Amazing Amazone drill - 75 years and counting
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the first Amazone seed drill – the 2m wide horse-drawn D1 launched in 1949.
With the Avant 02-6002-2 system bringing together the new FTender front-mounted hopper, a six-metre folding rotary cultivator and a seeding rail of 40 parallelogram-suspended TwinTeC double disc coulters.
The KG rotor is said to deliver an ideal seedbed, featuring 20 rotors fitted with “on-grip” tines that help pull themselves into the soil profile to maintain working depth, reduce soil particle size and incorporate organic matter. Spring-loaded, height adjustable side plates retain the soil in the machine while allowing stones and other obstacles to pass through.
The adjustable levelling board is now guided by the roller, removing the need to adjust the tines of the levelling board as the working depth varies. A range of rollers, including the popular wedge ring, matrix tyre, tooth packer or trapeze ring options, are available to achieve optimal reconsolidation in different soil types.
The seed rail can be equipped with twin adjustable track markers if desired.
In operation, seed is transferred from the 1600 or 2200 litre FTender front-mounted hopper, to the segmented distribution head via dual pipes, then onwards to the maintenance-free TwinTeC coulters, which are set at a 15 cm row spacing.
Working depth can be adjusted from 0 to 6 cm using the universal operating tool, while coulter pressures are adjusted hydraulic from the tractor cab. Adjustable spring-loaded tine harrows ensure reliable seed coverage, offering five height settings that allow an aggressive setting for heavy soils or a trailing mode for areas of high straw residues.
The coulters can be raised and deactivated if only cultivation is required, or alternatively, the seeding rail can be removed completely from the rotary cultivator unit.
All settings, including section and variable application rates, can be controlled using AMAZONE’s AmaTron 4, AmaPad 2 terminals or any ISOBUS terminal.
Avant 6002-2 can be fitted with an optional transport chassis to enables the unit to be moved safely and comfortably without exceeding the rear axle load limit. The Avant 02 system is also available in 3 and 4 metre rigid configurations.
