Agritechnica novelties
Agricultural gadgets on mower and rake
Kverneland presents 2 new techniques leading up to the Agritechnica: Geomow and Georake. Both have their origins in the arable farming world. Electronics such as section control move from, for example, the field sprayer to the mower and rake.
GeoMow can supply Kverneland/Vicon on both the triple and double mowers. During the press presentation, it will show this system on the Extra 7100T butterfly mower. First of all, the Isobus system ensures that the machine is operated in 'sections'. This means: control each mower individually. If the mower detects a spot where it has already been mowed, it automatically lifts it up.
The same goes for GeoRake. Each rotor is seen as a section. For the time being, the system is only offered on the 4-rotor Andex machines, in combination with the Isomatch Tellus Pro terminal.
5-7
percent
No overlap
Where electronics really get smart is when overlap can be avoided. When cornering, a mower always requires some overlap in order not to leave a strip of grass. With the help of GPS, Geomow knows when you are mowing in a bend. For example, the working width is adjusted to the required overlap by means of a side shift. The manufacturer already had this sideshift on its machine, but it was not linked to GPS. On straight sections, the machine automatically uses its maximum working width, with a minimum overlap of 10 centimeters. In practice, the driver always goes for safe, which leads to more overlap.
This is also important on hills. According to the manufacturer, Geomow provides 5% to 7% more capacity. The patented technology offers the additional advantage that a less skilled driver can still mow neatly, says Kverneland. The question is who will help that driver in the event of a malfunction.
Raking corners yourself
GeoRake also works with a kind of sideshift function. After all, the rotors are hydraulically adjustable in width, from 9,80 to 15 meters. This is done automatically using GPS. In this way, the machine itself checks its maximum working width. Overlap is of course not an issue here. However, the technology is able to make the rotors wider in a bend so that the corners are also neatly raked. The system also has the 'swath straightening' function. If you start along a curved field edge, the rake itself ensures that the second swath is completely straight. He then adjusts the working width himself.
More uniform swath
When cornering, the rear 2 rotors deform the swath. This gets closer. To always keep the same swath width, the rear rotors are also hydraulically adjustable. A more uniform swath should yield more capacity at the press, forage harvester or loader wagon.
Telematics on implements
As you would expect from a machine manufacturer, Kverneland's philosophy is that the 'smart' tool is leading and not the tractor. This is also how intelligent tools work today. For example, a press controls the tractor.
In addition, Kverneland is also investing in telematics and other techniques that make it possible to monitor machines remotely and deploy them more efficiently. The company has not yet shown how that works exactly. The electronics come from the subsidiary Mechatronics, located in Nieuw-Vennep.
Niels van der Boom
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