26 Apr 2021, Doncaster, DN9 3NW - Great Britain
Amazone to use Cereals 2021 as the launch pad for new products
After 18 months of virtual machine introductions, this year’s Cereals Event will provide Amazone with the opportunity to show off a range of new products and innovations for the first time. This plethora of new kit includes seed drills, catch crop seeders, self-propelled sprayers, cultivators, power harrows and spreader upgrades - some of which are detailed below:
Pantera 4504 self-propelled sprayer
Cereals will see the public unveiling of the new Pantera 4504 self-propelled sprayer which is designed to set new standards in precision plant protection application and ease of operation This new generation, the Pantera 4504, focuses on increased work rates and reducing the work load on the driver. The new in-house operating system, modified spray agent liquid circuit and changes to the operator station offer significant added value.
The all-new SmartCenter and complete operator station are securely protected under the access cover on the left side of the sprayer and it is here that the new 60 litre induction bowl, which quickly inducts powder and granules with huge effectiveness, is also located.
The new twin, pressure-stable and liquid-fertiliser proof AR piston diaphragm pumps, with a total output capacity of 520 l/min, have been repositioned over to the right-hand side resulting in a considerable noise reduction during the filling process and yet offer a fill capacity of up to 700 l/min. There is also easy accessibility for the operator.
The SmartCenter offers the ideal solution for every customer requirement: from the simple and clever Comfort-Pack with its TwinTerminal 3.0 up to Comfort-Pack plus for maximum convenience. On the Comfort-Pack plus, instead of operating taps, the TwinTerminal 7.0 makes machine operation much easier with its pressure-sensitive touchscreen. The operator only has to select the desired function and the sprayer adjusts itself fully automatically with functions such as the spray agent tank and the fresh water tank being filled to the required level and an automatic cleaning program that can be started at the touch of a button.
The newly located, more easily accessible fuel tank holds up to 290 litres for higher outputs and provides enough fuel even on long workdays. The 20 litre AdBlue tank is located next to it.
The new AmaDrive 7.0 vehicle terminal has now been integrated in the ergonomically-designed armrest. All machine-specific functions can be clearly displayed and intuitively operated via this new 7” touchscreen, colour display.
The new in-house operating system software is displayed on either the 8” AmaTron 4 terminal or the 12.1” AmaPad 2 ISOBUS terminals.
The well-known ContourControl active boom guidance system and the SwingStop boom tip swing compensation ensure the best boom ride, even at the larger working widths of 40 m with ContourControl offering negative as well as positive geometry thus ensuring that the distance to the target is always exactly maintained. And whilst ContourControl provides excellent vertical boom guidance, SwingStop optimises the horizontal position, especially on the larger booms.
This exceptionally fast and precise hydraulic boom guidance means higher forward speeds are possible during application and this, in conjunction with the AmaSelect electric individual nozzle control, with its added functionality of AmaSelect CurveControl, AmaSelect Row and AmaSelect Spot takes the sprayer to the highest level of precision.
The new model is introduced without any increase in price against the outgoing Pantera 4503.
Cenio 3000 mulch cultivator
On the Stand at Cereals, and then working at Tillage-Live, will be the new Cenio 3000 mulch cultivator. The Cenio is aimed at the smaller tractor with its shorter, lighter execution making the tractor lift easier.
The Cenio, with 30 cm tine rows and a maximum working depth of 25 cm, keeps the 3 row tine layout of the Cenius but has 1 less tine and a maximum working depth of 5 cm less. The rear levelling discs or paddles back-fill the tine action to ensure a level finish before being consolidated by the following roller.
The Cenio range is available in 3 m, 3.5 m and 4 m rigid mounted models and is offered with the full range of following rollers - from the simple cage, the soil on soil UW and DUW rollers, through to the wedge ring and disc rollers.
The Cenio Special features shear bolt overload protection for the tines – the Cenio Super with sprung break back overload protection and a 450 kg trip force, Prices start from £13,385
GreenDrill 501 catch crop seeder
Cereals will also see the introduction of the new GreenDrill 501 universal catch crop seeder box
The GreenDrill 501 is suitable for sowing catch crops, fine seeds, undersown crops and spreading micro-granules, pellets and micro-fertilisers in combination with either the trailed AMAZONE soil tillage range or the Cirrus trailed drill combination. The 500 l capacity, plastic seed hopper can easily be accessed using steps and a platform for rapid seed filling and has a screw lock to protect the contents against dust and moisture. The seed hopper has a fill level sensor that can be mounted in two positions and, in the bottom, a protective sieve in order to protect the hopper from foreign bodies.
