The accelerator. Words and images by Jaiden Drought. 50 farmtrader.co.nz. Have a question about the. test Strautmann Giga Vitesse CFS 360I

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1 Strautmann Giga Vitesse CFS 360I The accelerator Words and images by Jaiden Drought Have a question about the Strautmann Giga Vitesse CFS 360I? Ask us at facebook. com/farmtradernz 50 farmtrader.co.nz

2 Strautmann Giga Vitesse CFS 360I Xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxx xxxxxx xxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx Xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxx xxxxxx xxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx This month, Jaiden Drought ed a loader wagon that can eat an impressive amount of grass, while requiring less power a win-win for any contractor. This month in a rare show of compassion, the Farm Trader slave drivers allowed me to a machine that actually resides in my region of Taranaki. Avoiding a flight at this time of year was a godsend with the shoddy weather conditions we ve been experiencing and Air New Zealand s track record of allowing planes to leave the airport whatever the weather. Luckily, I had a silage job teed-up just down the road in mighty Ohangai, just south of Hawera, where the main attraction is a house that has always been painted purple and is well-known among locals as the Purple Palace. This house has been there since the 1940s and as one newspaper article described it, it s as much of a land mark as Mount Taranaki. I think that may be pushing the envelope a bit, although, like the new Strautmann loader wagon I ed, it makes you sit up and take notice. The Giga Vitesse CFS 360I wagon was recently purchased by Greg Burnand from Andrew Hopkins of Strautmann Hopkins. After 30 years contracting, this is Burnand s first season of physically making pit silage. This change came about when another local contractor was getting out of loader wagons. Burnand saw this as an opportunity to up his range of services offered to customers and pounced on it. Burnand currently runs all New Holland tractors, nine in total, ranging from modern T7 s through to three old, trusty 60-series. Burnand has built a strong client base within a 30km radius of his yard in Alton, with his main workload being cultivation and baling services with his three Welger balers doing around 15,000 bales per season. Farm Trader has ed two Giga s in the past and with very little changing in terms of design from the rotor back, I will focus on the revolutionary new pickup, known as the Continuous Flow System (CFS), as well as focusing on some of the structural changes, including the removal of the top support rails allowing rigid open-top bins, which double as high-capacity bin trailers. The Giga Vitesse CFS 360I, with a capacity of 34m3, strikes an imposing figure, almost dwarfing the 260hp farmtrader.co.nz 51

3 WWW Want to read more Farm Trader Strautmann s? Visit farmtrader. co.nz and click news & reviews Xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxx xxxxxx tractor pulling it. But don t let its overbearing size fool you the 360 sits in the middle of the Strautmann range in terms of capacity. The CFS design allows power requirements to be reduced with anything from >150hp providing ample drive depending on the terrain, and has three main components the pick-up; the accelerator roller; and the rotor. Cam-less pickup When you first look at the pick-up, the cam track appears twisted, but in actuality, the pickup has six, helically-arranged rows of tines which are camless and allow huge amounts of grass to be gently passed onto the accelerator roller. Another development, great for rough terrain, is the support rollers underneath the pickup that not only aid contour following but reduce the risk of bottoming out, as it s not relying entirely on the outside guide wheels. Accelerator roller The most noticeable new feature is a large steel roller in the pickup, which essentially speeds up the flow of grass to the rotor. In addition to this, like a rotor in a baler spreading the crop across the chamber and producing tight, well-shaped bales, the accelerator roller does exactly the same, spreading the crop across the width of the rotor, giving a more even chop for fast efficient filling all with reduced drive requirements. Rotor The CFS system allows the rotor to be mounted 100mm higher, meaning the tractor doesn t have to push the cut grass as far into the bin. Along with the crop-spreading characteristics of the speed roller, this reduces power requirement by 10% and can increase your average load tonnage by an additional 10% by evenly filling the wagon, increasing allround efficiency. The helically-mounted, eight tine rotor features Hardox tips to ensure longer working life and aids in both consistent flow to the bin and, due to the large teeth, allows for consistent chopping through the knife bank. Direct Drive The accelerator roller and rotor are powered by a low maintenance, right angle gearbox with a standard slip clutch as the form of overload protection. The CFS system reduces the peak loading on the drive unit due to the spreading of the grass across the width of the pickup. Due to the even flow, you re less likely to push lumpy, uneven swaths through the middle of the rotor, and in turn reduce stress across the machine another power-saving advantage. 52 farmtrader.co.nz

