Forage power in contractor style
Forage power in contractor style
FORAGE harvesting operations in Holland – as in the UK -have long been the domain of the contractor who, as a result, requires use of large, powerful equipment.
It is a point not lost on Vicon which has now launched a self-propelled mower unit, with a claimed 15ha/hr (37 acres/hr) output.
The Red Bull unit is an articulated machine having a JCB Fastrac for one half and a Vicon-designed unit for the other. Power is provided by a 340hp Cummins engine driving through a hydrostatic transmission to all four wheels.
In operation, the units rear half with its steered axle becomes the front half – the JCB section has a reverse drive position. Three mower units are employed to create a 9.2m working width with each unit lowered into work by a hydraulic ram. When raised, transport width is claimed to be less than 3m.
Vicon says that disc or drum mowers can be fitted to suit specific mowing requirements and that it intends to perform trials with the machine during the next season. Price of the Red Bull self propelled mower, which should be available in 2002, has yet to be determined.
Large-scale mowing with Vicons first entry into the self-propelled mower market. Note use of the JCB Fastrac for one of the articulated machines sections.