LAMMA’s set to be the first UK showing for a number of new sprayers and items of cultivation kit.
The manufacturer plans to unveil a ‘next generation’ combination seed drill.
By David Jones
Swedish manufacturer Väderstad is unveiling the Ferox 500-900, a universal light-tined cultivator, with levelling CrossBoard, designed to create a seedbed in a variety of farming conditions. With 50mm points and a working depth of 10-12cm, it’s available with working widths of 5, 6, 7, or 9m.
The Ferox has a rigid vibrating tine capable of maintaining a consistent working depth and shattering lumpy soils. The wide tine spacing helps the machine cope readily with crop residues and weeds, while the company states that, in the right conditions, it can help to dry out the soil ahead of drilling.
The CrossBoard performs an uncompromising role in the cultivation process by crushing any clods and levelling the soil surface, with the degree of working intensity controlled hydraulically from the cab.
The Ferox 500-900 is a universal light-tined cultivator, with levelling CrossBoard.
In order to reflect contrasting farming conditions, the Ferox can be specified with five or six axles and, in addition, there’s the option of a rear CrossBoard and crumble packer. Transport width is 3.15m to 4.05m, depending on the model.
In addition, Väderstad will be promoting interest in its new Carrier with CrossCutter disc. This has been designed to improve the mixing of trash and soil at shallow depths of 2-3cm on stubbles, cover crops and on ploughed land. It can do this, the company states, at speeds of up to 20km/h – but with a low horsepower requirement.
Planned for its formal market debut in 2018 – but expected on the stand at LAMMA for a close-up view – the Tempo L 18 precision drill has been developed for row spacing down to 500mm. This is likely to appeal to growers of oilseed rape and sugar beet, in particular, with its 18-row units and choice of 500mm or 508mm spacing.
The Tempo 18 L can be adjusted from 18 down to 12rows – in 12-row configuration, the spacing can be set between 700mm and 800mm to accommodate crops such as maize and sunflower.
Another product of the Väderstad R&D division, soon to be available, is the BreakMix coulter point. Designed specifically to deal with compaction down to 30cm in heavier soils, it’ll also have the effect of intensively mixing the topsoil. The BreakMix point has been created with primary or secondary cultivations in mind – adding versatility, lowering input costs and adding, perhaps most significantly, to the agronomic profile of the farm.
The company will also be demonstrating its new fertiliser placement kit, designed to operate as an attachment on its TopDown and Opus machines. The kit includes a distributor head for the fertiliser metered out from the Väderstad FH 2200 front hopper to each cultivator tine, working down to a depth of 30cm.
The SeedEye seed flow coulter blockage monitor, designed to simplify the often time-consuming process of calibration, will supplement the Väderstad offering.
Stanhay
The Lincs-based precision drill specialist has targeted LAMMA 2018 for the launch of its first new machine in seven years – the ProAir. Developed using feedback from its worldwide customer base, this machine is 40% lighter and 30% shorter than its predecessor, the Star Plus.
Described by the company as compact, durable and easy to set up, the ProAir is purported to be more finely adjustable than any other unit on the market. It uses the award-winning Stanhay air metering unit, while new features include infinite depth control, measurable to 0.1mm, by means of a mechanical counter.
A sealed, maintenance-free flexible drive shaft provides slip-free drive from the lay shaft to the metering unit – a format that’s been proven on maize drills worldwide, Stanhay states, but a first for the vegetable sector.
Other improvements to the range include a 6m horizontal folding frame and a vacuum seed emptier, now standard fittings on all the company’s air drill models.
Pӧttinger
A new mid-range, mounted, reversible plough for use with tractors of up to 240hp is another machine set to be launched onto the market at LAMMA. The Servo 45M is the latest model to benefit from Pottinger’s 45-year history of designing and manufacturing ploughs and is described as robust and offering a host of features only previously found on larger Servo models.
An inter-body clearance of 95cm, together with a point to beam distance of 80cm, ensures any harvest residues or trash are buried effectively. The machine is offered in three formats – Plus (hydraulic variable furrow width), Nova (hydraulic auto reset) and Plus Nova (combined hydraulic variable width with auto reset).
The Servo 45M is a new mid-range, mounted, reversible plough for use with tractors of up to 240hp.
