Strautmann silage wagons are probably the best known in Ireland, compared with the other models on test at Gurteen. They compete for the number one position in the Irish silage wagon market. The machine we had on test was the Strautmann Giga-Vitesse CFS 3601, at 34m³ capacity, featuring 45 knives at a spacing of 35mm. It is an ideally sized wagon for large farmers or small- to medium-sized contractors.

Drawbar design, PTO and drive to the rotor is standard on the Giga-Vitesse CFS 3601, including a wide-angle PTO with overload cam-clutch and full gearbox drive for the rotor. The machine featured a mechanical break away device should the forage wagon and the tractor part company for any reason.

In front of and behind the rotor, things are a little different. Strautmann uses a camless pickup incorporating six rows of tines arranged in a spiral configuration that is unique to them. A working width of 1.80m is standard.

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Furthermore, according to Strautmann, the helical form makes sure that the green fodder is dispersed and fed to the accelerator drum. Due to the standard guide roller in front of the baffle plate, better swath flow and a higher pickup speed for the pre-wilted silage are claimed to be achieved.

The accelerator roller is powered via a low maintenance right-angle gearbox. The standard slip clutch is equipped with an overload protection. The pickup is powered via the accelerator roller by means of a reinforced 0.75in roller chain.

Next is the CFS drum or roller between the pickup and rotor.

The shallow spiral CFS drum spreads out the incoming crop across the full width of the rotor. This claims to even the load across the rotor and, also, across the knife bank. Both the CFS roller and pickup are protected from overload with cam-clutches. According to Strautmann, this design will reduce the power requirement by 15% on previous models.

Strautmann knives are double-edged and reversible. When one side gets blunt, they can be removed and turned around to expose a new, sharp edge. In effect, you have a second set of knives without having to carry a second set.

Strautmann’s knife protection system is unique. Using a cam system, the knife remains out once triggered until it is reset by the operator. This is done by powering out the knives and back in again. To indicate that a knife is out, a light beam travelling across the knives is interrupted, which triggers a sensor and this is displayed on the control box/handset.

In the unique Strautmann knife protection system, the triggering force is almost identical at any point of the knife and the knife triggers the protection mechanism even if a foreign object hits the bottom of its edge. This system, according to Strautmann, will increase the life cycle of the knives.

The whole cutting unit can be swung out of position by means of two hydraulic cylinders, allowing blockages to be cleared quickly. If the knife tips wear out after several grindings, the knife frame can be readjusted by means of upper links that re-align the knives to their original working position. This, according to Strautmann, will further increase the working life of a set of knives.

The control box incorporates manual and autofill modes. Unloading uses twin motors and drive gearboxes, one either side of the floor chain’s rear drive shaft. For two-speed unloading of the grass, the hydraulic motors are driven firstly in parallel, then in series through a changeover hydraulic valve controlled from the handset.

For manoeuvrability, a passively steered back axle is used. To reverse, the rear axle is locked in line by two hydraulic locking rams activated from the in-cab controller/handset. All standard Giga-Vitesse CFS models are equipped with a bogie tandem chassis with parabolic suspension for an admissible axle load of 18t.

The tyres on our test machine were 710/40-22.5 and the chassis can accommodate higher wheels up to 26.5in. The Strautmann is equipped to be operated by an open-centre hydraulic system or a tractor equipped with (and plumbed for) load sensing hydraulics. The wagon is also ISOBUS compatible.

Operation and controls

Operation of the Strautmann Giga-Vitesse CFS 3601 was straightforward. It was a case of setting up the control box to autofill the wagon, setting the drawbar height and lowering the pickup from simple buttons on the control box/handset.

The machine is ISOBUS-compatible, so it can be controlled through a suitably equipped tractor console. In the field, operation was straightforward, especially in autofill mode.

The IAM demonstration driver filled the wagon in manual mode to pack in the last load of the evening, clearing over 16t of grass.

The handset would indicate when the wagon was filling and a solid beep and stop on the screen lets you know it is full. There is forgiveness in this which should allow you to finish a swath but not start one.

At the silage clamp, the Strautmann auto-unloading facility started the discharge floor slowly and required the operator to press the ‘‘go faster’’ button. The tailgate is mechanically locked in the closed position.

Performance

In the field, you could drive as fast as you felt comfortable with. The 30ft swath did not seem to trouble the machine, and the power demand varied with the volume in the swath as it did for all of the machines. The camless pickup did not seem to be at any disadvantage in cleaning the swath off the ground. In a lighter, flakier crop it might be an issue. The CFS roller seemed to work well, delivering the crop over the full working width of the rotor. Engine load on the tractor was very even. While we didn’t measure fuel consumption, in theory there has to be fuel savings with the CFS system. And knives should stay sharper for longer.

The Strautmann control box functions are not as clear as those on the other wagons. The graphics on the display unit seemed small and the unit itself looked a little out of date. That said, all of the functions and operations could be selected easily enough.