Amazone has pressed on with plans to expand its plough range with five new Cayros-badged models.

The humble plough might have fallen down the cultivations pecking order as farmers switch to low-disturbance drilling systems, but that hasn’t deterred German firm Amazone from throwing serious cash at a new range.

The company only returned to the plough market in 2011 with its built-from-scratch Cayron. It turned out to be well-timed move as plough sales hit a purple patch and climbed to well over 1,000 units a year with buyers seeking extra artillery in the blackgrass war.

Things have since settled around the 950-a-year mark, but the threat of competition from the likes of Lemken and Kuhn has forced Amazone to expand its plough range and offer a full stubble-to-stubble implement line-up.

See also: On test: A closer look at Amazone’s Cayron plough

The latest part of the puzzle came when Austrian firm Vogel and Noot went into receivership in September last year.

Amazone brokered a deal that saw it take on the firm’s plough factory in Hungary along with blueprints for machines from three furrows all the way up to a 14-furrower.

New faces

The new five-model, three- to six-furrow range is lighter duty than the generously specced and more expensive existing Cayron models.

Entry level comes in the form of the Cayros M – a three or four furrow machine designed for tractors up to 120hp. Above that comes the XM, which is only available as a four-furrow but offers extra interbody clearance options extending from 85cm to 105cm.

The four- or five-furrow XMS is likely to bring the greatest appeal to mid-sized arable farms, and the latter has been given a beefier 12mm thick beam to handle the extra furrow and potential 200hp on the front.

The higher capacity models are badged the Cayros XS and XS Pro, and come in four, five or six furrow options, equipped with a bigger 200x150x10mm beam and bulkier headstock to cope with up to 380hp.

All models come with mechanical or hydraulic vari-width. The standard mechanical version has four pre-set widths from 36cm to 48cm, while the hydraulic version can be set anywhere between 32 and 52cm and is indicated on a large metal read-out.

Shearbolt protection is standard, but an upgrade to a fully automatic hydraulic system is available on the whole range.

Tight to the field edge

A mid-mounted depth wheel is an option for those who like to plough tight to the field edge and helps achieve a cleaner tyre-track-free finish.

Elsewhere, Amazone claims that its C-Plus carbon-hardening process on the face of wearing parts extends their service life while producing a smoother finish to reduce power demands and fuel consumption. The rear of the mouldboard is not treated in the same way, which helps with soil flow, the company says.

Optional extras include subsoiler points to break plough pans and press arms that could prove popular with operators looking to cut down on passes. There is also a raft of mouldboard, skimmer and disc coulter options depending on soil types and working depths.

The range starts at £7,775 for a base-spec, three-furrow M, while a fully loaded six-furrow XS Pro will have you parting with £29,975.

Amazone also plans to extend the range in autumn with more Vogel and Noot-designed models, which will make their debut at Agritechnica and could include the monster 14-furrower.