LFC Milling, located in Wesselsbron in the heart of the Free State maize growing area, was established by Lourens van der Linde (Snr). By 1993, he was a successful maize farmer in his own right but wanted to create a legacy for his three sons who were growing up.
The three Van der Linde sons, Lourens Jnr, Francois, and Cobus, from whose initials the company derives its name, make up the fifth generation of the family whose forebears first farmed the land called Klein Constantia, in 1888. The farm lies to the northwest of Wesselsbron with the youngest brother, Lourens Jnr, overseeing maize cultivation. The farm sells its products to the South African Futures Exchange (SAFEX) at the best possible prices.
“Our dad, Lourens Snr was keen to own more of the maize value-chain, hence seeing the need for a maize mill that has now grown exponentially through several phases. We’re proud to say that our maize products are distributed right across South Africa,” says Cobus van der Linde, the Operations Manager at the mill. His brother, Francois, manages the financial side of the business, and all three brothers have tertiary qualifications in finance and agriculture respectively.
LFC Milling made the agricultural headlines in 2023 when the company unveiled the largest single maize silo in the world, a colossal concrete and steel structure that can contain almost 100 000 tons of maize feedstock for the mill.
However, no mill can operate without harvested maize being delivered to it and, to this end, in late 2017, LFC Milling started exploring the possibility of creating a dedicated logistics arm to supply the mill with its raw product and have a wider use to add further value that would justify the capital expenditure needed.
“After extensive research into the wider tractor market, we came across a solution that Bell Equipment, through its knowledgeable sales representative in our area, Rickus Erasmus, could offer us,” says Cobus. “While we have a substantial fleet of agricultural tractors, we prefer dedicating them to land preparation and other purely agricultural tasks, and we discovered that Bell Equipment could provide us with the solution in a haulage tractor.”By 2018, the newly created LFC Logistiek took possession of six Bell 1734AF Haulage Tractors that haul custom-built 55-cubic metre side-tipping tandem trailers that can carry 36 tons of maize. The Bell 1734AF Haulage Tractors ran with a four-cylinder Mercedes Benz engine and Allison transmission and were delivered in a staggered way over six months.
“I’ll admit that I had been concerned that the four-cylinder engine was a bit light for the mass that these initial Bell 1734AF Haulage Tractors had to move but they got the job done,” says Lourens (Snr). “Their heavy work would be during the two to three winter months when they would haul fully laden trailers to the mill over some 16km for 16 hours a day. In summer, they’d be used to haul water tanks on trailers that would be used infield for fertilisers and pesticides.”
Lourens goes on to explain that the Bell 1734AF Haulage Tractors have different hydraulic configurations enabling them to tip the side-tipping trailers and drive augers that deposit fertliser into spreaders.
“We had intended to operate the first set of Bell 1734AF Haulage Tractors for 10 years, as we believed that this would ensure a decent return on our investment. However, when Rickus Erasmus told us about the newer-generation Bell 1736AF Haulage Tractor fitted with a 6,8 litre, six-cylinder John Deere engine, we were intrigued,” Cobus says. “We then decided to trade in the two oldest machines for two new Bell 1736AF Haulage Tractors, which we received in August 2024, and the difference in performance has been remarkable from the start.”
Now fitted with a John Deere 6068HF285 six-cylinder inline engine that complies with Tier 3/Stage 111A emission certification and delivers 173 horsepower or 129kW, the new generation Bell Haulage Tractor surprised the Van der Linde’s in a way they weren’t anticipating.
Cobus explains: “In the past, we’d seen the four-cylinder Bell Haulage Tractors running at 0,35km to a litre of diesel or 0,16 of an hour on a litre. Now, this has improved drastically to 0,5km to a litre or 0,23 of an hour, on the same litre of diesel.”
“By comparison, the newer Bell 1736AF Haulage Tractor is saving us 43% in fuel alone, which with today’s high fuel prices, is a huge saving.”
“The newer six-cylinder Bell 1736AF Haulage Tractor also delivers more torque and the Allison gearbox is proving to be a winner with the operators not missing gears, thus reducing wear and tear on load-bearing parts by maintaining a smoother passage,” he says. “We’re also pleased with the odometer that measures both hours and kilometres travelled.”
In time, LFC Milling plans to renew its entire fleet of Bell Haulage Tractors with the latest generation of Bell 1736AFs. As this dynamic, family-run company looks to reduce their production costs, it remains committed to providing essential food to a hungry nation, while navigating pressure on profit margins.
