While the Jumbo range of forage wagons will make up the bulk of the company’s forage wagons working in the UK, it is introducing the Profi 5000 range for farmers who want to produce their own silage, or who are running a zero-grazing system.
It will be the successor to the Faro range, with capacities of 26, 27, 29, 30, 32 and 33cu m, as well as two dry forage models offering 45 and 52cu m.
The Profi has a 2.1m pick-up, with six tine bars and steered jockey wheels. The floating mounting means the pick-up can oscillate up to 175mm at each end, enabling better ground following. Once lifted, the crop is pushed into the chopping unit via a double-tine rotor.
The new knife bank has 31 blades arranged in a single row, providing a theoretical chop length of 45mm. The blades are just 4mm thick, which the company says will improve crop throughput and reduce the power requirement by about 10% when compared to 5mm knives.
The knife bank pulls out from the left-hand side of the machine. A provided tool splits the bank so blades can be easily accessed and the unit cleaned out. A unique touch is the option of ComfortCut. A halfway house on the way to automatic knife sharpening, when the bank is removed, an optional frame can be lifted across the knives.
A Milwaukee grinder can be fitted onto this – with a series of options from Pottinger – making it easier for the operator to sharpen the knives and ensuring a consistent sharpness.
According to the company, maintaining blade sharpness can cut the power consumption by up to 40%.
The standard chassis has a 13t payload and can be fitted with 17in tyres. However, all models will be available with the 16t chassis, with the possibility to fit 22.5in tyres. The large tyres are required for ComfortCut.
At the rear, customers can choose two or three unloading beaters, or a directional conveyor if used for zero grazing. It is also possible to equip the company’s Liquido silage additive front tank if required.
Easy swathing
Looking at the digital options, the Novacat V 10000 ED/RC Collector triple mower units will receive a software
update for the coming season enabling automatic swath placement.
When merging multiple swathes, the operator previously had to either go down the very next row, causing tight headland turns and potential sward damage, or had to remember to switch the cross-conveyor belt manually when switching rows. Now, when using the Harvest Assist app – and as long as tramlining or row data is available
through the Isobus system – the Novacat will automatically switch to the left and right conveyor depending on the direction of travel.
This reduces the risk of operator error when skipping rows. This is part of a wider series of updates to Harvest Assist, including live machine data that can be shared across users in the same group. Swaths are mapped out
in the field, including markers for lumps that may slow down or block the harvesting machine.
When using a baler, the app will display the weight of each bale, the moisture content and the exact location in the field to aid loading and storage. The new functions increase the transparency of operations, enabling yield comparisons across fields and seasons to help calculate nutrient use, feed costs and machinery running costs.