Kubota-owned brands Kvernland and Vicon have released a batch of updates to their ploughs, drills and grassland kit with a firm emphasis on extra technology to improve the quality of the job.

A redesigned headstock on the 2500 range means there is no need to remove pins and clips to switch the plough into transport position.

It is now done by tapping the relevant buttons on the Isobus touchscreen in the cab.

This makes 40kph road speeds much safer as the plough now follows the tractor in the same way a trailer follows a car.

A mid-mounted depth wheel is available on the five- and six-furrow 2500 models, which doubles up as the transport wheel for trailed units.

However, its main advantage is when backing into tight corners on headlands because it means the last furrow is the most rearward point of the plough.

See also: Video: On test; a closer look at Hubert’s seven-furrow plough

Maize drills

A new SX seeding unit has been added to the Optima range of maize drills that allows drilling speeds of up to 18kph with no loss in accuracy or spacing and up to 50% improved efficiency on some models, says KV.

The new seeding units are pressurised and blow the seed into the furrow at speeds of up to 70kph, while the soft catching wheel below prevents them from being misplaced.

When combined with Geocontrol and GPS the drill switches on and off automatically to avoid unnecessary overlaps or missed patches.

Sprayers

Vicon’s iXdrive self-propelled sprayer has a new Ecodrive transmission that includes an engine management system matching the crankshaft rpm to the forward speed of the machine.

This gives added benefits for fuel economy and operator comfort, Kverneland claims, with the driving controls mimicking an automatic car on the road.

Further developments in the Ixter B mounted sprayers mean there is now an overall capacity of 3,000 litres; 1,800 litres to the rear and 1,200 litres up top, with the two tanks running on separate circuits through the same pump.

This means different mixes can go in either tank, giving added benefits for contractors who are working across several small fields requiring different chemical cocktails.

Grassland

The monster set of Vicon Xtra 7100T triple mowers now has Geomow, which gives the two rear decks a side-shift option so the full 10.2m width is used, even when snaking around a dodgy hedge line.   

The company claims there will be a 5-7% efficiency increase when using the Geomow with automatic lifting and returning to work possible.

Meanwhile, an impressive new feature on the Andex 1505 rake four-rotor rake offers automatic lifting of each rotor with working widths from 9.8m up to 15m.

Rowing up the headland first allows the GPS system to create a field map.

The operator can then drive at any angle with the rake automatically lifting and lowering each rotor individually without stirring areas that have already be rowed up.

The system is beneficial when entering field corners as the two front rotors extend sideways to gather all the crop into the swath, giving a 10% increase in productivity and maximising the 15m width, says the company.

Tellus Pro

A new in-cab handle, available at the end of the year, has 44 programmable functions from the Isobus screen, so implement commands can be housed on one joystick.

Also new is a retro fit auto-steer system that slots around the steering wheel and is compatible with any age of tractor, while a telematics system can keep tabs on where machines are and how much work they have done.