Professional remapping delivers reliability and performance boost

Weather windows tend to be small for Sandra at Palacehill Farm in the Scottish Borders, so the reliability of her tractors is essential to completing the farm’s workload. The 140ha arable farm houses a herd of 80 suckler cows, bed and breakfast pigs and an arable and grassland contracting operation across an estimated 800ha.

Sandra describes how professional remapping of her tractors increases work rates, adding speed to operations at Palacehill Farm: “We only run two tractors, so these machines must be reliable, and I can’t afford extended periods of downtime. Wheels need to be turning every day for us to make money. When we had the issues back in 2020, we were baling at the time, and I needed a quick and reliable fix. We had to be sure what we were doing was safe and going to solve the problem.”

The farm has chosen John Deere tractors since the 1980s, currently using a 2017 6215R and 2017 6155R. Her John Deere 6215R started running into problems in 2020 with some well-known reliability issues. Earlston-based Alan Blakie at A and A Services advised that an ECU remap would not only fix the problems, but also offer a safe performance increase within the engine’s limits.

Professional remapping saw significant improvements

A A Services is part of an agent network for Avon Tuning HD, a leading professional remapping company. It writes and supplies bespoke ECU maps for tractors requiring reliable and safe power. Reliability issues are also a key element of their work, as well as torque increases.

At Palacehill Farm, the performance increase has significantly improved work efficiencies and allowed tasks to be completed quicker before the weather turns. The reliability issues had been resolved. The most evidence for an improvement came when heavy cultivations and drilling works were carried out.

Sandra explains: “When the remap was first added to the 6215R, our main operator, Ross Turnball, asked me for another furrow on the plough, as the extra power had made such a difference to the way the tractor operated with the same implement. There was more power for pulling up the hills, which is a large part of the terrain we cover here.”

An extra 2kph was found when pulling around the 3m Horsch Express 3 KR combination drill. It is run with a HE-VA front press. This was regularly lifted out of work when travelling uphill prior to the professional remapping of the 6215R, but the increased power has meant the press is always engaged, impressively on the hills too.

The extra power convinced Sandra to remap the 6155R with the help of Avon Tuning to add performance and improve work outputs on the farm’s requirements. Sandra has seen a tangible improvement to the way it manages the hills compared to before as it finished most of the winter ploughing.

“We also haven’t seen a fuel increase and, if there has been, it certainly isn’t that obvious compared to before. The increased work rates that allow us to complete jobs quickly and efficiently have certainly been more important to our operation,” concludes Sandra.

Stand number: Hall 7, stand 600

View LAMMA 2024 latest news, updates and top exhibitors to visit