Amazone's latest rotary harrows have been designed for tractor horsepower of up to 240hp.

Its newly-developed KE 3002-240 has a 3m working width and features the innovative Rotamix system's short and compact build but has with two extra tine carriers. The KE 3002-240 has 12 tine carriers and the input load is distributed across all of these rotors.

This design means that a very compact and light design of the robust rotary harrow trough is possible, thus reducing the lift capacity requirement of the tractor. It also means that any harrow-mounted seed drill is positioned very close to the tractor when used in a sowing combination.

The Long-Life-Drive system features double sealing system which has a cassette sealing ring and labyrinth seal protects against ingress of dust, moisture and dirt. Also, the proven Quick and Safe tine system provides the 290mm tines with an integrated stone release, plus the tines can be easily exchanged without tools.

At its heart is the DirectDrive gearbox, via which the power flow is transmitted directly to the spur gears of the tine carriers. As in the case of the KX and KG rotary cultivators, there is no power redirection, thus ensuring excellent low-wear power transmission.

The rotary harrow can be used at pto input shaft speeds of 540/750/1000. Exchange gear sets allow the rotor speed to be adapted to different soil conditions and the tractor shaft speed.

The entire Amazone active soil tillage range is available with the QuickLink quick coupling system for maximum flexibility. The new KE 02 can also be mounted under different seed drills via this system with little effort.

For instance, the KE 02 forms a compact team with the Cataya harrow-mounted conventional seed drill and the Avant 02 pneumatic front tank system. Thanks to a reinforced headstock, the Centaya Super pneumatic seed drill can also now be used with this rotary harrow and so can the new Precea-A precision air seeder. The D9 mounted conventional seed drill via the 'Liftpack' system is also possible.

Optional hydraulic depth control is a new feature of the KE 02. This allows the rotary harrow to be easily tailored to the field and operating conditions from the tractor cab while on the move. A scale ensures constant monitoring of the working depth.

Extendable lower links allows the KE 02 to be individually aligned for any tractor size and this also facilitates attachment of tractor wheel mark eradicators.

The depth of the levelling board for levelling the soil is precisely guided by the rear roller and this board also deflects upwards thanks to an integrated overload protection. A setting tool is offered for precise adjustment, which can also be used universally for other adjustments on the machine, eg for adjusting the height of the side plates or for setting the track markers.

Various roller types of different diameters for targeted reconsolidation are available for a wide range of site-specific requirements. This extends from a light cage roller to a wedge ring roller (which is also available with a matrix tyre profile), a trapezium roller and the tooth packer roller for medium to heavy soils.

PANEL

Duckfoot share ideal for shallow working

Shallow soil tillage is the aim of Amazone's new C-Mix duckfoot share, which is also available in a highly wear-resistant, HD variant.

Due to increasing requirements for field hygiene and more attention to ground water conservation, shallow soil tillage is becoming increasingly important, pointed out the company.

Weed seeds and volunteer grains need to be kept near the soil surface, whilst germinated plants are completely cut off at the root. Full-surface, light soil movement not only fights weeds, but also disrupts negative water capillary action near the surface, allowing ground water to be preserved for any subsequent crop.

A duckfoot share is seen as ideal for achieving those aims, as compared with a wing share it achieves significantly shallower working. For cultivators in its Cenio and Cenius product ranges, Amazone now offers the C-Mix duckfoot shares, each with a width of 320 mm.

With a maximum tine spacing of 30cm, this means there's a 2cm overlap between the shares, for full full-surface movement but with a uniform, shallow cut.

The wear-resistant HD variant has additional hard metal plates welded into place and these self-sharpen during the soil tillage process.