The Scotgrass event on 18 May gives northern-based grassland farmers the best chance to get up close and personal with the latest mowers, rakes and foragers. Peter Hill runs through some of the machines we can expect to see

Claas Disco Max Cut mower

Scotgrass will see the working debut of new Disco mowers and mower-conditioners from Claas. They feature the newly designed Max Cut bed with a wave-shaped leading edge that pushes the discs forward, resulting in greater overlap between blades.

An enlarged cutting area is said to result in improved performance and flow of material through the machine. It is fabricated from bolted, pressed steel sections for maximum torsional strength.

The Disco 3150C featuring on the demo plot is a 3m rear-mounted mower-conditioner with a metal-tined conditioning rotor.

Unlike the more sophisticated Contour mowers, the Disco has a simple spring suspension system to help follow ground contours.

In less dense crops, the Max Cut machines can be run at reduced power take-off speed to help save fuel – down to 850rpm on 1,000rpm versions, and 460rpm on models that normally run at 540rpm.

Kraiburg Monta slop mat

Rubber matting designed to make slopes in dairy units less slippery will be unveiled by Kitt at Scotgrass.

The Monta rubber mat from Kraiburg is designed to cover areas in dairy housing with a slope in excess of about 6% – such as in walkways, cross-passages and collecting yards.

Kraiburg claims to have identified the optimal relief pattern on the mat’s surface to provide slip resistance when both ascending and descending the ramped area.

The resulting distinctive “gapped” V-shape raised rib profile is said to improve claw traction while permitting free draining of liquids.

Apart from reducing the risk of slipping and the possibility of temporary lameness or a more serious injury, use in trials has shown cows become more confident on ramps, resulting in a speedier flow of animals around dairy housing.

JCB 435S wheeled loader

The newly uprated 435S Agri wheeled loader with new cab and control features will make its public working debut on the clamp at Scotgrass, working alongside a TM320S telescopic wheeled loader.

Power from an engine now equipped with SCR to meet latest emissions rules is unchanged at 230hp, but fuel capacity is increased to 400 litres for longer periods between fill-ups.

A new clutch feature progressively disengages drive as the brake pedal is presse. This is a good way to minimise brake pad wear while using engine revs to extract optimum power and flow from the 264-litre/min twin piston pump hydraulics.

JCB’s new Loadall Agri Pro telehandler will be on static display at the event, highlighting not only the DualTech combined hydrostatic and powershift transmission, but also the 200,000-machine production landmark for the Loadall range.

Grass Tech Grazer

Successful pre-series trials last year have led to the UK introduction of the latest Grazer grass harvesting system for beef and dairy units that feed freshly mown grass to housed cattle.

The Grazer, which essentially combines a self-loading trailer with a heavy-duty Galfre disc mower, now comes with a non-chopping crop elevator, revolving at just 70rpm to avoid damaging the grass.

A hydraulic drive bed conveyor fills and empties the body and a rear-mounted feed-out conveyor – also driven hydraulically – is a new option for dispensing grass into troughs or alongside a barrier.

Central greasing, a “full load” sensor and rear-view camera are all standard and the cut-and-feed machines run on either tandem or triple axles. On the mid-range Grazer GT120, a Wetland Kit enables the axles to be offset and so spread the load over a greater area.

Kverneland 2800M mower

An all-new suspension feature developed for Kverneland 2800M-series disc mowers uses a large suspension spring to support the bed and help it “float” over the surface. It is adjusted from the tractor cab using a small hydraulic ram that alters the anchor point of the spring.

The amount of lift can therefore be varied on the move to suit changing field conditions, with a calibrated scale and pointer giving the operator a clear indication of the setting.

This new bed pressure system is available on Kverneland 2800M-series plain disc mowers, available in 2.8m, 3.2m, 3.5m and 4m working widths, examples of which will be on view at Scotgrass.

