Amazone has introduced four new tractor mounted versions of its Catros folding disc harrows with working widths of between 4m and 7m.
These are in addition to the trailed TS variants with bogey-mounted chassis that are available with a working width of up to 12m.
The disc sets are said to be ideal for shallow and intensive soil tillage; they have a low pulling power requirement and when combined with high forward speeds provide a quick and efficient tillage option.
Swinging depth adjustment
The new harrows are based on what Amazone calls the Intelligent Smart Frame System concept which is said to be user-friendly and convenient.
Once the machine has been set up and aligned parallel to the soil surface, the working depth is adjusted by simple rotation of the disc carrier arms.
The rows of discs are rotated away from the frame for a deeper setting, or the discs are rotated towards the frame for more shallow work, while the machine frame always remains parallel to the ground enabling the machine to work at the selected depth without adjusting the top link.
A further advantage is that the deeper the work, the greater the distance between the frame and disc arm and the following roller, helping to avoid trash and debris clogging the frame.
Disc choice
Being able to adjust the working depth easily from the cab encourages deeper working for short durations on headlands and tramlines or wherever else soil is likely to have been compacted.
There are two disc diameters available – the larger is of 510mm and permits working depths from 5cm to 14cm and would be considered the general purpose unit.
It is likely to be useful in applications such as full-surface chitting of stubbles and seedbed preparation to medium-deep soil tillage and incorporation of organic matter and liquid manures.
There is a choice between a smooth, fine-serrated or coarse-serrated discs.
A smaller disc of 480mm may be opted for and this is intended for very shallow work from 2cm to 8cm. It has a wave profile that encourages full-surface movement and high mixing intensity at the same time.
Slurry incorporation
Incorporating slurry simultaneously with application reduces ammonia emissions and so retains nutrients and helps avoid nuisance smells.
For this purpose, Amazone offers the Pro-Pack for the Catros+ mounted compact disc harrows in working widths of 5m, 6m and 7m.
This deposits the slurry into the slots created by the first bank of discs while the second bank covers it.
An extra double harrow behind the discs can also be used on machines with working widths of 6m and 7m. This allows faster drying and warming of the soil.
