Test Drive Exclusive Horsch Joker 7 RT+ Cultivator

In search of news for the agricultural machinery market, the Revista Cultivar Máquinas team travels across Brazil to test new models and the application of new technologies. To discover a great new product on the market, we went to the state of Goiás, on the border between the municipalities of Goiatuba and Bom Jesus de Goiás, to see up close how the Horsch cultivator, model Joker 7 RT+, works. With a working width of 7,15 meters (m).

This equipment is manufactured in Germany and was brought to Brazil, and is already on sale, as part of Horsch's strategy of meeting specific demands and focusing on grain crops and sugar cane. There is already equipment sold to producers in Mato Grosso and other equipment is in the hands of the marketing team for field tests.

One of these pieces of equipment that is being demonstrated to potential customers was at Usina Goiasa, where our test took place. Usina Goiasa has a sugarcane production unit, with processes that qualify it as organic and, for this reason, it must use very strict production control procedures.

Equipment constitution

Regardless of the model we are working on, the equipment consists of a chassis that serves to support tools, but also for transport. There are some basic tools and others optional, which can be assembled according to the version the customer wants.

As seen with other Horsch equipment in previous tests, a common hallmark is the quality of the design and industrial process. From the screw connections, welding, as well as the paint finish, everything is impeccable and appears very robust and solid in structure.

The range of versions is very wide, with the customer being able to choose from equipment ranging from 5,15 m to 12,25 m in working width. The smallest versions make up equipment called Joker 5 - 8 RT, which ranges from 5 m to 8 m wide, with the models 5 RT, 6 RT, 7 RT and 8 RT. In this version, the knife roll is always optional. The second version is the Joker 10/12 RT. In Europe there are smaller models, activated by coupling at three points in the tractors' hydraulic system, which may be available in the future on the Brazilian market.

All models of the RT version have a rigid central part of the chassis and two sections (wings) that are foldable over the fixing chassis, providing in all cases that the transport width is 3 m, within the provisions of legislation for the autonomous movement of agricultural equipment on roads and paths, making the use of trucks or platforms unnecessary. The maximum height of the largest equipment in transport position is 4 m.

The equipment begins with a pendulum hitch to the drawbar, equipped with a spherical joint, from which bars open to form three triangles that connect to the main chassis. In this structure there is a support for the hydraulic hoses, a lifting jack to adjust the coupling height, which also serves to support the structure when storing the equipment.

In the machine we tested in the field, the first section is formed by a knife roller, which is optional for the 5-8 RT models, and the tool holder, which will be placed whenever the equipment contains the + sign in its name. The knife roller is, therefore, optional on all models and is a cylinder formed by a round tube, connected to the tool holder by means of roller bearings, which have supports for blades, called knives, in which the set has a diameter of 300 mm, with six knives per roll. The knives are arranged diagonally on this central cylinder, so that the thread cuts the straw in sequence and not across the direction of travel. As this equipment is intended for high speed operation, this is the best option for fast cutting.

Through the weight of the equipment and the action of the hydraulic cylinders, an adjustable pre-tension is applied as needed, to allow easy cutting of straw from different crops. At the same time, the hydraulic cylinders protect the equipment against shocks and possible overload.

The second part of the equipment is made up of two sections of conical discs, 52 centimeters (cm) in diameter, with cut edges, which have the function of cutting and slightly turning the affected soil layer. The option of conical and non-spherical discs was chosen in the machine design due to the most suitable launch to the ground for this operation. In the project, care was taken to place a rosette, or toothed wheel, replacing the last disc, for a better finish, avoiding the formation of grooves or ridges at the ends of the pass.

Controlling the working depth of the central part of the equipment, that is, the discs, is done by two front wheels and the conditioning roller regulates the rear part, leveling the machine. Depth adjustment is done hydraulically and, once the appropriate depth for the work has been found, it can be fixed using clips that come with the machine and are placed on the hydraulic cylinder rod. The attack angle, also known as the grid lock angle, is fixed at 17 degrees, considered in the project to be optimal for the desired function of the equipment.

A differential of the disc set is that it is on hubs and bearings, with permanent lubrication, and in connection with the structure it has an elastic set made up of rubber cylinders to reduce vibration, wear and consequently increase the period of use. , with less maintenance intervention.

The third part of the equipment includes a soil conditioning roller, which promotes slight accommodation and regularization of the surface. It is formed by a central round tube, from which radial supports emerge, to which steel blades are attached, forming flexible springs. This flexibility and ability to absorb efforts give the set an important characteristic, which is to prevent soil adhesion to the tool and also help maintain the working depth of the disc section.

