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Lely Welger RP 235 Profi - Bernard Divilly - Ireland

Bernard Divilly – Shops Local in Co. Galway

Contractor Bernard Divilly from Clonberne, Co. Galway decided he ''had to step up'' to a better baler after seeing a Welger demonstration. Bernard is no stranger to Welger products, having first purchased a Welger AP 45 Square Baler in 1974. After having difficulties with a competitors’ baler in 2003, Bernard got a demonstration of a Lely Welger RP 220 Profi from local dealer, Terry O’Neill and after working it for a few days he decided to make it a permanent resident, “I was in the market for a lely Welger baler for a good while” stated Bernard. ''It looked like it was built heavy duty - strong and sturdy, it seemed to be good at its job,'' he recalled. The feedback from other contractors was that if he bought a Welger ''you won't be sorry'' and “never a truer word spoken”. Bernard has since upgraded to an RP 235 Profi which is the next generation of fixed chamber roller balers progressing on from the RP 220 model. “This baler is ideal for large contractor use” commented Bernard as “it is aimed specifically for high output”. Bernard’s output is approximately 60 bales per hour in really good conditions, his best day being 675 bales. “The density of the bale is important and Welger delivers this extra value, while recording the bale numbers on the handset in the tractors cabin.” Since switching to Lely Welger I can honestly say “the machine has given little or no trouble.” Conditions in the West are more suitable for the RP 235 Profi rather than the Combi Unit. “The Easy Load Net System decreases the workload for me as the amount of manual handling of net rolls is greatly reduced, saving time and physical labour” states Bernard.

At peak season Bernard and his team are busy making silage and hay, the rest of the year is made up hauling both slurry and lime for local farmers.

Bernard is a loyal customer of Terry O’Neill, Clonberne and says “when you are dependent on your machines you need the back up service of a reliable dealer and I have that with Terry.” He states that any farmer or contractor buying a machine should stay local when doing a deal. “Buy from your local dealer, if your machine breaks down you have a reliable back up service”, it makes “cents” in the long run!

Having run a successful contracting business for the last 20 years Bernard believes that upgrading your machines every two years is key to running any contracting business.

“When you are making well over 20,000 bales a year you must buy new and regularly replace your balers, otherwise you end up paying out for spare parts and then you are losing out on downtime, which costs money” states Bernard.

Bernard has a similar story to most contractors last summer. Due to the bad weather most hay crops were quite heavy due to the delayed cutting and secondary growth. However there was a considerable amount of baling progress despite the broken weather. “With the weather conditions being so bad there was always a huge panic the minute there was a hint of a dry spell” stated Bernard. “The amount of work I had to get through in a short space of time was unbelievable and the reliability and quality of the Lely Welger Profi Baler really came into its own”. Bernard goes on to say “The weather played havoc and was a huge factor in the production of bales. During June '07, as we know, many parts of Ireland received more than twice their normal quota of rainfall, while August '07 was even worse, with some areas experiencing more than three times their normal rainfall”; therefore making it one of Bernard’s busiest seasons by far. Overall, output in ’07 was on the increase from ’06 despite external factors. Bernard has already purchased a new 235 Profi for the coming season.