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The Falcon 400 Pro feeding robot can cut and load silage from a 3.0m tall clamp.
While feeding dairy animals in New Zealand is largely centred around feed trailers, mixer wagons or baleage, one wonders whether there is a place for robotic feeders, particularly in South Island locations, where cows are housed during winter or full time.
Relatively new to NZ, the Euromilk brand sees the Rhino Vertical mixer wagons of 22 to 32 cubic metre, with twin auger configurations being sold by Farmchief.
Recently previewed at European trade fair, the Polish manufacturer was showing the Falcon 400 Pro feeding robot- a fully electric and autonomous machine that can cut and load silage from a 3.0m tall clamp.
The 4.0 cubic metre capacity mixing tub is equipped with six paddles and eight knives that mix and cut the feed, with the company suggesting that the configuration is faster and requires less power than a small vertical mixing auger.
In addition to loading clamp silage, the milling head can also fill the tub with baled straw and hay. Complemented by a hatch at the top of the mixing drum is a hatch where concentrates and minerals can be added.
Depends on the forage material and travel distances, the robot is said to be capable of mixing and feeding up to 18t a day, which the manufacturer reckons is sufficient to feed up to 350 cows.
Robot navigation is taken care of by RTK connected GPS, with obstacles being detected by a 3D camera, operating in combination with ultrasonic sensors. Pneumatic bumpers are fitted around the machine perimeter, in addition to strategically located emergency stop buttons.
At 3.5m long and 1.5m wide, the vehicle requires a feed passage with a minimum width of 2.5m., allowing feed to be distributed to the left and right, via and unloading belt with a 90cm discharge height.
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With the biannual Italian EIMA machinery Expo less than a month away, Case IH has taken out a Technical Evolution award for the Advanced Vehicle Suspension system available on its Optum 360–440 series tractors.
The Advanced Vehicle Suspension system, available on Optum 360, 390, and 440 models, responds to changing conditions, automatically adjusting how the suspension reacts to absorbs shocks and controlling vehicle movement.
In operation, sensors monitor the vibrations transmitted from the tractor chassis to the operator cabin, allowing the system to adjust suspension damping in real time. The control system incorporates key priorities, such as comfort at lower speeds and stability as speed increases, while also reacting to factors such as lower tyre pressures, where the tyres absorb more of the initial shock.
Case IH said as suspension requirements change throughout the working day, as tractors move between the paddock and road transport, the system manages suspension response in the background as tasks, speeds and conditions change, leaving the operator without the need to make manual adjustments.
Richard Hollins, Optum series tractors global product manager, said: “Pioneering technology must earn its place in the working day. Farmers and contractors will judge an investment by what it delivers, including manageable ownership costs, dependable up-time and the versatility to tackle different jobs. With AVS, we are putting intelligent control to work for comfort and stability, without giving the operator another setting to manage.”
Organised by FederUnacoma, the Italian Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers Federation, the contest has been part of EIMA since 1986, with the Technical Evolution distinction awarded to products that introduce original improvements to solutions already manufactured or patented.
www.caseih.com
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