Profiの September 2021 の目次

The team behind the Mzuri has introduced the Izona IPass. Designed to offer greater flexibility to work directly into stubble or residues, double shoot in a strip till system or use as a cultivator drill by simply swapping the coulters via roll pin attachment. Working widths are 6.0m and 8.0m with 250mm or 330mm row spacings. Auto-reset leading tines and front discs clear crop residue from the seeding zone whilst band placing fertiliser. Seeding coulters are suspended via a parallel linkage for independent control and maintain coulter angle regardless of depth for accurate seed placement. Using a novel universal joint system, the hydraulically pressurised coulter arm can self-steer, allowing the coulters to follow the ground contours on undulating land…A V-formation press wheel creates a channel as it presses the slot and…

German manufacturer Schmotzer Hacktechnik has further developed its mechanical hoe ranges since being bought by the Amazone Group at the end of 2018. The latest model, the Venterra 2K, is claimed as a revolution in hoeing technology. Still based in the Bavarian town of Bad Windsheim, Schmotzer continues with dedicated sales and service teams, but Amazone’s influence in the Venterra includes the assembly of it at its Leipzig facility. The well-known arable equipment manufacturer also helped develop the software and whilst there is no change to the Schmotzer livery, the orange is now the same as that used by Amazone. The main talking point, though, is the Venterra’s frame, which heralds from an Amazone precision drill. Providing almost 1.0m of ground clearance, Schmotzer reckons the 50cm of clearance below the…

Lemken has developed the first ISObus compatible version of its Solitair 23+ front hopper, and the working width of the rear OptiDisc 25 coulter bar system has been increased to 6.0m. ISObus allows the seeding rate or section width control to be changed via the MegaDrill control on the tractor terminal, which says Lemken, helps to eliminate overlaps. In addition to the existing 4.0m and 4.5m folding versions, the OptiDisc 25 coulter bar is now available in 3.0m and 4.0m rigid and 5.0m and 6.0m folding versions. The additional road transport support wheels on the new folding variants take up to 3.5t off the tractor’s rear axle to ensure it meets maximum permissible axle load and gross weight. The additional transport system is said to lock and unlock in just…

To mark 100 years of being in business, New Holland dealer Russells commissioned this special silver jubilee T6.180 having been inspired by the iconic silver Ford 7810. The tractor was unveiled earlier this month at the Great Yorkshire Show. Jim Nash of the multi-depot dealer group says they are keeping the tractor until the end of the year but it is for sale. They have also commissioned models of the special edition New Holland which will be for sale for £50 later in the autumn, with all sale proceeds being donated to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.…

A tractor’s front axle suspension has to work over a very wide and extreme weight range. If a heavy implement is mounted on the rear linkage the load on the front beam becomes much lighter but the suspension still has to perform to enable the axle to remain safely in contact with the deck. The other extreme is when a heavy front implement is hitched onto the front linkage or a loader put to work shifting heavy payloads. Different tractor manufacturers and axle makers have different ways of approaching these issues and some set-ups are better at dealing with varying loads than others. CNH approach Up until 2015 CNH tractors built at both Basildon in Essex and St Valentin in Austria were fitted with a fairly basic form of hydraulic…

Golden juice The word urine is derived from the Latin word urea. Indeed, urine contains significant amounts of urea in addition to 95% water, potassium, sodium and chloride ions. Urea levels in cow urine will vary depending on diet. The literature says it is roughly comparable to the urea content of milk. On this basis, the wee from a dairy cow contains about 150-300mg of urea per litre. So collecting the urine from 100 cows (10 litres/day) equates to 3.0kg of pure urea. There are lots of stories and myths about urine. For instance, the Romans collected it for use as a cleaning agent. And until the 20th century, fermented urine was the grease remover of choice for the wool sector. The chemical industry incorporates urea in skin creams, nail…

Now that most tractor makers offer a branded autosteer system on new product, is there still a case for retrofit? Japanese GPS wizard Topcon certainly thinks so, and of course it’s always useful to buy a system that can (in principle, if not practice) readily be moved between tractors, sprayers or harvest machinery. We last looked at Topcon’s solution way back in 2010, liking its quiet and smooth operation. Since then, the steering unit — a replacement wheel with integrated electric motor — has morphed into the AES-35, gaining power and shedding depth. For this test we’ll look briefly at system setup, then in more detail at field performance. Still quiet After using a puller to crack off the tractor’s standard steering wheel, the AES-35 went on easily. Like its…

