Schuitemaker was established in 1918 in Rijssen, Netherlands, where it manufactures all of its own equipment in a factory which encompasses an area of 46,000m2. Schuitemaker’s success began in the 1950s, when Johan Schuitemaker Jr designed a spreader wagon with the now well-known oil sump. This spreader wagon, the SMS-3000, became the showcase for Schuitemaker and formed the starting point for the company.

In 1963, Schuitemaker moved to its current location in Rijssen, where the brand name SR Holland was born.

In 1986, it started producing the Rapide loader wagon. The now 31-year-old Rapide offers models in sizes from 6m³ to 27m³. In total, there are 11 different types, most with three model options: the S (standard), W (with beaters) and V (with a rear-discharge cross-conveyor belt and beaters) for feeding or zero-grazing. The Rapide wagons have a robust and compact build. The side panels are galvanised and powder-coated, offering good protection against rust. The cage construction is strong and well engineered.

Trailing pick-up

A really unusual feature on the wagon is the pick-up, which is located underneath. This 1.8m pick-up is the full width of the feed rotor. Richard Massey from Schuitemaker says that an advantage of a trailing pick-up is that the wagon is built in a compact form, but with the same capacity. Anyone who has changed tines would appreciate this feature, as the area behind the reel is open, due to the design of the crop flow into the wagon. The vertical crop flow lifts the grass directly up from the pick-up into the feed rotor and knife bank. An optional hydraulically driven feed roller can be fitted to the wagon.

Cutting system

The cutting system on the Rapide precision chop loader wagon has a maximum of 39 knives, giving a theoretical cutting length of 44mm. However, this will depend on how the grass is presented from the rotor through the knife bank.

The standard three-sectional knife bar is made of Hardox steel. The grass is cut using the same principle as most wagons and the knives are held under pressure hydraulically. For different grass crops, the pressure on the knives can be adjusted from the control box, so that less pressure can be used for light grass and unnecessary wear on the knives can be avoided.

The rotor is Hardox-tipped. Whenever the knives move from their working position, a signal is given on the control box. Unlike curved and toothed knives, the knives from Schuitemaker are sharpened on both sides.

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