A simpler specification that trims weight, complexity and price is the key characteristic of Pottinger’s latest four-rotor grass rake.

The Top VT 12540 C, which has a list price of £76,747, is aimed at farmers and smaller-scale contractors wanting a working width of up to 12.5m but without the advanced features of the current Top 1252 C, such as isobus electronics and load-sensing hydraulics.

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The newcomer is also more than half a metre shorter at 9.6m and weighs just over a tonne lighter, at 5,200kg.

It also has conventional rotor mounting arms at the front, each with a hydraulic telescopic section to alter the working width from 10m to 12.5m, in contrast to the higher-spec machine’s non-telescopic Z-linkage arms.

These necessitate hydraulic drive to the front rotors but provide a more generous 4.5m of working width adjustment covering 8m to 12.5m for added versatility.

Tine arm differences

While both machines have 3.3m-diameter rotors with cam tine control, the lower-spec model has 12 tine arms at the front and 13 at the rear versus 13 all round on the Top 1252 C.

And some tine arms can be removed on that version to get its parked height down to 3.4m to clear a low roof or implement cover. Both can be transported at 3.99m with the tine arms in place.

Other similarities between the two include Pottinger’s Toptech Plus gimbal-mounted rotor design, said to promote good surface-following characteristics on undulating ground.

The newcomer has a basic four-wheel rotor chassis as standard, with a five-wheel version optional, while the more sophisticated model has a more advanced five-wheel bogie axle setup.

The rotor carriage can be supplemented on both machines by Pottinger’s Multitast castor wheel running ahead of the tines.