Trailed tedders from Krone as Italy electrifies the operation
Although described as trailed models they are in fact semi mounted, and the smaller three are connected to the tractor via the link arms.
Semi mounted
These new machines come in working widths from 9.00m to 11.20m and are known as the Vendro T 900, T 1020 and T 1120.
The largest model, the Vendro C1120, is fully trailed in that it has a separate transport frame onto which the booms fold, as with the larger KWT models.
Otherwise, they are very much the same as the current Vendro range of tedders, although the operator is spared the pulling of a rope to unfold the wings, a double-acting vale is now all that is required.
Rake angle can be set in four different positions and the end rotors can be angled remotely to draw the crop in from the headlands.
Tedders go electric
Frandent, an Italian machinery manufacturing company, has got together with the Marcel (Macchine Agricole Elettriche) project based in Piedmont, to create an electrically powered tedder which it intends to show at EIMA next month.
Little information has so far been released by the company, but it is a four-rotor machine with what appears to be an electric motor situated at the head of each.
Quite where the current is produced to turn the them is unclear, but there will need to be a generator somewhere between the power take-off (PTO) and the tedder as the tractor is a standard diesel model.
One possibility is that the generator is mounted on the front linkage with the power running by cable to a distribution box attached to the rear of the tedder.
Integrated approach
The Marcel project claims to combine sustainable agriculture, energy efficiency, intelligent systems and communication technologies in a bid to reduce production costs.
It goes slightly further than most projects of this type in that it it not only aims to bring the full glory of I.T. to machinery, but also promote the use of electrically powered tractors and implements in conjunction with the data management.
