Krone is making its entry into the pickup rake market with the Swativo T 1040 Pro, focusing on ease of use, consistent swath formation and top-quality forage.

"Broadening its portfolio of rakes" will allow the company to in future "offer the right swathing technology for virtually every forage plant and every application," Krone said.

While rotary rakes are particularly effective for grass and straw, mergers (sometimes called belt mergers) have advantages when used for herbaceous crops such as clover or lucerne.

Traditional rotary rakes sweep and drag forage across the ground, while a merger uses a pickup mechanism to lift the crop, preventing any damage during raking.

The lifted grass lands on a hydraulic conveyor belt and is gently deposited aside.

Krone have said that the Swativo T 1040 Pro's working width of up to 10.4m will help with high acreage output and efficient swathing.

Optiswath

The company has credited the development of its Optiswath concept for the "perfect swathing with no leaf loss" from the pickup rake.

"Optiswath combines perfectly coordinated components of the swathing units to ensure a constant crop flow and even swaths," it said.

"Rubber-coated guide rollers keep the pick-up steady over varying ground, protecting the soil and ensuring clean forage intake". 

Krone has also chosen to add a twin-rotor system for the feed rotor, which can be adjusted in relation to the pick-up speed.

This allows crop flow to be adapted to different harvesting conditions.

Krone says that this creates a smooth, controlled flow of crop transferred onto the 1.2m conveyor so it can "handle large volumes with ease".

In addition, the conveyor belt is mounted at a steep angle on the machine, in order to feed the crops directly towards the swath.

Handling

The mechanical forced steering system on the rake "ensures excellent manoeuvrability and facilitates working on tight bends and swathing corners". 

"The steered axle delivers excellent manoeuvrability in tight spaces, while high working speeds allow for strong output," Krone said.

For road transport, the belt units can be folded in hydraulically and lock automatically, giving it a width of just under 3m and a height of 3.85m.

A compressed air brake system and LED lighting, including warning panels, provide the required safety.   

Ease of use

To ensure a high level of flexibility in swathing, the Swativo T 1040 Pro features telescopic units and conveyor belts with adjustable directions of rotation. 

This system allows for flexible swath options, including centre or side swathing, as well as single or twin swaths. 

As a result, the machine can be continuously adapted to different operating strategies and crop volumes.   

The machine is operated via ISOBUS control with what Krone describes as a "modern user interface".

"Stored crop profiles for different operating conditions facilitate the work and ensure a consistently high standard of work," it added.

According to Krone, all functions and parameters can be adjusted from the tractor cabin.

The machine features as standard an automatic belt stop which Krone says "ensures neat swath ends".

There is also the optional of a Section Control that automates the raising and lowering of the pick-up units on wedge-shaped surfaces. 

According to Krone product manager, Tobias Reher: "When developing the Swativo T 1040 Pro, the focus was not only on top-quality forage but also on consistent swath formation and intuitive ease of use.

"That is exactly what we have achieved with this machine," he emphasised.