Telehandlers are the ‘jack of all trades’ machines for many farms, but where they are used mainly on hard surfaces such as around the yard, the constant shuttling can be tough on tyres. Manufacturers have responded by developing tyres with an industrial-type tread which is more hard wearing, but still capable of handling roadwork and a little fieldwork. Operators report a considerable improvement in wearing life Germany Farms With 1,200ha of arable and a large scale poultry broiler business, Germany Farms in Nottinghamshire has plenty to keep a pair of Claas telehandlers busy. “They are used for mucking out sheds, as we do all our own clean outs, and for reloading. We spread 5,000 tonnes of muck per year so they load the muck spreader, and one works both on…

Vermeer is testing an autonomous bale moving concept. Dubbed the Bale Hawk, it will automatically go and collect round bales in the field. The patent-pending concept uses sensors to detect where it is relative to a bale, allowing it to plan a route to pick them up. Today, it can load three bales at a time before delivering and unloading them to a predetermined location. Powered by a Deutz motor, the rubber tracked vehicle appears to use similar belts to load bales onto a carrying frame. It has been successfully tested with bales weighing up to 600kg each. The Bale Hawk itself weighs under 3.0t unladen, the North American manufacturer sees the lightweight concept as a solution to reduce the compaction caused when collecting bales using a tractor or telehandler. “Our…

Following the acquisition of fellow Austrian firm Cross Farm Solution's arable division in February, Pöttinger has shown the first mechanical hoes under its own name. The three hoe ranges are the Rotocare (rotary), Flexcare (vario) and Tinecare (tined). Designed to operate at speeds from 10 to 30km/hr, the Rotocare (6.6m, 8.0m and 12.4m) can also be equipped for other applications such as breaking up capped soil and incorporating fertilisers. It can also be used as a shallow stubble cultivator and for aerating and reseeding grassland. Flexcare row spacing, working width of the elements and the fine adjustments of the finger weeders are all adjustable without any tools. Fitted with an integrated hydraulic side-shift frame, working widths are 4.7m, 6.2m and 9.0m. Tinecare harrows (6.2m to 12.2m) come with quick change…

If the bonnet on the Fendt Rogator 900 looks familiar, it is because it comes from a 900 Vario tractor, and the VisioPlus cab is normally found on a 700 Vario. Other Fendt touches on the new five model range include the multifunction joystick and armrest along with the Varioterminal 10.4 from the Rogator 600 sprayer and Ideal combine. Described as a new design from the ground up, the five Rogator 900 models; the 932, 934, 934H (high clearance), 937 and 937H, take their power from a six-pot 8.4-litre AGCO Power engine (290 to 369hp). The chassis on the H versions is hydraulically raised to a maximum ground clearance of 1.93m and the track width is from 3.0 to 3.80m. Other features include a variable engine fan with reversing function, pneumatic independent…

The latest version of John Deere’s GridCON electric tractor concept can power up to five autonomous Joker tractor implement combinations via an overhead power supply cable. Described as a new type of largescale farming system, and a development of the GridCON connected cable electric tractor project unveiled early 2019, the external power source is located on the headland and connected via an extension cable to the GridCON tractor. The first version had a 1.0km long cable (max 2.5 kV/300kW) which rolled on and off automatically. The new GridCON2 combination is an evolution of this but then with a 3,000m (8kV/1,000kW) power line. Supervision is remote through a digital twin based user interface.…

Mounted mower conditioners with a working width of up to 4.0m aren't new … and neither are the associated problems of the extra stress on the tractor’s linkage — the bigger the mower, the bigger the risk of the left-hand wheel ‘cocking a leg’. On the new Novacat 402, Pöttinger looks to counter this imbalance by adding a chunk of ballast, in a similar way to what McHale's done on its smaller mowers. First thing to point out is that Pöttinger is a tad generous with the working width of the 402, which is not 4.00m as you would assume, but actually 3.88m. Easy to hitch on To make hitching up as easy and painless as possible, the position of the left-hand lift arm bracket can be altered by a…