Accurate electrical metering
The metering of the seed is carried out by an electrically-driven metering unit below the seed hopper. Different metering rollers are available for different seed types. These rollers can be interchanged quickly and easily. The electric drive facilitates easy setting of the seed rate using the terminal in the tractor cab. Alternatively, the electric drive can also be controlled fully automatically using application maps. It is furthermore possible to calibrate the system at the push of a button and to do pre-metering in field corners.
The machine can be calibrated either using the terminal, a calibration button or the mySeeder App on a smartphone.
Hydraulic blower fan drive ensures that the GreenDrill 501 can transport any amount of seed or granules from the metering unit via the distribution head to the sowing coulters or the baffle plates.
New accurate distribution
The segmented distribution head, familiar from the AMAZONE seed drill range, is the basis for an accurate distribution of the seeds over the seed rows. This is available in different sizes and equipment levels, so that 16 to 48 outlets can be supplied, as required. This distributor head can also be used for tramline control.
The seed is transferred from the distribution head to the baffle plates, which ensure an optimal lateral distribution across the whole working width. The combination with the Cirrus facilitates the under-sowing of crops via baffle plates as well as the opportunity of an option for metering an additional seed type from the GreenDrill into the sowing coulter.
Fast and precise with the Precea
The new 3-point linkage mounted, high-speed Precea precision air seeder with its over-pressure singling system is perfect for sowing row crops such as maize, soya, sunflowers, beet, rape or sorghum. On the Stand at Cereals will be the variable sowing width Precea 4500-2CC VT equipped with the rear fertiliser hopper for under-root fertiliser application. The wider, folding 8-row Precea 6000-2FCC offers increased fertilisation efficiency by utilising the FTender front tank.
Precise over-pressure singling system
The singling system in the Precea is based on overpressure. The seed hopper and the entire metering unit are pressurised by a blower fan. The seed is fed from the seed hopper to a singling disc, which then hermetically seals the metering unit as the seed is pressed onto the holes in the disc. Precise singling is then ensured via the following three stripper fingers. The seed then reaches the propulsion channel, where the contact pressure is stopped and the grain is shot precisely into the seed furrow and caught by the catcher roller. An optical sensor closely monitors the singling process and reports any misses or doubles to the tractor terminal. The stripper system can then be easily adjusted. Fully automatic, electric stripper finger adjustment via SmartControl is another positive development step.
Single row shut-off is also integrated in the electric drive of the over-pressure singling system in the Precea Super, which means that tramlines can be easily switched or rows can be switched off in wedge shaped fields. Higher sowing rates in marginal rows and when tramlining can be easily adjusted from the tractor cab. In combination with the electric drive, the Precea is capable of singling at speeds of up to 15 km/h.
As an alternative, the non-folding Precea models are available as the Special variant with SpeedShaft mechanical singling drive. The singling disc is now driven via a Flex shaft. In combination with the very easy to drive, over-pressure singling system, forward speeds of up to 12 km/h can be achieved in this variant without compromising the distribution along the row.
PreTeC mulch seeding coulter
The newly developed PreTeC mulch seeding coulter can be mechanically loaded with a coulter pressure of up to 220 kg. The hydraulic option enables the pressure to be adjusted up to 350 kg directly from the tractor seat whilst on the move. This ensures smooth running and uniform field emergence when used for both sowing after the plough and when mulch sowing.
The coulter unit can be quickly adapted to the specific field requirements without the need for tools. The placement depth can be individually adjusted and the coulter unit moved to the parking position via a notched quadrant when the machine is set down. The contact pressure and the opening angle of the V-pressure rollers can also be adjusted very easily without the use of tools. The complete coulter unit is readily accessible and the maintenance-free bearings and bushings are optimally protected from dust.
Large seed hoppers
The seed hoppers of the Precea have a capacity of 55 l and 70 l. A rubber lip protects the pressurised tanks against the ingress of dust. The metering unit is easily accessed and the unit can be quickly emptied without the need for tools. The seed chute, which is part of the delivery, can be mounted on both sides of the singling unit. In addition to the seed hoppers, an additional micro-granular applicator with electric metering can be mounted for each row.
