Month: July 2020

BartsParts has been facing continuous growth since 2019. Even during the past few months, that have been strange times for all of us, BartsParts has kept on growing: since January sales on our store have more than doubled. We currently hold over 700.000 different part numbers, provided by more than 650 different dealers and the numbers are still growing.

But, with more traffic, more dealers and more inventory, come more problems. Therefore, we would like to apologize for any issues that you may have experienced with your orders. We are doing our best to fix all the issues to keep serving you as well as we like. That is why we are happy to announce that we will be migrating our website to a much more efficient platform: this will improve the efficiency in synchronization issues with inventories, while maintaining the fast-buying experience you are used to. We’re sure you are going to like it!

You will shortly receive additional emails with more details!

Our love for oldtimers will never fade away. But on the other hand, who is not amazed by the technical innovations that make farming as easy as ever? Let’s take a look at how tractors have developed, as we compare the oldest SAME tractor to the newest.

The brand of the month, SAME, can’t be separated from the world of agriculture. Its rich agricultural history and contribution to the technological development of our machines make the ordinary Italian proud.

Although the brand SAME was not established until 1942, the founders of SAME, the Cassani brothers, broke new ground by being the first to install a diesel engine in a tractor: the Cassani Tractor 40 hp. A progressive project at the time, but nothing compared to the latest SAME line of tractors, The SAME Virtus Family. Although both have shown great innovation for their respective time frames, the differences are, unsurprisingly, enormous. Let’s see how they match up.

Before the diesel and other forms of engines were invented, efficiency was a large issue that tractors had. The average steam engine would have an efficiency rate of 10%, meaning that 90% of energy would get lost. The inventor of the diesel engine, Rudolf Diesel, was determined to improve the efficiency to a rate of 75%. Unfortunately, Rudolf Diesel was not able to observe his invention achieve an efficiency higher than 25%, which was still an accomplishment considering the average steam engine efficiency. The Cassani 40 hp was sustainable, but nothing compared to its older brothers of the SAME Virtus family. Utilizing technology like turbo-intercooler forced induction and electric engine management, efficiency rates can get up to around 50%. Simply put, the modern day SAME tractor saves twice the amount of fuel that the Cassani hp 40 consumes.

One thing is for sure, the Cassani hp 40 won’t be able to carry the load of maintaining the average farm nowadays. With 40 horsepower and a maximum speed of 15 km/h, the Cassani is nothing compared to the Virtus, where models start with 110 horsepower and maximum speed starts at 40 km/h. The Virtus is a true all-round workhorse, suitable for nearly all tasks that need to be taken care of on a daily basis. Its loading capabilities, power and versatility show how agricultural machinery has grown since the time of the Cassani, now that we are able to combine many different functions into one tractor.

And let’s not forget about the comfort. Oldtimers may be fun, but they don’t score high on comfortability, at least compared to the Virtus. Besides the fact that a complete cabin was missing from the Cassani, luxurious features such as optional air conditioning, a color-based, clear and simple dashboard and even a cool box to store your sandwiches are only a few examples of how the comfortability has changed.

No doubt, the technological developments have been evolutionary and made farming as easy as ever. But something about that simplicity and uncomfortability of those oldtimers, like the Cassani, still appeals to us. The comparison of these SAME tractors could not express that any better.

Oh, by the way, you may want to check out the page of the Brand of the Month, SAME, where you will find over 7000 parts for your SAME machine. Don’t forget to use the code SAME12 for a 12% discount on all SAME products.

As the world’s population keeps growing and our environmental awareness is higher than ever, the pressure on the agricultural sector increases. After all, it is our sector that is responsible for feeding billions of people around the globe, whilst ensuring that we are not negatively impacting the environment. These are our top 4 ways you can make your contribution to the environment more sustainable.

1. Natural Pest Management

One of the biggest challenges we face when farming is pest management. Although synthetic pesticides or other chemicals are easy to use, it doesn’t serve as a long term solution and could negatively affect the soil. Natural Pest Management is the key to long-term sustainability and soil health. A diverse composition of crops is one way to naturally manage your pest, as pests are often attracted to one type of crop, and the presence of other crops keep them away. Another method would be to provide habitat for pest-eating predators. These could be ladybugs and fly parasites, but also birds and bats.

2. Crop diversity

Yes, economically it may seem more profitable to only grow a single crop in the field. Perhaps it is the only crop there is true demand for in your local market, or other crops simply do not grow as well in your climate. This monoculture, however, exhausts your soil, strongly degrading its quality. Planting a diversity of crops does not only keep your soil of great quality, but crop diversity also means more genetic diversity, meaning your crops are less susceptible to disease.

3. Drip irrigation

Traditional sprinkler systems cause more harm than you may think. Not only do they cause salinization, but they are not particularly economical when it comes to water usage. Try drip irrigation; a system where tiny holes are inserted at several points along a hose, allowing the water to slowly drip out of these holes exactly at the points where you need water. Save some water and irrigate your crops more accurately, what more could you wish for?

4. Buy & Sell at BartsParts

Yes, our platform is very sustainable! Sustainability was one of the main missions the company had in mind when it was established. Parts laying in warehouses for over 10 years are usually scrapped. Many obsolete parts are disposed of and much waste is produced. BartsParts makes sure supply and demand meet each other, as dealers have the opportunity to sell their obsolete stocks, extending the item’s lifespan. Farmers can find and buy hard-to-find parts that are not available at their local dealers. Not to forget, imagine the energy that is saved on manufacturing new parts for machines when old parts can be easily found at BartsParts. Do you want to know more about our business model? Check out how to buy & sell at BartsParts here.