Grassland specialist SIP will bring products from its raking portfolio to Lamma 2025, including the latest generation of Star Robust machines.
“SIP offers a wide range of rake options to suit all types of grass harvesting operations, whether you need to create the perfect windrow for a forager or round or square baler,” explains SIP Distribution UK director Martin Holden.
“Many farmers and contractors are looking for more raking capacity, but their land and other equipment may not be suited to a four-rotor rake. This is where our latest twin-rotor rakes are really making an impact.”
The Star R 870|26 TC (8.6m working width) and Star R 930|28 TC (9.25m) centre delivery rakes are said to be robust and powerful solutions, completing a range which also includes the 10m double-rotor Star 1000|30 T.
According to the company, the 930|28 TC offers an output of 13ha/hr, with the H-line specification adding Hydro Pneumatic Suspension (HPS) and hydraulic rotor adjustment. It also includes a central swath curtain to ensure uniform swaths.
Proven in the field
Doug Brown of Mosshead Farm, Lockerbie, has a 120-cow suckler herd on a 115ha tenanted farm, plus a contracting business offering silage, lime spreading and reseeding services.
He traded up to a Star R 930|28 TCH to give him more capacity as several customers were moving to a multicut system.
“Our silage workload is around 1400ha so we couldn’t justify a four-rotor rake, plus some of the fields are just 3-4ha. The forager is a Claas Jaguar 850, so we wanted output without having to put big swaths in front of it.”
He says that the SIP rake can cope with a bigger row in a multicut crop, but can also pull four lighter rows into one on second cut moorland.
“It gives us that balance; you can alter the cam track and bring the working width in, but it still produces a nice wide row.”
The hydraulic suspension has proven itself on the undulating ground and also enables Doug to lift the tines off the ground when working on stony fields.
“We’re certainly benefiting from the rake’s flexibility; previously the chopper had to travel fast on second cut to pick the crop up; now we’ve actually been able to slow the rake down in front of it which helps with quality, we’re not having to push to stay ahead of it.”
He adds that the build quality impressed him. “We want to run this sort of equipment for a long time; we had the previous one for 11 years. We’ve also really appreciated the three-year warranty offered by SIP.”
Four-rotor rakes
SIP also offers the Star HG 1250|50 TC which has a working width of 12.5m, thanks to its four-rotor design, and can offer outputs up to 18.5ha/hr.
There is also the Air Pick-Up range, starting with a front-mounted Air 300 and moving up to the Air 900 Trailed, offering a working width from 7m up to 9m.
“The Air Pick-Up Rake ensures top quality forage in the most challenging terrain while offering the high outputs needed by grass harvesting contractors and producing the ideal swath for the largest capacity forage harvesters,” explains Martin Holden.
For more information go to www.sip.si