The fuel-saving potential of the continental silage harvesting system – the self-loading forage wagon with in-built chopper – is proving increasingly popular with farmers and contractors, says Horst Hartl, Pšttinger’s sales manager for Austria

“Fuel saving during silage operations is a priority. We sold two Torro silage pick-up trailers to an enterprise in Scotland and diesel costs were cut by about 40% compared with more conventional systems.”

Available in the UK next season is a revamped Jumbo Combiline forage wagon series with capacities from 66 to 72cu m but Pšttinger, realising there will not be an immediate wholesale changeover to forage wagons, has built it so it can be converted to a high-capacity silage trailer with a hydraulically retracted pick-up.

The pick-up system of the new Jumbo trailer is 2m wide with an 80cm diameter reel feeding a 45-knife chopper unit. The chopper knives are a new design with stronger spines and broader blades to extend operating life. Running gear comprises twin axles with the option of four wheels per axle to reduce ground pressure.

Another innovation: The hydraulically operated upper front wall of the silage wagon has three different roles – for continuous load moving and compressing when the silage pick-up is operating; for folding down to allow good operator sight of loading by silage harvester; and, when completely closed, for increasing maximum capacity.

Also new from Pšttinger is a higher-performance version of the company’s NovaCat 365 front-mounted eight-disc mower. An extra half-metre has been added to the cutting width, widening it to 3.46m.

The NovaCat features the Alpha-motion active carrier frame, which is claimed to provide 250mm free movement vertically and 16¡ in the horizontal plane.

Pšttinger says the new, larger, front-mounted mower requires a minimum of about 80hp to operate. A drum mower version is available with 3m cutting width.