Bell Equipment Forestry & Agriculture, which plans to launch a harvesting attachment in 2025, has revealed that the prototype will be on show for the first time at NAMPO 2024.

Bell OEM Product Manager, Emile van Wyk, said: “The Bell 2420E Harvesting Attachment is designed for eucalyptus trees and can fell, debark, delimb, and cut trees to the correct lengths for the pulp market. It has been well received by the contractor and landowner in the northern KwaZulu-Natal forest where it is being tested, with the contractor reporting production levels on par and better than that of the nearest competitor product.

“The Bell 2420E will complement our range of attachments that are already available internationally, so we are excited to showcase the prototype at NAMPO and gauge the broader market response.”

Meanwhile, JCB Agriculture’s Loadall concept, which has been well accepted by the agriculture sector over the past 18 months, will be another focus on the Bell stand. Bell Forestry & Agriculture Dealer Development Manager, Charles Inggs said: “The Loadall is a mind shift for South African farmers who have traditionally bought backhoe loaders. Previously, pricing was a barrier to entry because a farmer could almost buy two backhoe loaders instead of a Loadall, but now with the entry-level JCB 530-70, it’s a completely different conversation. This machine, with its three-ton lifting capacity and seven-metre reach, has brought owning a telehandler within reach of farmers needing a versatile and capable multi-tool that can handle almost any on-farm task.”

Aqua Farming is one such customer, with the company’s Lucerne Production Manager, Cassie du Preez commenting: “To call the JCB 530-70 Loadall versatile would be an understatement as we keep finding new uses for it almost daily.”

Charles Inggs said that in addition to the JCB 530-70, JCB Agriculture offers four higher spec models better suited to precision work. These include the low profile JCB 527-58, purposely built for chicken houses and applications with height constraints, the JCB 531-70, the JCB 535-95, and the JCB 541-70.

Johan Botha Jnr from Oranjeriviervoere, owns a JCB 531-70 and said: “We’ve found that one of the big advantages is its tight turning circle enabled by the three-mode steering that allows the machine to place bulk bags into tight spaces. The crab motion of the machine is another advantage and stacking big loads up to seven metres in height is a bonus, while not forgetting its interchangeable tools like quickly swapping out the bucket for a set of forks.”

Other standout features of the high spec machines are the single-lever control, standard 4x4 configuration for superior traction, heavy-duty axle tips that help absorb the enormous stresses generated during continuous movement of heavy materials, and daily checks and lubrication that can be done at ground level.

Alec Pieterse of Pienaarsfontein Farm, who owns a JCB 541-70 Loadall, sums it up best: “This machine is simply amazing, and it works throughout the year. Like many specialised tools, once you have it, you don’t know how you had survived without it before.”