A major redesign of Roc’s trailed mergers should see them cover ground quicker and, with the addition of isobus control, make life easier for operators.

Both newcomers – the three-belt RS 1120 and pictured twin RS 920 – get 3.6m-wide beds, up from 3m on the old 1000 and 730 iterations.

The 920 runs on the larger chassis of the 1000 to accommodate the extended reach, giving it a variable wingspan of 7.3-9.1m.

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A hydraulic rocker arm alters the position of the reel-and-belt assemblies within that range, allowing them be parted for a central swath or pulled together to throw a bout’s worth of crop either left or right.

They’re also Roc’s first isobus-ready models, giving buyers the option of foregoing the switch box in favour of a universal tractor terminal.

Doing so allows the workings of the hydraulically driven components – press rollers, pick-ups and belts – to be adjusted at the touch of a button.

According to Kverneland, which owns the Italian brand, merger sales remain in the ascendancy as dairy farms sharpen their focus on silage quality.

In particular, it points to those on 28-day cutting cycles, where slurry is applied between times and gentle harvesting of the following crop is imperative to avoid contamination.