Looking an altogether beefier and more stylish machine, the Vendro tedder range is all new for this season, with Krone noting it will eventually replace the long-serving KW and KWT models. But it is not a case of all style and no substance, as the Vendro comes with a new tine arm design and easier to use features such as being able to engage the headland spreading position from the seat on the smaller models. The new 4.60m to 11.20m line-up comprises nine fully mounted models. Depending on the model there are four different rotor sizes, which also means a varying number of tine arms, as outlined in the next column: • 1.37m, five tine arms on the Vendro 620, 820 and 1020 • 1.50m with six arms 470, 900…

Even with a higher vantage point from the tractor seat, it's hard to spot wildlife hiding in long, lush grass, particularly fawns that don't flee and rely on their natural ducking reflex if they hear a mower coming. Not only is this bad news for fatally injured wildlife but also the animals that will eventually feed on the contaminated forage. Boom-mounted NIR sensor Drones kitted out with modern thermal imaging cameras can be used to detect wildlife hiding in the grass. However, the success of such systems depends on the temperature near the ground … or the temperature difference between the object and the environment. There are also other systems that emit an audible alert, a couple of which were fitted to machines in our mower tuning article in the…

Ultra-accurate RTK guidance and autosteer have perfected the art of driving tractors in precise parallel runs, but they need some assistance when rear-mounted implements step out of line. Shropshire-based, organic vegetable grower T C and N Taylor faced exactly this problem with its ridging operation, which must be accurate because it sets out the path for all other operations to follow. “GPS will tend to steer the tractor up when you’re going across a hillside, which causes the ridger to hang down and put in a curve. In some places we were getting 6in (15cm) or more out of line,” says farm manager James Britton. “We then came in with our destoners, which have GPS-guided steering axles, and they would fight to correct the line and start steering up the…

Take some natural rubber, one part synthetically produced rubber, a pinch of carbon black, two parts silicate, and a little mineral oil; fold this in with wire; and apply the mixture onto a textile surface. Stirred together until smooth, it is then put into a large pressure cooker to make the agricultural tyre … until it's 'done'. Of course, the job's not quite that simple, although the list of ingredients is almost right. Just like every cook, each manufacturer has its own secret recipe. Vredestein has been active in the agricultural sector since 1955, and, in addition to its farm tyres, it also produces car tyres at the Apollo-Vredestein factory at Enschede. Let’s start with the rubber Natural and synthetically produced rubber plus all the other critical ingredients (silicates, carbonates,…

Looking for a sub-£20k 4x4? Then check out the new Suzuki Jimny Commercial, which lists for £19,999 (£16,796 + VAT) and comes with a 1.5-litre petrol motor, Allgrip Pro selectable 4WD with a low transfer gear, air con and cruise control. You’ll have to be quick, though, as there are currently only 400 of these vehicles due in from Japan for the remainder of 2021. Note the Jimny with rear seats was withdrawn last year due to difficulties in meeting the latest car emission regs. However, the rules for vans are less stringent.…

Attempts to restructure the ailing Polish company have failed and the largest tractor and farm machinery manufacturer in the country has been declared bankrupt. The company struggled with financial problems and generated large losses for years, and at the back end of 2019 announced plans to sell two of its production sites as part of a major restructuring programme. One of these was acquired by Dutch mixer wagon manufacturer Trioliet. Despite winning contracts to supply tractors to Ethiopia, Tanzania and Zambia, the debt-stricken company, which also made electric buses, ended last year with a loss exceeding €12m. Ursus had a sizeable stand five years ago at the 2017 Agritechnica where it surprised visitors with a couple of stylishly finished versions of a 150hp ‘global’ tractor. There was even a hint of…

The latest generation of the Slicer 310F front and 860 and 960 rear disc mowers are not only lighter, but come with new safety options. Former tedders have also been upgraded. The lightweight design of the 310F results in a 60kg weight saving (up to 350kg with the rear combination). Fendt says the low weight reduces the power requirement, lowers the ground pressure and saves fuel. The 310F now comes with an optional hydraulic system to fold up the side guard before travelling on the road without having to leave the cab. Mirrors can be added to increase safety at road junctions and it is also possible to install cameras. The 860 and 960 rear mowers come with the latest version of the SafetySwing mechanical collision safety system and a…

Rarely have we been so torn after a profi tractor test. The new McCormick X7.624 VT Drive not only looks the part with its transformer profile and dark red metallic paint, but the six-cylinder FPT block, stepless ZF TMT transmission, lift power and hydraulics all impressed us, too. But, and it's a significant 'but', the cab lacks space for taller operators, with not enough leg or headroom. And that's not the only thing: the armrest display has a growing importance, particularly in this size of tractor, yet the software within the X7's 12-inch terminal needs to be improved in several areas — see the 'Learning McCormick' panel on the next page for further details. Holding back on power… Over the years the 6.7-litre FPT engine has proved to be a…

