Massey Ferguson 8S delivers performance and comfort for H G Bliss Farms in Norfolk
Staying with one brand and dealer has always offered great benefits for H G Bliss Farms Ltd, and the latest upgrade to a MF 8S Dyna-VT is maximising the MF Connect telemetry system for recording and monitoring work outputs.
The obligation to do this is for end users and processors is becoming a larger part of the workload. Most of the potatoes are bagged onsite for the fish and chip shop trade, while some are grown on contract for McCains. The requirement for good carbon credentials is also the case for the sugar beet grown for British Sugar, wheat grown for biscuits, and the marrowfat peas.
The farm has been growing potatoes for decades and tracking data for carbon calculations was only previously possible by manually recording each litre or hour worked. Patrick Clabon explains how MF Connect is helping to meet data recording and compliance requirements.
“We are using MF Connect more in the daily management of the fleet. It allows us to accurately record how much fuel each machine is using daily, or to do a specific job. We then use this figure when supplying carbon and emissions data to the end user. It makes tracking machinery use and hours much easier and will also be useful for Sustainable Farming Incentive agreements.”
Patrick, Alex and Vicky Clabon are fifth and six generations handling daily farm operations at Three Holes near Wisbech, while Vicky’s parents, Gabriel and Jill Bliss, still take an active interest in the business.
Fleet management
The fleet at H G Bliss Ltd extends to two MF 7S.180s, with Dyna 6 transmissions, and an MF 7726S Dyna-VT. The latest addition, an MF 8S.265 Dyna-VT, replaced a five-year-old MF 7726S at the end of 2024.
Running the same brand of tractor has benefits throughout the year for operators switching between machines and sharing data, such as GPS waylines. The farm has its own base station and runs the Trimble guidance system supplied by MF. Alex says using the same brand and operating system minimises problems or mistakes.
“We have fulltime staff but also casuals when we are busy. Running the same brand of machine with identical interfaces means everyone is familiar with the operation and we can switch tractors easily. Using MF Guide across all machines is also straightforward, as we only learn one GPS system and become familiar with it.”
MF 8S arrival
The design of the latest MF 8S.265 to arrive on the farm has been seen a big improvement on the previous models, with a spacious cab providing better visibility and additional comfort on the road.
The tractor carries out most of the heavy tillage work, such as ploughing and subsoiling, and main operator, Jimmy Bruce, says he has been impressed with it in the first few months. He says the Protect-U gap between the cab and engine has made the cab much quieter than his old model.
“The cab is a big upgrade, with much better visibility, and all the controls and the screen fall to hand easily. The gap between the bonnet and the cab stops noise transfer from the engine and it is noticeable how quiet it is when I get back into one of the other machines. Pulling our six furrow Lemken, it only uses half a tank of diesel throughout a whole day, which is much less than our old tractor, and can pull the plough faster than before.”
The MF 8S was ordered in Exclusive spec, which is the highest MF offer. This included front weights to make adding and removing ballast much easier, and the additional FieldStar 5 screen in the cab, allowing guidance and ISOBUS to be viewed on separate screens.
Local dealer Thurlow Nunn Standen (TNS) has supported the farm for many decades and even built some of the sheds on the main site. Patrick says the business is looked after well by the service and sales teams and the backup is an essential part of staying with Massey Ferguson machines.
“Our history with TNS goes back over 60 years and, as a company celebrating 150 years in business this year, we can’t fault them. The pedigree and heritage is immense, while the sales and service are second to none. Our relationship is such that we often speak to James Thurlow and Chris Tew directly and have regular catchups. The service engineers, parts and workshop will always go the extra mile to keep us going and this has always been the case.”
Strong residuals
Replacements are planned each year, with the oldest tractor being replaced annually. Workloads run into 1,000-hours per year and the aim is to keep all tractors in warranty and hopefully sell them with some of the five year or 5,000-hour warranty remaining.
Along with excellent dealer support, part of the reason for staying with MF is the good residuals at trade in. By purchasing well equipped tractors, this helps to secure better returns when trading them in. Patrick explains:
“It boils down to the cost to change when pricing up a new machine. We could buy a more expensive brand, but considering the initial price is much higher, I believe we aren’t gaining by running these over MF. They hold their value so the cost to change is still good when they are five years old. The tractors, backup and general service from MF and TNS means we aren’t looking to change tractor brand,” concludes Patrick.
