Looking to the future with spreader upgrade 

“Our customers are used to the vertical auger spreaders, and we operate in some small fields, so a spinning disc spreader would be over capacity. We like the simplicity of Bunning spreaders. They aren’t overly complicated and are well-built so stand up to manure applications. One thing that appealed to us when we bought our first machines was the full-width slats on the moving chain system.” 

Tom wanted to upgrade as more farmers are seeing a value in manure and realising that accurately applying it will help reduce artificial fertiliser inputs. Based in North Sheffield, A & SJ Charlesworth are farmers and contractors, with a 300 beef suckler herd on the home farm, Tom has grown the contracting side of the business with grassland works and manure spreading.

“In an ideal world, I’d have two machines, a Horizontal Beater and Spinning Disc for arable customers and a TVA for grassland, but I don’t have the workload, so I required one machine capable of everything. We contract for large arable growers on 3,500 acres to small 80 herd dairies, so getting a machine that works for all was essential.”

Greater carrying capacity

Increased carrying capacity was top of the list for Tom, but the realities of tight Derbyshire gateways and narrow lanes meant anything much longer than his current model would likely be more of a hindrance than an advantage.

“I needed to keep a similar footprint to the 90 TVA but I wanted to increase capacity as much as possible. After conversations with Ben Johnson from Bunning at LAMMA 2024 and our dealer, David Wardman, of Wardmans of Matlock, we decided on a 105 TVA, which crucially has the same distance from the towing eye to the centre of the axle.” 

This measurement meant that the turning circle was identical to his previous model, allowing access to all the fields and yards he needed. However, the 105 TVA has an increased standard carrying capacity – 11.6t on the 90 TVA to 12.6t on the 105 – but the addition of flared to standard sheet height sides, has raised this further without increasing the loading height.

Wider spread

A move to Widebody rear augers was also high on Tom’s list. The 865mm dynamically balanced augers replace the narrower 695mm standard versions, which Tom wanted for greater throughput and a wider spread.

“We can now spread farmyard manure to 15m in the right conditions, whereas our 90 TVA would reach around 10m. This has increased output, and, as the augers are wider than the body, these are no longer the limiting factor for output.” 

Other additions to the spreading design were the larger 1.1m diameter bottom blades on the augers, which clear more material on each rotation and offer an even spread pattern. Hardened cutters on the end of the flights are designed to break up material to provide a consistent product.

Bunning has replaced the rear body pressings with a strengthening plate to allow wider 580/70 R38 BKT tyres to be fitted and reduce the overall width by 100mm compared to a spreader with rear pressings. This helps reduce compaction as the weight is spread evenly across the spreader, helping to offset the increased carrying capacity.

Equipped for the future

One area that Tom wanted to improve was making the 105 TVA as advanced as possible. This meant in the future linking the spreader with the farm’s John Deere tractors and Greenstar GPS technology. For ease of use and increased accuracy, the 105 TVA is weigh cell ready, with an Isobus and rate controller system planned to be fitted for the autumn.

“As manure increases in value and there is more focus on how it is applied, we had to adopt weigh cells and Isobus operation. This also integrates with the tractor’s screen to seamlessly run with Greenstar guidance. Now we can map the fields showing coverage and detail the exact amounts applied,” says Tom.

The spreader will also be fitted with a detachable rear canopy this year, which will help provide a more consistent application as it prevents material being applied from the full length of the augers. Instead, the canopy, which slots onto locating points behind the augers, keeps the material in and forces it to be applied via the bottom blades. It is ideal for spreading low application rates of lime and chicken litter and Tom hopes its addition will increase his contracting options.

“I tried to spec the new 105 to cater for more customers and allow us to apply a wider variety of products with greater accuracy and precision. We’ve owned the spreader since autumn 2024 and have been impressed with the increased output and ease of use. We like the Bunning machines and wouldn’t look anywhere else,” concludes Tom.