Krone has once again pushed the envelope with its latest four-rotor rake, claiming it to be the largest machine of its type on the market.
Known as the Krone Swadro TC 1570, it is centred around the familiar V-frame concept, which has been adapted from the world’s largest centre six-rotor rake, the Swadro TC 2000.
This feature gives the machine a flexible working width from 11m up to 15.7m, and the overall design is said to make it extremely stable and smooth running.
Using the new intuitive user interface, the entire machine can be operated from the tractor cab via an ISOBUS-compatible terminal or in combination with an ISOBUS joystick.
Adjustable width
The working width of the four-rotor rake centre delivery can be variably adjusted via the front rotors guided by the V-outriggers.
The two V-outriggers can be retracted and extended independently of each other ensuring field corners and obstacles can be easily negotiated without undue disturbance of crop rows already formed.
To enable quiet running while running and turning at speed, the outriggers are each supported by a wheel in the front area.
Further hydraulic adjustment to the outrigger arms of the rear rotors enables swaths to be produced in widths of between 1.40m and 2.90m.
Smooth operator
Krone has also integrated vibration damping into the design, helping to ensure that the machine runs smoothly in the headland position.
In addition, a soft–down automatic lowering mechanism ensures that the outrigger arms are decelerated just before the rotors touch down.
By doing so, there is less stress on the machine and the crop is more smoothly engaged with.
The height of each rotor can be adjusted individually, or all rotors can be adjusted simultaneously via the operating terminal to suit the working conditions.
The Swadro TC 1570 is equipped with a category II/III pendulum-suspended two-point hitch. This compensates for uneven ground and gives the rake extra manoeuvrability due to the large steering angle.
Easy lifting by Krone
The lifting heights of the rotors can also be set via the operating terminal, especially useful at the headland where they only lift as far as is necessary, so as not to disturb existing swaths.
The lift delay of the rear rotors with respect to the front rotors can also be adjusted from the cab. This can be set as either a time-dependent or path-dependent delay.
The raising and lowering can be controlled even more efficiently using the section control partial width switching which automates the process with the aid of GPS positioning.
The main frame of the rake is hydraulically adjustable to allow for a transport height of under 4m without the need to fold down the tine arms.