There are options for different conditioning rollers, such as the double rollpack system, the steeldisc, the double ringflex and the rollflex. Although in the test we worked with the standard model, the customer may have alternatives, which will depend on their application and soil condition.

An option that was mounted on the machine we tested is the Minidrill, which represents an extra operation for a machine with multiple functions like this. It is a small grain seeder, with a flow meter and the possibility of storing up to 400 liters (L) of seeds or other products in the reservoir. From this tank and below the dosers, hoses come out, which in smaller equipment have six outlets and in larger equipment there are up to 12 outlets.

Equipment operation

The Joker is a field cultivator with multiple functions and is aimed at carrying out soil management activities at high operating speed. It is connected to the tractor by the drawbar and controlled by the tractor's hydraulic system. The hydraulic coupling takes place through more than four remote control valves (VCRs), which control the opening and closing functions for transporting the equipment, regulating and adapting to working conditions. A VCR is used to control the vertical position, controlling the position of the transport wheels, placed close to the machine header. The second valve is used to control the working height and depth adjustment, the third valve is used to open the wings, with a system that opens one side and then the other, in sequence. The fourth VCR serves to lower the knife roller articulation and to apply pressure to the rollers on the straw.

The equipment is characterized by the Asae EP291.2 standard, which internationally establishes the terminology and definition of soil preparation and soil tool relations, as a conservation cultivation equipment, in which the work maintains more than 30% residue coverage on the surface of the soil, but it can also be considered equipment that promotes reduced management, that is, a system that consists of reducing the number of operations and intensity in relation to conventional management, in the case of sugar cane, with successive passes of harrows, plows and levelers. Therefore, the name of the equipment, Joker, in a loose translation would be the joker or that card in the deck that can represent one or another action when it enters the game. Being made up of sections joined together on the chassis, in the first section - the knife roller - straw processing takes place, then the disc section mobilizes the soil and the third section of the roller promotes conditioning, bringing it into conditions to carry out the sowing (grains) or planting (sugar cane). With the Mini Drill option, a fourth function can be fulfilled, seeding fine grains.

Due to the way of working and interaction of the knife roller and the conical disc section, it tends to promote the processing of straw, with a mixture between soil and straw and the burial is superficial, with no disturbance of the soil layer and therefore coverage. total straw, with soil.

Therefore, the Joker RT cultivator differs from conventionally used equipment, as it carries out cultivation at a shallow depth, between 4 cm and 5 cm, and can reach up to 15 cm, but with an intensity of mixing of straw with the soil.

Application

The Joker arrives in Brazil with the expectation of replacing with advantages the harrows used in conventional soil preparation, both in grain crops, with special emphasis on the states of the Central-West region, and sugar cane as an equipment that precedes the planting operation after the renovation of the sugarcane fields.

For grain crops, the main motivation is the mobilization of a layer of soil, ready for the seeder to enter, without total incorporation of straw and with high operational speed, much higher than that used in conventional preparation with plow harrows and levelers. The design of this equipment is for high working speed, on average 12 kilometers per hour (km/h), but can reach 16-18 km/h.

Also due to its constitution, there is the expectation that it can be an important ally for rural producers in situations with a lot of dough on the surface, in which traditional knife rollers encounter difficulties in cutting and separating large vegetable masses.

In Germany, as well as in several European countries, the Joker is a device with a consolidated market and a large scale of use. It is adopted by those European farmers who no longer practice intense soil management, adopting more conservationist methods that somehow combine operations, reducing the passage over the soil before sowing and managing to save fuel, carrying out several operations with just one piece of equipment, in a single pass. Therefore, as he is a cultivator, he also levels the surface, keeping an important amount of straw.

At Usina Goiasa, the expectation is that the Joker 7 RT+ will work on conditioning the surface for planting sugarcane, on a mix of plants, formed by combinations of sunn hemp, sesame, buckwheat, forage turnip, among other cover crops. The composition of the mix, at the plant, is determined by the technical team depending on the area, its nutrition and physical state.

Based on the experience of the Horsch team, both in the first uses here in Brazil and in the vast experience in several European countries, the chances of success will be, firstly, with the equipment serving as a final complement to a primary soil preparation operation or even after scarification, where surface regularization is necessary. Also with the optional knife roll, it is a first-use equipment, on soils covered with plant remains, with the optional knife roll, for an adequate and light processing of straw and coarser residues, such as, for example, corn remains after harvest.

