Mower developments on show at Agritechnica

Of special interest to Irish farmers at Agritechnica 2023, was the selection of grassland equipment on show, especially the new mowers brought along by companies active in this market.

The mowers themselves have not gotten bigger; transport sizes constrain what is possible, rather than power requirement, but there were changes and new models which were on show for the first time.

OptiCurve from Pottinger

Pottinger was showing its F3100 OptiCurve front mower for the the first time. The mowing technology itself is not new but the method by which the mower is positioned is something of a breakthrough.

Pottinger V9200 mower — The industry refers to lightweight mowers, such as the new V9200 from Pottinger, as compacts, to match the power dense tractors they are designed to work with

Using information generated by steering sensors the front mower moves in an arc to ensure that no grass is left uncut as it turns corners. The operation is automatic and relieves the driver of the need to steer the unit in addition to directing the tractor.

At present, it will only work in conjunction with Pottinger’s own rear mowers, but being ISOBUS controlled and given the company’s enthusiasm for open-source software within the industry, it is likely that such developments will apply to a wider selection of machines in the future.

Pottinger tedder at Agrotechnica — In addition to the new mowers Pottinger was demonstrating the flexibility of its tedders.

Also on its stand was the latest rear twin mower set, the Novacat V9200. Announced in August this series of mowers are designed to be light in weight and sit close to the rear of the tractor, making them suitable for high horsepower, short frame machines.

40 years celebrated at Agritechnica

Farmers will be the first to deny that the appearance of a machine has much influence on their purchasing decision, but machinery manufacturers know better, and SaMASZ has taken on board an industrial stylist who has been busy at work on its range.

Samasz front mower — With 40 years of production under its belt SaMASZ was celebrating with a new front mower and colour scheme

One of the first machines to be designed with his full involvement, is the new XDF 351 front mounted mower. This has all of the links concealed within a new smart hood that also houses the grease points.

Samasz rake — The latest rake with sealed rotor bearings was being shown by SaMASZ

Also on the stand was the latest Z 2-960 rotary rake which features a new design of tine and head rotors, which are now sealed for life and are claimed to be maintenance free.

SIP mower at Agritechnica — The SIP HD 1000 D is a fully equipped rearset with many new design features

SIP was also keen to show off the latest addition to its range, in the form of the HD 1000 D butterfly set. These offer a side facility of 515mm to help ensure that embarrassing lines of uncut grass do not appear behind the tractor on bends.

Keeping the yard tidy

Although not a field mower, Yanmar had a 60hp YT 359 fully kitted out with front and rear Ducker flail heads for verge and estate maintenance on show at Agritechnica.

Yanmar tractor and verge trimmer — A 60hp tractor fully kitted out with front and rear cutters was being offered for a shade under €107,000

Such a set up would normally stretch the wallet for most operators in this sector, but it was being advertised at just €106,950, which was a refreshing change from the huge sums that most of the machinery on view was being sold for.

Blaney Quad X stand — Also at the show were Blaney with its range of equipment for quads and UTVs

Blaney Agri Equipment from Co Antrim was also at Agritechnica with a display of machines from its range. All the fabrication is still done in house and independently powered mowers make up a significant proportion of sales.

Thankfully the engine supply issue is now resolved and the company can once again look forward to fulfilling all its orders.