Scally Silage in Killucan, Co. Westmeath operates one of the most modern and stunning fleets of CLAAS tractors in the country. Indeed, nearly all of the grass machinery run by Paul Scally and his dedicated team are from the German manufacturer.
Based in the heart of Ireland, Scally Silage continues to go from strength to strength after more than 35 years in business. Founder and owner Paul Scally runs his busy agri contracting enterprise in tandem with RKC (Rathwire Killucan Contractors), a steel fabrication and groundworks company which, on any given day, could have up to 15 diggers working on sites across the Dublin, Kildare and Meath region. Between the two businesses, over 100 people are employed either directly or on a subcontract basis.
CLAAS tractors and grass machinery have been a mainstay of Scally Silage since 2004 when Paul purchased a second-hand CLAAS Jaguar self-propelled harvester from Leinster Farm Machines. That was the start of an enduring relationship with the Duleek, Co. Meath-based main dealer which continues to cater for all of Scally Silage’s CLAAS needs.
Committed to providing superior service and complete customer satisfaction, Scally Silage has an array of machinery to carry out your work quickly and efficiently, providing you with value-for-money and an alternative to investing in your own expensive equipment. The contracting firm’s success can be attributed to the knowledge, experience, skill and expertise of its staff as well as the quality of its machinery. Paul and his highly-skilled and highly-motivated team deliver the value and quality farmers expect from their agricultural contracting partner.
Harvesting around 6,000 acres of pit silage each year as well as 650 acres of maize and 350 acres of wholecrop, and also ploughing and sowing 450 acres of corn and maize, Paul is currently running 16 CLAAS tractors, including an Axion 810 CMATIC which he bought new this year as part of a replenishment programme which involves upgrading from 6-Series to 8-Series models.
“CLAAS are the most comfortable tractor on the market and this, along with the use of well-proven components, gives them the ability to fulfil all of our requirements,” he says.
“We’re gradually upgrading from 6-Series to 8-Series tractors to meet the demands of modern-day silage cutting. The trailers and the volume of work has got bigger. Our tractors range from a 131-reg 610 up to the newest 810 in the fleet. You couldn’t buy a new tractor during Covid, so we’re making up for lost time. About 70% of our tractors are 8-Series now. The Axion 810 is a great tractor which is perfectly suited to our needs.”
The Westmeath man’s grass equipment includes a new CLAAS Jaguar 970 forage harvester, which replaced an 860; a CLAAS Jaguar 870 forage harvester; two CLAAS butterfly mowers; two JCB loading shovels (419 and 435); 50ft CLAAS rakes; and eight Broughan silage trailers.
“We have a one-driver, one-tractor policy to ensure each machine is properly maintained,” Paul points out.
“If you haven’t got good lads working for you, you’re at nothing. Driving a big machine worth a lot of money is a very responsible job. That’s why it’s so important to have the right person behind the wheel and we’re very lucky in that regard, despite the labour shortage and the lack of young people coming into the sector. It all starts with the person you put up in the tractor. They have to drive with care on the roads and be considerate of others. Health and safety are paramount with us.
“The silage landscape has changed so much over the years. People were delighted years ago if you could come and cut their silage at all. You’d be lucky to do 10 acres a day with a double chop. But now it’s all about speed and quality. The quality of the grass has to be good and the turnaround has to be quick. The silage season has gotten longer and more condensed every year.
“Social media has also become a huge player. There are pros and cons to it in my opinion.”
Maintenance of the machinery is of utmost importance and, to this end, Scally Silage and RKC both benefit from Paul’s own background as a mechanic. He served his time with Lyons & Burton, the New Holland dealership in Kilcock, spending eight years in total there from the age of 14.
Scally Silage will work around the clock and take on extra staff at busy times to keep clients happy. Most work is carried out within a 20-mile radius of Killucan which takes in parts of Meath as well as Westmeath.
“We pride ourselves on our efficient, reliable and value-for-money service. We get a lot of repeat business from the likes of cows.ie which is a sign that our customers are happy with us,” continues Paul, whose son Sean also helps out.
When the silage season is over, the tractors complement RKC’s large fleet of diggers, rubber ducks, bulldozers, dumpers and dump trailers. Paul’s 24-strong fleet of excavators range from one-tonne to 24-tonne and are a mix of Hitachi, Komatsu, Kubota, Doosan and Takeuchi. He also runs a Komatsu d65 bulldozer, a Volvo dump truck, a selection of one-to-nine tonne dumpers, five Broughan dump trailers and an assortment of Caterpillar rollers. In all, Paul is running over 120 machines.
The affable Killucan man speaks highly of his staff, many of whom can seamlessly inter-change between Scally Silage and RKC.
“A lot of the lads on silage are also on groundworks. They’d come in and draw silage during the summer, while the groundworks and steel fabrication continue all year around. We could have 40-60 men on groundworks at any given time, up to 14 in the steel fabrication and we also provide site services on building sites, with 20 lads at that.”
From a state-of-the-art workshop, RKC produces a vast range of steel products including balconies, railings, stairs, structural steel, gates, railings and so on, and can also erect one-off agricultural sheds. Indeed, between all his various activities, Paul also has the capacity to build one-off private houses.
“We’ve worked on many construction sites in the greater Dublin area. We have 15 lads dedicated to RKC all the time who are supported by our other crews along with our tried and trusted subcontractors. RKC’s main clients are GEM Construction, Cunningham Contracts, Inland & Marine Coastal and Patterson Pumps. We’re doing hard landscaping at the moment in The Willows housing development in Dunshaughlin and are also in Malahide. RKC also does a small bit of work for farmers.”
Paul would like to take this opportunity to thank his customers and suppliers for their continued support.
Scally Silage / RKC
Cloghan Road,
Killucan,
Mullingar,
Co. Westmeath.
Tel: 085 8114444
Email: [email protected]
RKC website: www.rkc.ie
First published in Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 12 No 1, March/April 2024
