Grassland specialist Pottinger has added yet another new product to its grassland range - the new MERGENTO VT 9220 belt-type rake.
It comes in working widths of up to 9.2m for a central swath and 8.7m for a side swath, and is designed for alfalfa, clover, and a wide variety of crops from permanent grassland to straw.
Pottinger rake
According to the company, MERGENTO collects the forage using the pick-up. Meanwhile, dirt and stones remain on the ground.
Without further contact with the ground, cross conveyor belts transport the forage to the swath. Especially with leafy, dry crops, Pottinger claims that the belt rake minimises disintegration losses because the forage is not raked across the ground.
The overall result apparently being more energy, more crude protein and less crude ash in the forage.
Optimum crop flow
The heart of the MERGENTO is the conveyor unit. Pottinger has said that the coordinated system ensures a consistent flow of forage and perfectly formed swaths even with short crop material.
The conveyor unit consists of the pick-up, the crop press roller and the cross conveyor belt.
The six-row controlled pick-up delivers maximum collection performance with minimum forage contamination, according to the company.
The crop is gently collected from the ground by the successive pick-up tines and fed to the cross conveyor belt. The cam track makes the tines retract just before the belt.
The transfer point is 120mm higher than the cross conveyor belt. This allows the forage to fall freely onto the conveyor belt, we are told.
In addition, the flow of crop pushes the forage onto the belt. The conveyor unit also operates reliably when driving downhill and with a short cut crop, Pottinger stated.
The chassis rollers are positioned very close to the point the tines contact the crop to ensure perfect ground tracking.
The compaany said that the complete freedom of movement provided by the centre pivot mounting of the belt units ensures constant weight alleviation over the entire working width. It is also the basis for 3D ground tracking.
The design of the boom with three hydraulic cylinders is said to result in it reacting in a split second to any bumps in the ground.
In the centre swath mode, the vertical freedom of movement is +475mm to -195mm while lateral float is +30° to -13°. The inclination in the direction of travel can move from +11.5 to -0°.
The MERGENTO switches the cross conveyor belts off automatically at the headland, and start running automatically at the beginning of the next pass.
This system is said to guarantee each swath starts and finishes tidily. It also saves a lot of time because there is no need to empty the cross conveyor belt at the end of the swath.
The delay time for switching the conveyor belts on and off can be conveniently adjusted using the terminal in the tractor cab.
Flexibility
The direction of rotation and the position of the two cross conveyor belts can be adjusted from the tractor cab.
Depending on the shape of the field, the volume of forage, and the follow-up harvesting machine, the MERGENTO VT 9220 can place a centre swath, swaths to the left or right, two single swaths, convey from the inside out, and even load forage for a short period.
The new equipment for all types of forage will be available from August 1, 2022.
