Pictures from SIMA 2007’s showcase spectacular
With over 50 acres of machinery, Paris’ SIMA show qualifies as a true giant. We round-up the highlights from the event
Chinese manufacturer Foton Lovol has extended the range of tractors it sells in France. Sold through distributor Eurotek, 60hp and 82hp cabbed models join 25- and 40hp tractors. Power is provided by Perkins-designed engines produced under licence, but technology is primitive. Gearboxes on the more powerful tractors are unsynchronised and the three-point linkage lacks any calibration in the cab.
Danish firm Jydeland’s Bobman attracted plenty of interest. The three-wheeled dairy machine’s 15 attachments perform a range of tasks from clearing heelstones to spreading sawdust in cubicle sheds.
On one model, the rear-mounted tipping bucket makes a small self-loading dumper truck. A series of sweeper attachments includes wide auger for pushing up silage. Its narrow, three-wheeled configuration allows good manoeuvrability in narrow dairy buildings.
Not just a gratuitous picture of one of Goodyear’s promotional girls….the company has extended its Optitrac R+ range. The high-speed tyres are now available with five different rim sizes, profiles and diameters ranging from 540/65R28 to 650/85R38.
Same was gauging European farmers’ reaction a concept tractor built at its factory in India.
The ‘no-frills’ 60hp-80hp Tiger range is equipped with a 30kph 12F x 3R mechanical gearbox and a 3.3-litre, 3-cyl engine built at the brand’s headquarters in Treviglio, Italy.
French manufacturer Gregoire Besson unveiled its Precilitor semi-mounted seed-bed harrow, aimed at sugar beet growers. Available from 9m -12m, it’s a beast that will need a tractor of at least 280hp to pull it.
The company says it is aiming the cultivator at bigger arable farms that need to prepare soils quickly but achieve high-quality seedbeds. The machine folds to a transport width of 3m. Five rows of spring tines, two crumbler-rollers and a levelling bar are followed by a finishing press. The price has yet to be announced.
Also from Gregoire Besson, the DXR hybrid stubble disc harrow adds a mid-range one-pass cultivator to its Discordon range, aimed at the 180-230hp market.
Front and rear disc gangs chop and incorporate trash, mixing it with surface soil to keep it clear of 25cm subsoiler tines, which are controlled from the cab on a hydraulic parallelogram.
Subsoiler tines are interchangeable with Besson’s Michel range, allowing operators to break ground up to 16” deep. A rear roller consolidates the seedbed to reduce moisture loss through evaporation. The DXR is now available in the UK from £26,000- £35,000.
Amazone’s Centaur cultivator range has been revised to handle surface trash more effectively. Available in 3, 4, 5 and 6m working widths, the units are fitted with bigger ripper tines in a six-row stagger that provide greater under-frame clearance.
Power requirement is said to be 60hp per metre, meaning that a 4m model would need a 240hp tractor to pull it.
On home turf…French firm Rolland had a new dump trailer on display at SIMA. The 14t-21t TP range uses a wider, taller body than previous models and is built from Hardox steel to extend working life when handling abrasive material such as sand and gravel. Available as a high-speed ABS-equipped version, prices start from £11,500.
