Farmhand caught up with Eamon Delaney who does all the raking for local contracting outfit Delaney Agri Services in Kilmanagh, Co. Kilkenny.
Delaney Agri Services has been running two Krone rakes for the past two seasons: a TC760; and a TC880; and say they have gotten on very well.
Wide track width and quiet running
All rotors run on a Krone-developed tridem chassis. This means that the rear axle is wider than the more flexible front axle, so that the chassis forms a triangle.
With the chassis utilising the full space under the rotor, the wheels can stabilise the rotor where the tines are under load, which leads to an exceptionally quiet rake.
“They do a grand clean job, they’re sturdy and they’re strong,” said Eamon.
Hard wearing; low maintenance
All Krone rakes come with hard-wearing Duramax cam tracks which have low maintenance and come with a three-year warranty as standard. This is down to the exceptionally tough cast iron cam tracks being used in conjunction with sealed-cartridge bearings.
“This is our second season with these two rakes and we’ve never had a stop, with roughly 5,000ac a year done,” explained Eamon.
‘They float down’ – less contamination and wear
“When you’re working them, they float down on the ground; they don’t slam down,” said Eamon. Krone called it the ‘jet effect’. As the bogies are lowered into work, the rear wheels touch down first before the leading wheels follow.
Vice versa, as the rotors lift out, it is the leading wheels that lift out first and the rear wheels that follow. This ensures that the ground is raked clean and that the rotors don’t slam into the ground.
Along with this, all Krone rakes have specially designed lift tines that are kinked in two positions. When compared with more traditional, straight tines, Krone ones clear more material per acre and allow for greater ground clearance which reduces crop contamination.
Ease of use
“They’re very easy to work,” commented Eamon. “You can adjust the rake to clean the ground from the cab.”
With conditions often varying, the electric height control system makes adjusting rake height easier and faster than mechanical systems.
From the cab-based control box, operators control two servo-motors which change rotor height conveniently and accurately. Along with adjusting the height, the control box also displays the current work height.
Dealer back-up is all important
As with all machines, dealer support and back-up is very important. Although Delaney Agri Services has had no issues with its two rakes, it’s important to it that the dealer is able to send somebody out if needed. Eardly Agricultural Service ticks the box on this.
“We bought these Krones from Eardly Agricultural Service in Kilkenny,” said Eamon. “The service is excellent – both for the mowers and the rakes.
“There’s somebody out straightaway if anything goes wrong but, luckily enough, I haven’t had anybody looking at the rakes this or last year; but I know he’s there if I want him,” concluded Eamon.
