T W West LTD
TW West Ltd are based just outside St Bee’s, West Cumbria. Managed by Tim West, the business has been in operation for 35 years and covers all aspects of agricultural contracting.
T W West LTD
In 2020, Tim decided to change from his usual machinery brand to a John Deere line up, investing in six John Deere 6155R tractors, an L1533 large square baler and a new 8500 forager.
Tim wanted to improve the running costs of his business, which is something that he has managed to achieve with the move to John Deere. “From fixed priced servicing, to the 5 Year / 3000 Hr Guarantee on forager wear plates, I can now plan the financial side of my business far more easily. We also have the added benefit of John Deere’s JD Link Telematics on all our machines. Using the MyOperations app on my phone, this helps us keep track of where and how the machines are performing throughout the day. I can also look back at data for hours of use and where machines have worked. This data is also monitored by Cornthwaite Group, where expert alerts keep an eye on potential problems before they happen, giving me real peace of mind.”
“We had a demonstration of a John Deere forager in the summer of 2019, where both myself and the operators were certainly impressed,” says Tim. “Not only did we get to test the machine out in the field, but we also received a full in depth walk around of the machine by a Harvest Specialist from Cornthwaite Group, where we could see the great features, technology and build quality the forager had to offer.”
Now, after a season on the 8500, operator Mark is more than impressed with how the machine has performed. “I thought our previous brand of forager could feed the crop well, but the 8500 steps it up again. We have some wet, heavy crops to deal with here in West Cumbria, and once the grass has been turned several times, we can end up chopping very lumpy swaths. The crop flow is excellent, it’s smooth sat in the seat and a pleasure to drive. We also harvest plenty of wholecrop. Installing the processor is quick and easy, I can change from grass to wholecrop within 5 minutes because of the swing in design which pushes the grass chute forward and puts the KP in its place. Getting the processor physically into the machine from the ground is easy too using the on-board crane.”
“When it comes to the tractors, all of our operators have been happy with the move. Comfort in the cab, useability and reliability have made the summer of 2020 a pleasure!” says Tim. One of the 6155R’s is coupled to the 1533 Large Square Baler. The baler is operated through Isobus and is controlled using both the 4600 Display on the CommandArm, and the CommandPro joystick. “The baler has been faultless; it’s done exactly what was expected of it and has literally just gone out and baled!” says Tim.
Tim was impressed with his experience, commenting about how “Making a commitment to change both machinery brand and dealer was slightly daunting, but there’s always been someone at the end of the phone and the transition has been easy. I would highly recommend both Cornthwaite Group and John Deere to anyone thinking of making the change.”
Click here to watch Tim's testimonial video!