Over the years, power harrow drill combinations have put on a fair bit of weight, thanks to much beefier headstocks, larger hoppers, bigger packers, disc coulters…. the list goes on. And the Express 3 KR is no exception. Indeed, when it landed in the yard, Horsch pointed out that we would need more lift capacity than that on offer from the 120hp tractor on hand, and that 150hp should be seen as the lower limit. A quick trip to the weighbridge backed up these words of wisdom, because even with an empty hopper this 3.0m power harrow drill comes in at 3,670kg. That's a lot of metal, although the Express is not alone in scaling at this sort of weight. Metal needs lift Complete with a 600mm wedge ring packer,…

One of the big pluses for AgXeed’s AgBot is that it can be coupled with existing implements. Around the back of the autonomous tractor is an 8.0t capacity linkage paired with a 3.0t lift at the front, both capable of working with your existing range of implements. It can even use its electric to drive pto-powered kit. Diesel engine plus generator When we caught up with one of the prototype units at Limburg, in the Netherlands, it was working down a freshly cleared beet field with an electrically powered Imants 38WX spading machine. This particular version was equipped with a Deutz liquid-cooled, four-cylinder diesel motor producing 115kW/156hp. AgXeed plans to offer three standard models in the future: 55kW/75hp, 105kW/143hp and 155kW/211hp. The energy for powering the hydraulic system and the…

1 SEEDER FRAME 2 HEX SHAFTS AND DISPERSION PLATES 3 POSITION THE SPREADER UNITS 4 ADD SEED DELIVERY TUBES 5 METERING DRIVE SWITCH 6 FAN DRIVE AND CONTROL BOX…

When the DLG awarded a EuroTier gold medal to Hanskamp for its Cowtoilet, it certainly raised a few eyebrows. Don't be too quick to judge, though. On closer inspection there appears to be some method in the Dutch firm’s supposed madness. The urea contained in cow urine is normally broken down into ammonia and carbon dioxide by an enzyme called urease, a process that takes just a few hours. However, since urease is only found in animal faeces, emissions in a barn are dramatically decreased when the muck and urine are separated. In other words, if less urine ends up on the shed floor or in a slurry channel, the less ammonia is released. Hanskamp tests in four cow barns show the urine catching Cowtoilet has great potential, so great,…

Comfortable and cost-effective with low emissions While visiting the Cowtoilet we also took the opportunity to take a tour of the FreeLivingBarn, which was recently presented by Hanskamp. According to the firm, the barn concept is capable of giving a significant reduction in emissions — 4-5kg of N per cow per year. The animals were lying in comfort in the open on dry bedding about 10cm deep, The elimination of slurry channels also helps to reduce the overall construction costs. A fundamental part of the system is the BeddingCleaner, which collects the animal faeces from the lie-down area. The separating web initially twists and turns the fresh muck in the bedding so it's coated in bedding. This then travels up the machine's web and into the collection box, while the…

Following its DLG Innovation Award at Agritechnica 2019, Amazone is already one sizeable step closer to bringing AmaSelect Row to the market — a feat that not all award winners achieve. The first prototypes were out in the field for the start of last season, and we caught up with one of the early units working in Germany to look at the system, see what the pitfalls are and learn about some novel future-thinking. What does it do? AmaSelect Row is based on the AmaSelect body with four nozzles. In base spec, this body achieves a nozzle spacing of 50cm, but this can be reduced to 25cm with the help of an offset holder as shown in the photo to the right. Screwed under the AmaSelect body, this holder offsets…

Harper Adams University has been leading the investigation, utilising one site at its campus in Newport, Shropshire and another site in the USA in conjunction with the University of Illinois as part of a study into the effects of traffic and tillage systems. Further trials took place in Zambia and in Scotland and there is an ongoing study in Cambridgeshire, in order to look at a variety of soil and climate conditions. Paula Misiewicz PhD AMIAgrE, senior lecturer in soil and water management at Harper Adams University, says: “Agricultural vehicles have got heavier and heavier over recent years and the impact that they have on the soil can be severe. The aim of our investigation has been to find ways of alleviating compaction.” The study in Illinois was conducted over…