Brought into the UK by Bradleys, the Italian-built Prinoth BM430 is a modified snow groomer, designed to work on maize clamps.
It’s powered by a 430hp Mercedes Benz engine, producing 2,000Nm of torque, and weighs 8.8t and with an additional 2.2t rear weight to maintain the optimal balance. The 5m maize blade has hydraulically folding wings, as well as 12 points of movement.
According to Bradleys, this is specifically designed to work on large-scale maize clamps – on-site with anaerobic digesters for example – capable of pushing and climbing maize clamps at angles up to 45deg, and working on slide slopes up to 37deg.
Power is put to the ground through a hydrostatic transmission, driving twin tracks, and it has a 20kph top speed. According to Bradleys, its best suited to maize silage, with grass presenting the risk of becoming tangled within the tracks. The tracks work in combination with the chassis vibration to compact the silage, and the company states that it will use around 20% less fuel than a standard tractor and buckrake.