Rear fertiliser tank with Precis fertiliser metering system
The Precea 4500-CC and 6000-2CC have a large fertiliser hopper, with a capacity of either 950 l or 1,250 l, for reduced downtimes and quick and easy filling. The twin-tip hopper profile ensures low residual quantities and effective fertiliser metering. Metering is provided individually for each row via the Precis metering system, which is adjusted via the SmartCenter control panel. The fertiliser can be calibrated centrally and collected via a calibration tray, removed on the left-hand side and weighed. In conjunction with the electric metering unit, the calibration can also be performed directly down at the machine via the optional TwinTerminal. The fertiliser is actively conveyed to the depth-adjustable FerTeC Twin double disc coulter via an air flow and placed in the ground beside each sowing row.
Machine control
In-house developed software via an ISOBUS terminal, such as the AmaTron 4 or AmaPad 2, enables extremely comfortable machine operation in the Precea Super. The touch-optimised operation makes it easy for the operator to navigate through the software. The AmaCheck terminal offers a pure monitoring function for the Precea Special.
FTender front tank for optimum weight distribution
The new FTender front tank is designed as a multi-purpose transfer hopper that can be used for seed or fertiliser. Capacities of either 1,600 l or 2,200 l result in less downtime and therefore higher outputs. The FTender is equipped with electric metering drive and is controlled via the ISOBUS terminal as standard. Calibration is possible directly on the front tank via the electric metering drive. In this regard, the scales and a folding bucket supplied are safely stowed near the easily accessible metering unit.
The FTender can be carried on the front linkage or be pushed on the self-steering, trailing T-Pack F to balance the weight distribution in the field for maximum soil protection
The FTender offers considerable added value as it can be used as a front seed hopper for the Avant sowing combination or as a fertiliser tank in conjunction with a Centaya or Cataya rear-mounted power harrow drill combination or with the Precea precision drill for under-root fertiliser placement. However, it can also be combined with the Amazone soil tillage range, in order to apply, for instance, catch crops and/or fertiliser in one pass, giving the machine year-round potential.
On show at Cereals will be the new FTender-C which comes with twin metering units and a split hopper in order to be able to simultaneously sow either fertiliser or seed at the same time or maybe two different seed varieties in a cover crop mix. The front hopper will be shown in combination with a Ceus disc and tine combination cultivator and the double conveyor system which offers the simultaneous broadcasting of a cover crop whilst deep placing P fertiliser into the seedbed.
ProfisPro – the new intelligent weighing system
The constantly growing demand for increased precision prompted Amazone to start building mounted fertiliser spreaders with an integrated weighing system in 2001. The Profis weighing system enables any deviations of the actual application rate from the target rate to be accurately identified. The weigh cells on the current spreader programme measure the weight changes 200 times per second and automatically adjust the shutter positions every 25 kg. The biggest advantage of the weighing system is that it measures in real time, and so the application rate is therefore kept at the optimum all the time, even when side, border, water course or wedge-shaped spreading.
New rate calibration completely thought through: ProfisPro
Application rate regulation via the Profis weighing system is extremely accurate. Any deviations across the entire spreading time only amount to about 1%. However, to provide permanent regulation, even within the 25 kg adjustment intervals of the weighing system, the ZA-TS mounted spreaders and the ZG-TS 01 trailed spreaders are now available with the new intelligent ProfisPro weighing system. ProfisPro includes the interaction of the Profis weighing system with the new FlowControl torque measuring system. In this respect, FlowControl is equipped with one sensor per spreading disc, so that the torque on each individual spreading disc can be monitored. The correlation between application rates and the torque generated at the spreading disc at different working widths have been determined for all types of fertiliser on the basis of numerous spreading tests. Put simply: Low application rates generate less torque on the disc than higher rates. FlowControl reliably monitors the torque on each spreading disc drive independently and can immediately adjust the position of the application rate shutters in the event of a deviation from the target rate.
This combination of weighing system and FlowControl enables the fertiliser spreader to use torque in order to regulate its theoretical application rate over the entire spreading process. The Profis weighing system monitors the actual spread rate every 25 kg. This allows FlowControl to recalibrate itself at regular intervals. This takes place without any need to stop. The ProfisPro intelligent weighing system means that the spread rate is optimised from the very first second of the spreading process. In addition, the driver has an overview of the actual quantity remaining in the hopper at all times as well as the possibility to display the remaining travelling distance until empty. The spread rate regulation between the Profis weighing system and the FlowControl sensors is a unique selling feature for Amazone.
Precision even on hilly terrain
Furthermore, all Amazone weigh-cell spreaders can be optionally equipped with a tilt sensor. This sensor enables the measuring system to calculate the influence of the slope on the weight measurement, so that the application rate is correct even when spreading laterally across a slope or up or down slopes.