Vicon FastBale

Scotgrass will be the first public working event for the Vicon FastBale, giving visitors a chance to assess the performance potential of this non-stop baling and wrapping machine, which produces a 1.2×1.3m diameter bale.

Bales are formed initially at the front of the machine, but once they are about two-thirds of their eventual size, they transfer quickly into the main chamber for completion. Crop flow is then diverted back to the pre-chamber while net is applied. The finished bale is then transferred to a high-speed orbital wrapping system.

PFC iPad applicator control

Remote control of forage preservative applicators by an Apple iPad tablet computer will be demonstrated as an alternative to using a dedicated control box or an Isobus terminal.

A bluetooth antenna for wireless connection to the iPad is supplied as standard with PFC’s Harvest Tec 400T applicator for round and conventional balers. It is also an option available for the modular Harvest Tec 600 system for high-capacity square and other balers.

Reduced cost, a lack of wiring between the tractor and baler and the ability to use the iPad for customer records and to access web-based data such as weather forecasts and email are among the advantages, says PFC.

Opico He-Va Sward Rejuvenator

Opico will put the He-Va Sward Rejuvenator through its paces to demonstrate its potential for giving tired grassland a lift – or reseeding cultivated land – with just one pass

The Sward Rejuvenator, once fitted with an Air 8 grass seeder, can be used to rejuvenate grass. Minus the seeder, it can also be used for harrowing swards to remove trash and stimulate grass growth, and will also level out molehills.

The implement has a row of aggressive slicing points mounted on broad, flexible tines to scarify an existing sward or complete cultivation of land being reseeded. It also features two rows of heavy-duty harrow tine; and a serrated cast roller to firm the surface once more.

A seeder with land-wheel-driven metering rollers completes the one-pass version, which is available in both mounted and trailed form with a working width of 3m.

Stocks Turbo Jet VS2

A lower-priced version of the Stocks Turbo Jet air seeder will be shown at Scotgrass.

Designed for grass seeding, the Turbo Jet 6 VS-2 is a six-outlet machine that can be doubled to 12 outlets if required and is said to be suitable for full rate reseeding or lower-rate rejuvenation of grass seed in swaths up to 4m wide. It is typically fitted to tined grass harrows.

Standard hopper capacity is 240 litres, with 400 litres optional. A separately powered hopper agitator, calibration tray, reel of delivery hose, Y-splitters for the hose, spreaders and brackets are all supplied as standard.

Krone BiG X 630

Krone’s BiG X 630 self-propelled forage harvester is the most powerful of the mid-range machines, with a 15.6-litre six-cylinder MTU engine.

Its PowerSplit features enables the operator to select the most appropriate peak power rating for the work being undertaken – 460hp with the Eco-Power mode selected and 596hp with X-Power engaged.

Chopping performance is influenced by a drum with twice the crop-carrying capacity of previous designs, says Krone. This results in a significant efficiency boost. It also allows nominal chop lengths from 3mm to 31mm depending upon settings and whether 20, 28 or 36 knives are fitted.

For maize harvesting, the corn conditioner rollers can be engaged or disengaged speedily using the VariQuick system, while StreamControl, which adjusts the speed of crop flow through the discharge chute, is useful for filling trailers running behind the forager when opening up.

Krone ActiveMow

The working plots will feature Krone’s ActiveMow R 280. It makes its debut as a representative of a new line of grass harvesting machines for small to medium-size farmers.

Featuring a mower bed with disc overlap, which is said to be optimised for difficult conditions, the ActiveMow range comes with five models from 2m to 3.6m. This  replaces the AM series.

A simple but robust design claims to provide a cost-effective side-pivoting mounted mower, with spring suspension providing adjustable flotation to suit different crop and soil conditions.

Albutt 12ft buckrake

A 2.4m wide buckrake providing increased grass-clamping capacity on high-power tractors and wheeled loaders is being added to the Albutt range.

