Austrian manufacturer Pöttinger has just unveiled a new front hopper and seed drill combination. Pöttinger Ireland got their hands on one of the first units off the production line, and put it straight to work in Co Carlow last week.

Pöttinger has further expanded its range of Aerosem pneumatic seed drills. The drill will be available with working widths of 4m and 5m in folding versions with the front hopper.

Front hopper

The new front hopper is fitted with an airtight cover to ensure the seed is transported back to the coulter rail at the required metering flow rate. The hopper is available with either a 1,700l capacity or the larger 2,300l version.

This new metering system is called Single Shoot, and allows the operator apply both seed and fertiliser into the seed slot in one pass.

The coulter rail on the Aerosem FDD is mounted on the power harrow using a locking system. This allows for an optional hydraulic lifting system for the coulter rail to increase ground clearance.

The Austrian firm says the folding coulter rail with a short headstock puts the centre of gravity close to the tractor. The distributor head is mounted on the coulter rail and features a patented linkage system that ensures it is always kept in a vertical position to deliver lateral distribution.

The front hopper comes with the option of a standard single metering unit or the newly developed dual metering unit.

The proven DualDisc double disc coulters are offset at 30cm. The coulter pressure can be adjusted mechanically (hydraulic adjustment available as an option) from a central point and seed placement depth is set from the side of the machine.

The coulter rail can be removed from the power harrow for use on its own. Seed distribution is controlled using the distributor head, which can be provided with individually controllable outlets (IDS) as an option.

The Irish Farmers Journal understands that the drill was initially destined to be launched at a major show such as SIMA or Agritechnica, but the postponement of such events forced the earlier than expected release. Pöttinger now joins other drill manufacturers such as Amazone, Kuhn, Lemken and Horsch with the front and rear combination. The push towards this system for larger drills has been to reduce axle loading on the tractor’s rear axle.