Downtime and Decisions: A Remote-Farm Parts and Service Playbook

When the nearest dealer is two hours away, a breakdown becomes a business problem before it becomes a mechanical one. This playbook sets out how to cost downtime, stock the right spares and build a service plan that works in remote UK farming conditions.
The Contact Patch Dividend: Tyre, Track and Tramline Choices That Pay in Wet Seasons
Machinery Maintenance

The Contact Patch Dividend: Tyre, Track and Tramline Choices That Pay in Wet Seasons

Wet-autumn fieldwork puts every tyre, track and tramline decision under scrutiny. This evidence-led guide looks at inflation pressure, axle loads and traffic planning as cost controls, not just machinery settings.
Used Tractor Buying in 2026: Six Checks That Turn Instinct into Evidence
Machinery Maintenance

Used Tractor Buying in 2026: Six Checks That Turn Instinct into Evidence

A second-hand tractor can be sound value or a route to unbudgeted repair bills. This inspection framework focuses on the six areas where evidence should override a smart paint finish, with practical notes for UK dealer and auction purchases.
Small Farm, Straight Lines: The Real Case for Entry-Level Autosteer in 2026
Technology & Powertrains

Small Farm, Straight Lines: The Real Case for Entry-Level Autosteer in 2026

Entry-level GPS guidance is now within reach of smaller mixed farms, but the payback is not automatic. This assessment weighs lightbars against retro-fit autosteer, accuracy levels and subscription costs for drilling, spraying and mowing.