It features 14 Hardox steel tines 1.65m in length. Like all sizes in the range for 2016, it benefits from a number of new features, including an extra two top link holes for greater mounting versatility, a larger hydraulic cylinder – increased from 60mm to 75mm diameter – for greater push-off force and larger ram pivot pins – up from 25mm to 35mm.

Controlled traffic farming

Industry body AHDB Dairy will explain the practicalities of implementing controlled traffic systems in grassland and managing cows using a cut-and-carry or zero-grazing system at Scotgrass.

With an estimated 85% of the surface area of a field covered every year by tractor traffic, the potential for reducing compaction and improving sward performance by limiting as many operations as possible to the same wheelings can be considerable, as recent AHDB Dairy-funded research is showing.

At the Cut & Carry station, Scotgrass visitors will hear about the latest findings and economics from trials comparing high-yielding cows managed on zero- and field-grazing systems.

Fresh grass has an important role to play in reducing feed costs, suggests AHDB Dairy. Field grazing is the lowest-cost option for dairy cows, but with high-yielding animals it can be difficult to strike a balance between maximising grass usen and maintaining animal performance.

See also: Border contractor builds £47,000 slurry spreading system

Pottinger Torro forage wagon

The new Combiline version of Pöttinger’s Torro self-loading forage wagon will make its working debut at Scotgrass, demonstrating its ability to collect grass from the swath or to work as a silage trailer alongside a forage chopper.

There are three models – 5510, 6010 and 6510 – with typical load capacities of 55, 60 and 65cu m. They use a 2m reel with six rows of cam-controlled tines for a clean pick-up and an 800mm feed-in rotor to push grass across 45 knives, resulting in a nominal chopping length of 34mm.

Pöttinger’s Autocut in-situ knife-sharpening system is also available.

Pottinger Novacat disc mower

Increased contact surface area between drive gears results in smoother, more reliable and hassle-free transmission of power to the cutting blades, says Pöttinger of the new Tri-Drive bed being introduced on the Novacat disc mowers.

The Tri-Drive system used in the mower beds built at the Pöttinger factory uses gears with 39 and 50 teeth, so that three of the bevelled-edge teeth are engaged at any time.

Apart from a longer service life, the design eliminates any need for a shear hub device to protect components, which adds cost and requires operator intervention. Instead, a slip clutch provides sufficient protection from shock loads caused by hitting an object in the sward.

John Deere 8800i forager

The range-topping model in the latest John Deere self-propelled forage harvester range will be in action at Scotgrass, with a new design and build features claimed to deliver up to 15% more productivity, increased uptime, lower operating costs and faster, easier maintenance.

The 8800i puts 845hp at the operator’s disposal and makes his life easier with automated discharge-spout control for filling trailers. Each model in the range can also be equipped with HarvestLab crop analysis and documentation.

A touch-screen display for powertrain monitoring, and auto steering are part of the package on these newly styled machines, too.

Schuitemaker Rapide 65

Details of a dry matter measurement system using an NIRS sensor will be released by Dutch forage wagon manufacturer Schuitemaker.

This raises the prospect of combining the technology with weigh cells and GPS to accurately record forage resources and map yields for site-specific field management.

An NIRS sensor mounted in the front wall of the Schuitemaker Rapide wagon determines the dry matter and provides the weight of forage harvested in addition to the gross yield.

Using Field Track & Trace software, this data can be made available on the farm office computer and to produce yield maps.

Massey Ferguson rakes

The forage equipment range that is now part of the Massey Ferguson product lineup will be in action for the first time in the UK, with examples of mowers, tedders and rakes in action and on static display.

Among them is the front-mounted DM 306 FZ KC, a high-spec 3m six-disc mower with tine rotor conditioner and the equivalent rear-mounted and trailed versions, along with a 9.3m combination.

Four- and eight-rotor tedders with 5.2m and 8.6m working widths will also be present, alongside the 6.6m two-rotor RK 662 TRC rake and flagship 12.5m rake using four rotors to pull grass into a central swath.

