A German company making waves in Ireland in recent years has been Lemken. It had a very impressive stand at Agritechnica last week and AgriLand caught up with area sales manager in Ireland Diarmuid Claridge after the event.
According to Claridge: “The stand was the busiest we have ever experienced in the history of the show for us.”
He noted: “It was another fantastic show for Lemken again this year and I am very proud to say that we received three awards in total. Two silver medal awards for innovation and an award for Machine Of The Year.”
On the innovation side, Lemken’s Swing cut system came away with one of the silver medal awards. Claridge explained: “Current technology allows automatic control of boom height on many sprayers. However, until recently, there was no way of controlling yawing movements (that is horizontal movements of spraying booms). Where yawing occurs, spraying booms swing backwards and forwards in an uncontrolled manner whilst the sprayer travels across the field.
“As a result chemical applications can vary from very low rates up to four times the required rate,” he noted.
He said: “Lemken’s Swingcut system now provides active horizontal damping for substantially improved application accuracy. The system features dampers comprising intelligent fluids that respond to electrical or magnetic impulses and can therefore be controlled. Boom movement is detected via optical sensors and the damping system is activated as soon as the movement exceeds pre-defined limits. The system thus responds automatically and continually to any given travel situation and ensures optimum boom placement at all times.
Lemken said plant protection products can be applied with up to 50 per cent greater accuracy using the system.
The second silver medal for innovation was awarded for Lemkens Working Depth Guidance technology. Claridge noted: “Farmers in hilly regions often face the problem that their semi-mounted cultivator doesn’t work deep enough in a hollow and too deep over ridges. Manual adjustment is difficult for the driver and requires a great deal of sensitivity.
“With the rotation point in the frame behind the working section and an additional hydraulic ram, we have now found a simple remedy for their semi-mounted Karat cultivator.”
Lemken said the additional hydraulic ram in the semi-mounted frame behind the tine section now controls the position of the disc/roller unit via the rotation point thus enabling it to follow the contours of the land. The load of the support wheels right next to the tine section and thus the working depth therefore remains constant.
The hydraulic ram is controlled by an electronic device which receives a continuous signal from force measurement bolts at each support wheel. If the pressure changes the length of the ram is automatically adjusted. The driver has to adjust his working depth only once prior to work in order to calibrate the system and can be sure of a regular working quality.
Lemken’s Juwel plough with ISOBUS control for a mounted plough won machine of the year in the soil cultivation category.
The TurnControl system on the Juwel mounted reversible plough, with electro-hydraulic swing gear and hydraulic angle adjustment, creates an ideal environment for ISOBUS operation. TurnControlPro now allows these functions to be controlled easily via the CCI 200 terminal or the ISOBUS system on the tractor, without needing to operate the spool valves.
The user interface on the display is intuitive and clear, making it easy to adjust any plough settings as needed.
Lemken is now offering ISOBUS plough control for the Juwel mounted reversible plough for the first time.
According to Claridge the “awards just show how Lemken are world leaders in machine technology, innovation & design and this is why more and more people are now choosing Lemken as their preferred machine.”
Other machines to feature at the Lemken stand included Vega trailed sprayer, Zirkon 12 power harrow, tramlines via satellite and azurite precision seeder.
Claridge concluded: “It is a very exciting time for Lemken in Ireland as our business grows at a rapid pace and we are gaining market share in all areas.”