A hot and dusty Italian plain which lies somewhere below sea level was the venue for the launch of Kverneland’s latest f-drill front hopper, which Agriland saw to see demonstrated.
Designed to work in conjunction with the company’s range of sowing and cultivating equipment, the new hopper increases the potential rate of material delivery to the rear from 25kg per minute to 32kg per minute.
Rigid pipes
This increase in material transport is due to the design of the delivery pipe to the rear of the machine and a twin venturi metering system on the larger model.
The delivery tubes were previously made of a flexible material with a wide bore. The pipes on the new hopper are of a smaller bore and are rigid up until the point where they descend to the coulters.
This ensures that the material is carried in a faster flow of air with reduced loss of kinetic energy due to friction with the pipe wall.
Increased delivery rates
The f-drill hopper is available in two sizes. The Compact version has a capacity of 1600L and the larger Maxi up to 2200L.
The standard version is equipped with one ELDOS metering unit which can handle a hopper full of either seeds or fertiliser.
The higher application rates are achieved by the duo version as the twinned metering units with which it is equipped can release up to 400kg/ha of one type of fertiliser or seed.
Dent proof hopper
Another advantage of the new arrangement is that due to this higher rate of flow, the hopper need not be pressurised and is therefore immune to the slight knocks and dents which can affect the performance of pressurised steel units over time.
The hopper is of moulded plastic construction carried on a steel frame and comes with packer wheels to reduce the weight on the front axle.
Although there are no quick fit couplings on the pipe, the company claims that it can be removed in around 10 minutes.