4 Knives Whoever dreamed up double-sided knives is a genius because, as most wagon drivers will tell you, sharpening knives is the least fun part of the job. Forty-five knives at one level provide a theoretical chop length anywhere from 35mm upwards. All knives are doublesided, with serrated edges, which are easily turned over to halve the grinding intervals. Again, the CFS can reduce the amount of grinding as the grass is spread across the width of the rotor. This results in even wear across the knife bank rather than the majority of grass flow through the middle. Although not market-leading in terms of access, the Strautmann set-up more than compensates for this in terms of chopping ability. Let s face it that s what it all comes down to. The whole cutting unit drops down with two rams, and the spring-loaded handles allow the knives to be easily removed. In dry, fluffy crops, the build-up between the knives will need to be cleaned daily to ensure the Xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxx xxxxxx xxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx Strautmann Giga Vitesse CFS 360I Specifications GV CFS 3601 Length 9.28m Width (without/with metering unit) 2.55m/2.76m Height 3.86m Loading capacity acc. To DIN m3 with metering unit 32m3 Loading capacity, medium compression 64.6m3 with metering unit 60.8m3 Own weigh, standard equipment 9T with metering unit 9.4T Gross vehicle weight rating Bogie tandem chassis standard Working width of pick-up 2m Conveying unit type spiral rotor Number of knives 45 Metering unit 3 rotors (optional) Power required 99kW Power required 135hp Others in class: Bergmann Raptor 35S Pottinger Torro 5700 L Class Quantum 5800 S Xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxx xxxxxx xxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx knives work to their full potential. Dropping the knife back down while driving along the road at about 50km/hr is an easy solution. Knife Protection Unfortunately, loader wagons are not equipped with the luxury of metal detectors, so undesirable objects get gobbled up. This makes knife protection a very important area to consider. Strautmann has a unique, and welcome, system where the knives are springloaded in such a way that the energy is nearly identical at any point on the blade. No matter where the blade gets hit either at the base, the tip or anywhere in-between, the knives will kick-back to avoid expensive damage. A small arrow diagram on the display monitor indicates when knives get kicked out and two arrows indicate the entire bank is out. Body Unlike the older Giga s, the new models have continuous side panels with reinforced side posts that give high structural strength, even without body brackets (although they are still optional). The major benefit here is the bars and ropes don t obstruct the spout on the chopper when being used as bin trailers. Additionally, you can switch between this and self-loading without having to get out of the tractor, greatly increasing the wagon s versatility. The other major benefit is, without bars obstructing the load space, the sky really is the limit in terms of loading ability (providing you farmtrader.co.nz 53

5 Strautmann Giga Vitesse CFS 360I have a big enough donkey on the front). All CFS models are equipped with doublesided, two-speed floor drive units, which, in conjunction with two rows of floor bars (4 chains), slash unloading time dramatically. The rear driveshaft comes with a central bearing and support to stop twisting. The greasing points are easily reached without having to open the door. Tail door The tail door is sturdy and well-built and uses double acting rams that push up and then out to unlock the door and then pull in and straight down to lock it again, keeping the load secure. A pressure switch, mounted half way up the door, buzzes the driver to let them know the machine is getting full. There s a diagram on the monitor for this purpose also. The tail door indicates when the door is fully up and ready for unloading. It also indicates when the door is fully closed, although this indicator didn t appear to be working, so I was relying on the mirrors to assess the situation. Chassis The term well-built immediately springs to mind when you look at the structural integrity of this machine and the undercarriage is no different. The large 710/50R26.5 rubbermounted on the sprung bogie axles, in conjunction with the active steering system, will keep the farmers happy by not flattening their posts or scuffing paddocks. The large rubber makes it sit high above the ground, but will not cause problems loading on slopes sensibly. Monitor The new touch pad monitor is not only easy to use, but also combines a range of automated functions which make life easier in the driver s seat. A couple of examples of the automated features carried out by pushing these three buttons are: A I (push before driving over or backing onto stack) Locks steering axle Lifst hydraulic drawbar Turns off drawbar suspension A II (Push once you want to start unloading) Opens tail door Turns the floor on (can also turn two-stage floor on once enough material has been unloaded) Red lock button (is a safety feature used for road travel) Locks all functions Lowers hydraulic drawbar Turns on drawbar suspension Verdict This really is a high-capacity machine with a build-quality to match. The new CFS system is brilliant and allows chopping in excess of 20km, no worries at all. Not only does this help eat more grass, it also lowers the power Camless pick-up Accelerator roller Automated features on control panel Contour wheels under pickup Gear drive reduces maintenance CFS reduces power requirement while increasing loading efficiency Steering axle and large wheels reduce scuffing and compaction while increasing manoeuvrability Self-locking door Double-sided knives at half grinding intervals Knife bank accessibility to change knives is ok, although swing out knife banks are more user-friendly requirement, reduces stress on the machine and increases the tonnage carted per load. If you are a contractor, this is a machine that allows for a 10% decrease in power requirement, while at the same time offering a 10% increase in tonnage per load a win-win in my books, and is the definition of having your cake and eating it too. Xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxx xxxxxx xxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx 54 farmtrader.co.nz