Kuhn FC 3125

Kuhn’s new front-mounted disc mower-conditioner – the FC 3125 DF-FF – has variable conditioning speeds and is said to feature improved terrain-following capabilities, making it well suited for use as part of a high-power, high-output triple-mower set-up.

The newcomer has a redesigned twin-linkage headstock housing a suspension set-up that enables the deck to oscillate at angles of up to 30de-. This improved ground-contour-following capability helps prevent crop contamination and preserve the quality of the grass sward, says Kuhn.

The conditioning unit is fitted with Kuhn’s pivoting steel fingers with single-lever selection of 1,000rpm for most forage grasses or 755rpm for more delicate crops.

Kuhn FBP 3135 BalePack

The latest version of Kuhn’s fixed-chamber round baler-wrapper combination is said to deliver high output and consistent bale formation with a reliable wrapping mechanism.

The FBP 3135 BalePack is available with a choice of 14- or 23-knife OptiCut intake rotors located behind a 2.30m cam-track pick-up with improved ground-following performance.

A drop-floor intake system enables blockages to be cleared easily and quickly by hydraulically lowering the floor and knives from the tractor cab. Bales 1.25m round and 1.22m wide are produced by 18 PowerTrack rollers designed for reliable bale rotation and high density.

McHale Pro Glide B9000

The first range of mower-conditioners produced by McHale Engineering will make their UK working debut at Scotgrass as the Irish manufacturer expands its forage equipment range.

Three Pro Glide models will be shown – the F3100 front- and R3100 rear-mounted mower-conditioners with 3m disc cutting beds, as well as the B9000 twin-mower combination that in partnership with the front mower forms a triple covering 8.56m in all.

Patented ground-following technology, break-back protection, hydraulic ground-pressure control and heavy-duty bed design are features of these machines, along with generous articulation over surface undulations to maintain a regular cutting height.

 

Kverneland 8576 tedder

A revised folding mechanism for compact transport dimensions and a lower maintenance driveline are among features of the Kverneland 8576 six-rotor tedder.

The 7.6m machine has a heavy-duty fully enclosed headstock and is maintenance-free, with the exception of the power take-off shaft.

Aluminium is used for the guard rails to save weight and minimise vibration, while the new Hexa-Link finger-type drive couplings for the two outer rotors allows them to fold to a greater angle, resulting in a transport width of less than 3m and a low overall parking height of 3.45m.

Two new rakes also join the Kverneland range for the 2016 season, with hydraulically adjustable working width on the two-rotor 9580C covering working widths of 7-8m and creating a swath from 1.2-2.2m wide.

A 12.5m working width is provided by the four-rotor 94125 rake, which has improved headland management to adjust the lift and lower time for the rear rotors and a revised control system with pre-selected functions to simplify operation.

McHale Orbital bale wrapper

A trailed bale wrapper that adopts the vertical ring-wrapping technology of the McHale Fusion baler-wrappers – including the Fusion Vario with variable bale diameter – will demonstrate output claimed to be sufficient to keep pace with more than one baler.

The Orbital high-speed round bale wrapper handles bales from 1.1m to 1.45m diameter, lifting them to the wrapping deck using a hydraulically operated cradle and swing arm.

Fluted steel rollers rotate the bale about its axis while two pre-stretch film dispensers mounted on a vertical ring apply the plastic covering.

Four layers of 750mm film can be applied in about 18 seconds, and six layers in 25 seconds, says the manufacturer, with accurate overlap achieved even as the machine is towed over a rough surface.

John Deere TMC mowers

A new frame said to make John Deere’s triple-mower combinations easier to attached while providing better visibility and improved contour-following ability is among the features of the new TMC models.

Different combinations of front- and rear-mounted mowers give working widths of 8.7m, 9.5m and 9.9m according to output needs and available power. Hydraulic overlapping adjustment of 30-50cm ensures optimum output can be achieved without missed cuts.

The cutterbars have lifelong lubrication and a quick-change knife design, while effective conditioning is claimed for the pre-loaded tines on the integrated impeller.