Kverneland has brought this mammoth-sized rake (pictured above) to today’s Grass & Muck event in the midlands.
It’s one of several “high-tech” machines that are fronting the company’s presence at the show.
Also Read: On-site pics: See the machinery that awaits at Grass & Muck 2018The machine in question is the 97150 C; its GEORAKE feature apparently “takes the hassle out of finishing swaths correctly, before turning on the headlands”.
In reality, GEORAKE automatically lifts the rotors at the right time, leaving the driver to concentrate on the turning manoeuvre. This, says Kverneland, is important on a rake of this size; the 97150 C is a four-rotor machine that can span a width of 15m.
A company spokesperson explained: “With its span of 15m and four rotors, this kind of rake requires a skilled driver.
“Precision is needed – from both the machine and the operator – especially during headland operation. You need to lift and lower the rotors at just the right time – to rake up the crop in the most efficient manner.
This often means that an extra round – to clean up the headlands – is needed. This is now history with the introduction of our 97150 C GEORAKE.
He added: “This essential operation has been fully automated; each of the four rotors is individually controlled via section control – without any attention needed from the operator.
Fewer mistakes
“This means the operator can then fully focus on optimising the raking operation, keeping up the working speed and turning efficiently on headlands. In other words, GEORAKE reduces the risk of mistakes and the need for corrective actions; that means extra work gets done.
“GEORAKE registers the area already raked. If a rotor enters an already-raked area, it will lift automatically. Each rotor lifts individually and acts as one of four ‘sections’.
“When entering an un-raked area the rotor automatically lowers again.
“No crop is left behind; no swaths on the headlands are destroyed by interference from the rotors.”