The Servomatic plough setting and adjustment centre makes for simple and speedy adjustment of the front furrow width and plough alignment, while an optional front furrow allows for straightforward adjustment when working in challenging conditions.
The Servo 45M’s turnover shaft has a diameter of 130mm is a cast – as opposed to welded – component. Pottinger explains that by doing this, the implement is considerably stronger from the headstock to the turnover shaft and plough beam.
The Traction Control system, unique to Pӧttinger, is available on this model. It works by transmitting force through this simple hydraulic feature to optimise the ground tracking of the plough, while applying a permanent load to the tractor’s rear wheels. The outcome is that wheel slip is minimised and fuel consumption is reduced by up to 2 l/ha.
Kuhn
The manufacturer plans to unveil a ‘next generation’ combination seed drill next month, the Venta 4030 plus HR 4040.
The power harrow element, the HR 4040, has straight blades and a Duplex gearbox, allowing the rotor speed to be adjusted to suit the prevailing soil conditions. The drill has an 1800-litre seed hopper and employs a fluted metering unit with large spines for larger seeded crops, such as wheat, barley, peas and beans.
Seeding rates of between 1kg and 430kg/ha can be set from the tractor cab, although a remote calibration ‘start button’ near the metering unit eases the calibration process by avoiding the need to go back to the cab’s main control panel. A speed sensing radar facility ensures precise seeding at up to 15km/h, while every second row can be shut off for special applications.
Kuhn’s precision coulter bar – the Seedflex system – takes care of the seed placement, with widely offset double discs mounted on a parallelogram allowing fast and accurate seeding in all soil conditions. The following press wheels control seeding depth and provide reassuring soil/seed contact. The Venta can be used in conjunction with tractors of up to 320hp.
Claydon
An encouraging response from visitors to this year’s Cereals event, where a pre-production model was shown, has paved the way for Claydon to launch its new TerraBlade Inter-row hoe at LAMMA.
The company describes the implement as a low-cost, mechanical means of controlling weeds in all types of band-sown crops. The timing of its development has been driven by the diminishing efficacy of some herbicides, the slow-down in the development of new chemistry and the increasing cost of the remaining weed control options.
Extensively tested on Claydon farms over two years, the TerraBlade has proved to be highly effective in a range of mainstream crops, including wheat, barley, oats and beans, says the company.
Four models – with working widths of 3m, 4m, 4.8m and 6m – are produced to match those of Claydon’s Hybrid drills, which are equipped with a choice of 10, 14, 16 or 20 tines. They’re said to be extremely useful in situations where resistant blackgrass is a problem, regardless of which method of crop establishment is used.
Opico
Making its first public appearance at LAMMA will be the He-Va 5.5m trailed Combi Disc, from Opico, which it describes as a new, wider version of what has become a popular choice among multi-purpose cultivators. Designed to subsoil, surface cultivate and consolidate in a single pass, it comes with the option of adding twin 600mm V-profile rollers. These have the effect of leaving the soil surface consolidated and relatively weather proof.
Adjustment of both the depth of the subsoiler legs and discs is achieved hydraulically without the operator having to leave the tractor seat. Both the 4.5m and 5.5m versions have the ability to lift out hydraulically and fold up the subsoiler legs, allowing the machine to be used for working down ploughed land by employing the two rows of discs and the press roller.
In situations where the subsoiler tines aren’t required, Opico says a lower horsepower tractor can take over to incorporate stubble and crop residues. Additionally, the discs, too, can be lifted out hydraulically to leave just the tines in place, so that the machine is able to function as a subsoiler.
The Combi Disc folds hydraulically to give a transport width of 2.61m and locks automatically before moving off.
Weaving Machinery
A new ultra-low disturbance LD mounted Top Soiler is scheduled to make its debut to the farming public at LAMMA. Designed for those following a no-till or min-till regime, this implement can also be employed to reduce compaction in conventional tillage systems – lifting the soil, while maintaining soil structure to help preserve soil nutrients and retain moisture.
The manufacturer explains that this is achieved by the narrow spacing of the carbide-tipped loosening legs promoting movement of soil across the machine’s full width. Constructed using high-grade steel, with a heavy-duty frame and shear bolt protection, the Top Soiler operates at depths of between 0 and 228mm with pin-hole adjustment in 25mm increments.
