Farms and Farm Machinery Issue 409

Precision agriculture specialist Ag Leader has added to its growing range of integrated application solutions with the release of the RightSpot spraying system Down Under. RightSpot enables the user to control up to 144 nozzles individually for more consistent and accurate coverage over a range of operating speeds. The system can be retrofitted to a wide range of self-propelled and trailed sprayers. “Spraying is extremely time-sensitive and time-intensive,” Ag Leader Asia Pacific sales manager Doug Amos says. “Producers often spend more time spraying than any other job associated with broadacre or row cropping. “With increasing input costs and tightening environmental regulations, producers need to be looking at ways of increasing the efficacy, accuracy and productivity of their spraying operations. “Adding nozzle-by-nozzle control to their existing sprayer can deliver immediate agronomic and financial benefits by minimising under-or…

Pöttinger has upgraded its Europrofi Combiline rotor loader wagons with a new front panel to optimise convenience and flexibility. The company has redesigned the front panel on the wagons, allowing its 2,000mm-wide forage compression flap to be better adjusted to the crop it is loading. The spring-loaded flap controls the automatic loading system, switching the scraper floor on and off with a time delay if needed, ensuring accurate filling of the loading chamber, right up to the edges. Two basic positions can be set manually on the standard versions, though infinitely variable hydraulic adjustment of the inclination is also available as an option. The option allows the flap to be fully retracted, so that the top section of the loading chamber can be opened when the loader wagon is deployed in harvest transport mode. Roof…

The second generation of MacDon’s FlexDraper is set to arrive in Australia just in time for harvest season, following its global launch in August last year. The MacDon FD2 FlexDraper builds on the features of its original FlexDraper model, offering up to 20 per cent more capacity of smooth, heads-first feeding than the previous model. This comes from a deeper deck, with 50-inch (127cm) deep drapers on all FD2 models that can lay down high-volume crops cleanly. Now available in configurations of 30 to 50 feet (9–15m), the FD2 also uses MacDon’s FeedMax Crop Feeding System which, it says, features combine-tailored speed control and customisable auger flighting to fit the feeder house of any combine harvester. The unit also boasts a new high-speed cutting system, which it says offers clean cutting at speeds 30…

The Aqua-Traxx Azul drip tape is more effective in resisting clogging due to its innovative flow path design in the emitter, the company says. Toro says the key to reducing drip tape clogging is to protect the flow path labyrinth from debris. With that in mind, the Azul drip tape has a greater filtration area, with patent-pending multi-stage filters that protect the emitter from different sizes of debris, meaning the tape only has a 120 mesh filtration requirement. Optimised large flow passages in the emitters create more turbulence within the system, ensuring a consistent and uniform distribution of water and nutrients to maximise clog resistance and performance. Bruno Capogreco, from Capogreco Farms in WA, is one of the first people in Australia to use Toro’s new Aqua-Traxx Azul drip tape and feedback has been…

Available in four models, with working widths from 9.3m to 15m, they incorporate numerous features, including telescopic arms, excellent ground contouring, ease of operation and a low transport height. Claas Harvest Centre product manager – Greenline, Blair McAlwee, says the telescopic arms extend and retract via a patented three-stage system for rapid adjustment of the working width. “Depending on the model, the width of each swath can be adjusted from 1.3m to 2.5m and the overall working width from 3.4m to 4.9m,” he says. “In the Trend configuration, swath width is adjusted manually using a simple spring-loaded lever. “Likewise, raking height can be quickly adjusted using the crank handle on each rotor. “In the Business configuration, working width, swath width and rotor lift are all hydraulically controlled using the ISOBUS-compatible terminal inside the cab.” Each model…

Claas’ latest generation of dual-rotor central Liner swathers offer excellent ground-contour following for optimum raking performance with minimal forage contamination. “The Grass Care rotor guidance system ensures that the rotors are actively suspended during operation,” Claas Harvest Centre product manager – Greenline, Blair McAlwee says. “When the rotor arms are lowered, the rear rotor wheels touch down first, producing a ‘jet-effect’ that prevents the tines from digging in and damaging the grass sward.” The two Business models also incorporate Active Float rotor suspension and load-sensing hydraulics. “This functions in a similar way to the suspension of the same name in the Disco Contour disc mowers,” Blair says. “The ground pressure of the rotor can be adapted precisely to the forage quantity and ground conditions by adjusting the suspension pressure. “This ensures faster operating speeds and reduces…