Lely order book 'slightly better'
Dairy automation company Lely reported a 3.4% decline in total turnover last year but notes that sales are picking up.
Combining Max Cut mower beds with quick knife change and the Active Float suspension, new features include the flow-optimised wear skids-first seen on the Disco 8500, 9300 and 1010 in 2022-offering the ability to increase cutting height by 15mm.
New swinging arms on all 9700 models can be hydraulically extended laterally by 300mm or pulled inwards by 50mm to adjust the cutter-bar overlap when turning corners or working across slopes, helping to avoid unmown strips of grass. The swing arm travel can be infinitely adjusted from the cab between 8.80 and 9.50m. When folded into transport position, the arms automatically retract to a height of less than 4.0m.
Suitable for tractors of up to 500hp, the 9700 RC (roller conditioner) and Auto Swather versions are specifically developed for lucerne and whole-crop silage, where material is gently crushed by two counter-rotating polyurethane rollers, with minimal leaf shatter. One, or both belt units can be folded up hydraulically when working without swath merging.
