XtraBlatt Issue 02-2020

INFORM
cardanic rotor suspension ensures that the front wheels of
the rotor rise first. On setting down, the rear wheels hit the
ground first so that the tines are always kept off the ground.
TYRE PRESSURE
Don’t miss out on checking tyre pressures. If these don’t
match on all tyres, perfect swathing isn’t possible. Alexander
Esselmann: “Especially when swathers are delivered, the
tyres can have a very high pressure. This stops the implements
moving around on the transport truck, for instance.
But too high pressure in the field reduces shock absorbance.
Resultant bouncing means tines can end-up kicking dirt.
Swather tyres tend to be larger now. 710 wheels can be
ordered for the frame, with up to 18” wheels available for
Here’s how the ideal swath should look.
behind the implement, so keeping forage drier during the
night. The following morning the driveshaft is put into its
original socket, the tedder works again at standard rpm and
redistributes the small swaths uniformly across working
width.
SWATHING
Swath formation also has an important role to play in producing
top forage quality. The aim is to gather all available
material into the swath, while definitely avoiding any soil
contact so that ash content is kept as low as possible. When
in doubt, it’s preferable to keep tines away from the ground
and leave some feed lying.
The swath form should be as clean-edged as possible so that
pick-ups and rotors, for instance of following loader-choppers
or silage harvesters, can be best filled across their
whole working width, a situation that always helps achieve
a good chop. We don’t want lumps or tangles in the swath
slowing down the harvest. And you must be sure about the
machinery that’s going to be collecting the swath. Swath
width must be right for the pickup system.
RAKE HEIGHT
A precisely set-up rotor
lateral angle gives
tidy swath edges.
The tips of the swather tines should operate approx. 1–2 cm
below mower cutting height and – here too – should never
touch the field surface. “If the raking result is not optimal
then there’s certainly nothing shameful in stopping and
readjusting”, advises Alexander Esselmann with a twinkle
in his eye, adding: “For simple swathers you have to climb
down from the tractor for this and adjust rake height with
a spindle. But with high-end implements life is a bit more
comfortable with tine height adjusted electrically in the
cab.” The expert recommends making first settings with the
swather prior to driving into the field. “Then any fine-tuning
can be carried out in-field with all rotors adjusted exactly
to the centimetre.”
Just as with tedding, swathing rotor speed should be kept
low for best results. For 98 % of conditions 350–420 rpm
speed is enough, reckons the expert. As for driving speed,
between 8–12 km/h (approx. 5–7 mph) should be about
right. “Naturally, it’s all down to field conditions. On a flat
and even surface, the throttle can be nudged a tick higher,
but it’s always preferable to drive 1–2 km/h slower and
so avoid forage contamination. This also helps you form a
neat swath with all the forage gathered. Too much speed
doesn’t only put soil into the silage, every tine contact with
the ground leaves scuffs where weeds can flourish. So you
lose out not only through contamination, but also by a
poorer regrowth standard for the next cuts”, adds Alexander
Esselmann.
LATERAL ANGLE
A substantial influence on rotor rake performance and swath
formation – the factors affected output of the following harvest
machine – is the angle setting of the rotor (or the front
rotor with multi-rotor machines). This should always slope
down in the direction of the swath. Tines take increasingly
more forage material with them on their way towards the
swath and the weight causes them to bend slightly, thus
altering their height above ground surface. Lateral angle
setting allows this to be compensated for, helping produce
a well-shaped swath with clearly defined edges.
Poor lateral angle setting can usually be seen right away
in the shape of the swath. Material left lying on both sides
is also a sure sign that the angle’s wrong. Adjustment is
simply and rapidly carried out directly on the rear gauge
wheels of each rotor.
All Krone Swadro swathers are equipped with “Jet Effect”
technology: on lifting the implement during operation, the
the rotors. Larger and wider wheels have a bigger contact
area and so help protect the grass sward. The wider the
tyre, the less the ground pressure – and this can make a big
difference, especially in wet ground conditions. Bigger tyres
also avoid feed contamination and protect sward quality in
aftermaths. And the number of wheels per rotor helps too in
preventing field surface damage. With us in Krone, between
four to eight wheels are possible. The more wheels mounted
under the rotor, the more precisely can ground conditions
be adjusted for.”
Rotor suspension settings are dependent on field and
ground conditions too. Not enough free play can lead to
soil compaction or sinking of the rotor support wheels in
wet ground. Here, the rotor suspension movement should
be tendentially eased. If the field surface is very hard, or
steep, suspension travel should be reduced to stop the rotor
“floating” or hopping and leaving forage lying.
Coming in your next XtraBlatt: A closer look at actual forage
harvesting. «
Alexander Esselmann:
product specialist for
Krone tedders and swathers.
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