We opened a poll on Monday – seeking your input and views to find out which machine is held in highest esteem – as the iconic Irish ‘silage’ loader.
It was a light-hearted and nostalgic look at loading shovels – specifically at those machines that have shaped the Irish silage-harvesting landscape during recent decades.
We came up with a list of seven possible contenders – not definitive or exhaustive by any means, but representative nonetheless of ‘milestone‘ machines that would be familiar to agricultural contractors and their operators – up and down the country.
Also Read: Poll: What is (or was) the most iconic ‘silage’ loader in Ireland?The list of contenders (in alphabetical order) was as follows:
- Caterpillar (CAT) 910;
- Clark Michigan 35B;
- JCB 414S Farm Master;
- Komatsu WA320-5;
- O&K L25;
- Venieri (VF) 9013;
- Volvo BM L70.
By the close of the poll, over 2,200 people had voted. The JCB 414S Farm Master topped the bill – taking 45% of the votes cast.
Next up was the Volvo BM L70; it attracted 24% of the votes.
It was followed by the Caterpillar (CAT) 910 – at 12%.
The other machines – the O&K L25, Clark Michigan 35B, Komatsu WA320-5 and Venieri (VF) 9013 – accounted for the remaining votes, but were down the field.
We had described the eventual poll topper – the 414S Farm Master – as the machine that enabled the British firm to climb high in the silage stakes.
It was notable for its energetic, nimble pit-climbing ability (thanks to a healthy power-to-weight ratio); that’s one of the attributes that made it a firm favourite with many seasoned drivers.
It had a 150hp, six-pot, turbocharged engine, which was evidently well up to the task of shunting the machine’s 8t about.
We asked if the once-fashionable 414S is now regarded as a modern classic? We asked if it was the ‘iconic’ loader for pushing up silage here in Ireland?
The plethora of votes for this machine would certainly suggest that it’s held in especially high regard.
Will the current crop of machines from JCB – the likes of the 419S Agri, 435S Agri and even the TM320S Agri – continue in that vein? Only time will tell.
Thanks to all who partook in the impromptu poll!