During the entire intervention and monitoring of the Cultivar Máquinas team at the equipment, there was a group of people linked to the manufacturing company and the plant. For the field test, the plant provided a John Deere tractor, model 8320R, equipped with a John Deere PowerTech™ 9.0 L Diesel engine, six cylinders and 9.000 cm³, with a nominal power of 320 horsepower (hp) (235 kilowatts - kW). With the 16-speed powershift transmission, we work in 10th and 11th gears, at 2.100 revolutions per minute (rpm), to reach speeds between 10,3 and 12 km/h.

Final considerations

Firstly, we must highlight that the equipment has excellent finishing, machining and welding joints, which is something that is drawn to your attention upon first contact with the machine. Although we have already noticed these characteristics in other Horsch brand equipment that we tested, such quality as an industrial product is not common among equipment manufactured in the country.

On the other hand, highlight the basic operating principle of the Joker RT. Without a doubt, it is innovative equipment compared to what is found on the national market. It is a typical minimal and reduced cultivation equipment, which aims to reduce the intensity of soil preparation carried out by traditional equipment and, at the same time, reduce the number of operations, with all the savings in fuel, machine usage time, making better use of the short windows available, especially in regions where periods for execution are scarce.

Another important issue refers to the operational speed of the equipment, which was designed to work at values ​​much higher than those practiced with conventional equipment, such as plows and levelers.

It is also important to consider that the application that we saw in the test can be expanded to other conditions, both in sugar cane and in grain production, where it is important to maintain residues on the surface, even if slightly incorporated into the surface layer of the ground. The proposal to apply Joker RT with a knife roller can be an excellent alternative for, in a single pass, leaving the land ready for the planting and sowing operation. To achieve this, it will be necessary to develop test days in different conditions, involving Horsch customers and the field team.

Goiasa Plant

Goiasa is a renewable energy and sugar production company, founded in 1991. With the distinction of operating in the cultivation of organic sugar cane, it produces crystal sugar, organic sugar and alcohol, ethanol and electricity without losing focus on sustainability and in social responsibility. The company is one of the largest exporters of organic sugar in Brazil and reaches several countries around the world in regions such as Europe, Asia and America.

With around three thousand employees and more than 30 years of experience, Goiasa's activities are carried out through a strict quality process, with special care for the environment and the people involved in all its operations. The traceability of the company's daily activity is a visible mark for everyone who visits it, as happened when we were there to test the Joker RT.

Horsch offered Goiasa the demonstration of a technology that can improve the company's production performance. The Joker RT equipment was presented to the company's technical team in the southern region of the state of Goiás. It was a demonstration activity in which both companies were able to learn, respectively, about the production process and the equipment's potential.

Present on the day of the demonstration were collaborators Eduardo Parra, production manager; Jeovane Batista, agro-industrial coordinator; Solimar Silva, Sr. assistant; Rogério Santos Nascimento, maintenance manager, and machine operator José Paulo Rodrigues.

Horsch

Horsch was born from a family food production company. As farmers in Germany, they realized the need to develop machines to meet their needs and for conservation agriculture. Due to North American influence, one of the family members decided to develop mechanized systems for conservation management and direct planting.

Starting as an agricultural machinery manufacturer in 1984, Horsch has now become one of the world's leading machinery manufacturers. The company's internationalization began in the early 2010s with the setting up of a factory in Russia and in 2015 in Brazil and China. Today the company is present in many countries with its products and with units in Germany, the USA, Canada, France, the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic and Ukraine.

The recent inauguration of the new Horsch factory in Curitiba (PR), last month, represented a milestone for Brazilian agriculture, as it was a manifestation of the real intention to invest in the Brazilian market and the acceptance of the brand's products by the national producer. The massive adoption of the direct planting technique and its growth in regions where it was not traditionally used was important for this step. The company thus transfers operations to an area of ​​approximately 35.000 m² and expects to bring new products to our market.

Currently, the company offers soil management equipment to the Brazilian market, including the Joker RT that we tested for this edition and the Maestro Evolution, Maestro Duo and Maestro Kompass seeders, as well as the Leeb VL model sprayer.

In our test, a team from the company's technical area monitored the day's activities, together with the plant's technical staff. We were joined by the soil management and seeding product specialist, Edir Nisczak, from Horsch marketing, Mr. João Antônio Baugis, Horsch's after-sales consultant based in Rio Verde (GO), and Mr. Felipe Tricai, regional coordinator of Horsch sales, also from Rio Verde. For Rivema Máquinas Agrícolas, Horsch representative in Rio Verde, were Mr Luciano Peres, from Rivema Group marketing, and Ricieri Altíssimo, product specialist at Concessionária Rivema.