New sprayer and spreader advances
Amazone’s new product development teams have been busy in recent years, leading to the launch of a raft of new machines in 2017 – and with more to come. For LAMMA, the new UF 2002 mounted sprayer is set to appear, along with a ZA-TS mounted fertiliser spreader with WindControl.
With its scientifically shaped, 2000-litre tank and 350-litre fresh water tank, care has been taken to establish an optimum centre of gravity in the UF 2002’s partnership with the tractor, with a choice of link arms to unite the sprayer with different brands and sizes. Attention has been devoted to ease of coupling by making the front face of the tank completely free from hoses and brackets.
The ZA-TS mounted spreader is one of the new Amazone models for Spring 2018 and is designed to work in tandem with the WindControl option. What the company’s done is to take the Argus Twin spread pattern monitor to the next level by automatically compensating for the effect of the wind. It does this by fitting a high frequency wind sensor to the machine that registers both the strength and direction of the wind, transferring the data to the ECU.
The job computer then uses this information – together with the Argus Twin info – to calculate any new settings for the delivery system, together with the spreading disc speed, which are then automatically activated. The system has the effect of widening the windows when spreading can take place, but if the wind speed is so great that it can’t compensate, an automatic alarm is sent to the operator.
Chafer
A number of upgrades to its Sentry and Guardian trailed sprayers have been applied to machines delivered from the coming spring onwards. The boom suspension assembly has been re-worked to improve contour following and to allow the boom to travel closer to the ground – at less than 50cm, even on the largest diameter wheels.
A new sliding frame benefits from an additional set of rollers, allowing it to pass the extremities at both bottom and top of the mast. Sealed bearings now promote smooth, consistent vertical travel and maintain target spraying heights, while the reaction times of the lift and hydraulic functions have been shortened, with the aim of enhancing boom control.
Horsch
The company’s new generation Leeb GS trailed sprayer will be making its UK debut, weeks after its launch at Agritechnica. Retaining the proven elements of previous models – including the BoomControl Pro system and stainless steel tanks – the Leeb GS now has a higher level of equipment and new configurations.
Three variants are now available – ECO, CCS (Continuous Cleaning System) and CCS Pro – with a choice of 6000, 7000 or 8000-litre stainless steel tanks. The new range is also equipped with Horsch’s innovative software and easy-to-use, ISOBUS-compatible electronics.
Greater manoeuvrability is also provided by an integrated axle-steering option that features a gyroscope mounted on the axle. This enables the sprayer to precisely follow the tractor without the need for a data link between the two – only the hydraulic system, brake, light and ISOBUS links need to be connected to the tractor.
Joskin
The development team at the Belgian muck spreader manufacturer has been busy over the past couple of years, resulting in a number of refinements to its seven-model range of Ferti-Space machines. From the bottom up, the 4mm floor is now welded and the spreader itself is lighter and has a lower centre of gravity as a result of removing the sub-frame.
The spreaders now have a protected transmission to prevent the build-up of muck at key points and the hydraulic hoses have been re-positioned, between the two moving floors, below a central separator.
Joskin will also be exhibiting its Volumetra slurry tanker/applicator, which earned the company a Machine of the Year award at the Sima Show earlier this year. Fabricated from high tensile steel to reduce the overall weight, the Volumetra is now claimed to provide better distribution of weight between the tank and the rear spreader/injector unit.
The machine also features a new pumping system – the Vacu-Storm – which consists of a vacuum pump for suction and a Storm centrifugal pump that empties and feeds the rear implement. Both are driven directly from the tractor’s PTO.
Fendt
The latest generation of RoGator self-propelled sprayers, the 3-model 600 Series, marry the concepts of stepless drive and smart traction control. The largest of them, the 655, is powered by a 242hp engine and built around the RoGator single-beam chassis. Fendt states that the machine’s very low centre of gravity is central to the overall weight distribution and, consequently, to its boom stability.
A wide range of steering variations, culminating in four-wheel drive, allows a smooth, tight turning circle, while the extent of ground clearance can be adjusted in the field. Hydraulic track-width adjustment gives flexibility of up to 2.25m which, the company points out, makes the RoGator particularly appropriate for contract work where differing parameters prevail.
From the operator’s point of view, single wheel suspension and the spec of the new Vision cab provide a high level of working comfort. The 10.4in Varioterminal is supplemented by a second monitor that gives the option of an overview of the cameras, as well as displaying all machine monitoring, guidance and data management information while on the move.
