When is it best to go for new kit?

Agricultural journalist, smallholder and Editor of the Ferguson Heritage Magazine Jane Brooks, joins us for a regular look at the world of agricultural machinery.

-  Jane Brooks

Some time ago American farmers were hacking into their own tractors computer systems, even going so far as to download firmware hacks from the internet to break into the machine's management system.

It's probably something that's understandable - few things can be more infuriating, particularly when you're busy and your tractor just dies or throws up an error code that bears no relationship whatsoever to the problem or is a dealer-only code.

In fact, it's impossible to escape the fact that practically every machine in the developed world, even the simplest coffee maker, has some kind of electronic brain which as soon as you unscrew the cover and start to tamper with its gubbins, invalidates the warranty.

Plug in the wrong computer to diagnose a fault on your tractor, be it a 350hp farm monster or a 35hp smallholder model and you'll probably be in the same boat, this is because generally the manufacturer owns the copyright to any software that's used within a tractor, or any other implement for that matter. All any owner usually has is a licence to use it, particularly when the machine is still under warranty.