Combining the best practices of organic farming and conventional farming, HORSCH’s new Hybrid Farming System provides a solution to weed control without glyphosate. This inventive and forward-looking system is designed to meet the needs of farmers looking for mechanical weed control yet retaining the high productivity of conventional farming.
The Transformer VF hoeing tool, Finer LT cutting tillage tool, Cura ST harrow and Cultro TC knife roller lead the way for an important product system that is set to expand in the future. Ever-growing pressure on the reduction of chemicals in farming continues to force farmers to meet supply demands using more and more organic practices. The HORSCH Hybrid Farming System helps meet those demands.
New Transformer VF – the innovative hoeing tool
The new Transformer VF is the basis of a new HORSCH hoeing tool line. The fully integrated lateral sliding frame enables the Transformer VF to be extremely flexible with parallelogram-guided tools.
The Transformer VF (VariableFrame) is available in 6m to 12m working widths. The integrated lateral sliding frame and does not work via the current intermediate coupling frames. It is fully compatibility to the ISOBUS standard and can be combined with many camera systems.
The 6m and 8m models are folded in three sections while 9m to 12m models are folded in five sections. All models have a transport width of 3m and height of 4m. The clearance below the frame is an impressive 660mm, which is particularly useful in row crops like maize and sugar beet.
The clamping profiles for the tools are on the inside of a continuous channel enabling the tools to be arranged in a very wide variety of positions. The Transformer VF can cover row spacings from 25cm to 90cm and adjustment is simple and fast, with working depth adjusted easily without any tools. HORSCH has proven experience building robust parallelogram mounting units that are highly durable and effective even on heavy and stony soils. The units can be hydraulically operated for particularly hard soils.
The hydraulic system is also used when individual rows are lifted via section control.
Covering discs for the hoeing tools are available as an option to protect crops in the early stage. An additional attachment space can be used for finger rolls or other tools that work in the row.
Finer LT for an all-over cutting tillage
As part of HORSCH’s hybrid and organic farming range, the Finer LT enables shallow cutting of weeds, volunteer crops or catch crops. It can be an alternative to glyphosate with regard to fighting weeds.
The ability to set the tine angle so the tines cut shallow and parallel to the ground is completely new. The available in 6m to 12m working widths, the 4-bar Finer LT range is available with a 3-point attachment. The tine spacing of the spring tines is 15cm with a frame height of 55cm. The tine section is followed by a 2-bar harrow that removes even more of the plant material from the soil.
The adjustable angle of the spring tines enables the Finer LT to achieve a perfect, shallow cut that is parallel to the ground. This fine adjustment is very important for adaption to the soil resistance and to achieve a complete cut. Light soils require less upward deflection while heavy soils need considerably more. Support wheels control the precise working depth of the Finer.
Despite the high stability, the horsepower requirement of the machine is low with a 12m version only requiring a 200hp tractor.
Cura ST is HORSCH’s new harrow
The new Cura ST harrow is one of the central solutions for HORSCH’s Hybrid Farming systems and for organic farming. It will be launched as a 3-point version with working widths ranging from 6m to 15m and features an extremely solid design and precise operation.
The 6-bar design allows for a tine spacing of 2.8cm for working intensely on clean soils or soils with a lot of weeds. The support pressure of the harrow tines is continuously, hydraulically adjustable. Every harrow tine has a pressure ranging from 500g to 5kg and maintains almost the same force for the whole spring deflexion. Every tine is fastened individually and prevented from moving laterally.
The Cura ST is ideal for all types of soil and conditions. The tine’s large load range lets the machine work conservatively or very aggressively depending on the objective. Contours, such as potato ridges, can be cultivated without any problems.
Cultro TC double knife roller
The Cultro TC is a double knife roller with low horsepower requirement, available in 3m and 12m working widths. Used in combination with other machines, the highly flexible Cultro TC provides excellent cutting in rape or silage maize stubble and in catch crops.
The compact diameter of the roller body allows for a high number of revolutions and cuts. This guarantees an intensive crushing of organic material. Six knifes are arranged in a crosscut configuration for maximum effect.
The 3m Cultro 3 TC will be available for a 3-point linkage. A front-attached version without a packer can be ideally matched with a Joker CT cultivator, for example. A rear attachment version can be specified with any packer available for the Joker CT.
The trailed 12m Cultro 12 TC has some very special features including a new frame concept that transfers the complete weight of the machine on to the roller. The individual roller segments are divided in 3m wide sections that are suspended individually. This provides optimum contour following even for this large working width. Each segment is overload-protected and can move upwards individually.
The machine can be equipped with a packer or a grass type harrow, ideal if a lot of organic material is to be distributed on the surface. The Cultro TC can also be equipped with a Crossbar in front of the knives enabling it to be used for seedbed preparation.
The high efficiency of the machine allows operational speeds up to 20kph while maintaining a low horsepower requirement. The Cultro 12 TC can be easily operated with a 200-hp tractor.