Test Drive GTS Flexer XS 50 Platform

Built with lighter materials, the GTS Flexer

The objective of our field test for this month's edition of Cultivar Máquinas was to evaluate the GTS harvesting platform, model XS 50. The test site, Fazenda Santa Maria, in Rondonópolis (MT), could not be better chosen. A model farm, in a very important region for Brazilian agribusiness, a partner client of the manufacturing company and which has other brand products.

The GTS platforms are initially impressive due to their construction, as they are manufactured with high quality in the industrial process and the Flexer XS series, in particular due to the predominant use of aluminum and special high-strength steels, which greatly qualifies the equipment and makes the platform much lighter and free from corrosion. The manufacturer's information states that the weight of the GTS platform is up to 1.200kg lighter than similar ones, manufactured by commercial brands of grain harvesters.

The company manufactures, among other products for agriculture, cutting platforms for grains in general and those specifically for corn. For grain harvesting there are two series: Flexer XP and Flexer XS, both with the draper system. The Flexer XP is the entry-level series with 25, 30 and 35 foot models, and the XS series has seven models manufactured with an aluminum structure ranging from 25 to 62 feet. The latter is the largest platform on offer in the country and in the world. From the XS series, we tested the XS 50 model. One detail, the company usually informs the width dimension represented by the cutting bar, consequently the total dimension of the platform is larger by around 2 feet.

For a company that manufactures harvesting platforms to produce and sell complex, high-tech equipment like this, without being the assembler of the harvesting machine, it is necessary to provide compatibility with products from different manufacturers. We note that GTS pays particular attention in this regard. Detailed information on compatibility has been prepared, which is currently fully anticipated for the latest harvesters from the Case IH, Claas, Fendt, John Deere, Massey Ferguson, New Holland and Valtra brands. The GTS Flexer XS and XP series platforms, with dimensions ranging from 25 to 50 feet, are compatible with 68 harvester models from these different brands.

Furthermore, the Flexer Some traditional solutions were also improved, such as the arrangement of pins and the ratchet clutch, which act as fuses to prevent component breakdowns.

The differences in the GTS design begin with the mechanical drive via cardan shaft, instead of the hydraulic connection. This alternative is right in terms of reducing the need for maintenance and the necessary compatibility that a product requires to be adopted and used by different manufacturers. The GTS platform also does not use belts, which eliminates the need for frequent maintenance and a source of problems. By the way, compatibility only encounters difficulties in electronic systems, as mechanically it is possible to use the GTS platform in all machines on the market. A particularity mentioned by the technicians refers to the electrical systems is that the harvesters work with a voltage of 12 volts and that the sensors on the platform work with a voltage close to 5 volts, which requires this compatibility work that the company does.

Still on the issue of compatibility of the GTS platform with the different models and brands of harvesters on the market, especially in large ones, above 45 feet, it is necessary to add an extension to the discharge tube, to maintain the operational size of the harvesters with the platforms. of great widths.

Cutting bars

As the idea is to produce quality equipment that can compete and be chosen by users of machines from the best brands on the market, the cutting bar chosen for the project was the EasyCut system from the renowned Schumacher brand. The Schumacher system, although simple, is quite precise, with the placement of the knives alternately, one up and the other down, as well as the rollers, equipped with bearings, which are also positioned alternately, with the backrest now facing upwards. up, then down, helping to stabilize the bar. This product, used by several global manufacturers, is proven to provide a lower cut, as well as requiring less effort to move, therefore reducing energy consumption, vibration and noise. 

The adjustment of the angle of attack is done hydraulically from the driver's seat and due to the available positions it is possible for the bar to float up to 200mm to adapt to irregularities in the terrain by controlling the technical skidders, placed on the underside of the platform. 
Another differentiator of flexer platforms is the springflex spring system that works together with the sensors, providing excellent soil copying. The spring tension can be adjusted as needed.

Concentrator mats

As is standard on draper platforms, there is a central conveyor belt and two lateral ones, driven by the adjustable transmission box. It is possible to mechanically vary the linear speed of the tracks through the transmission box placed on the side of the platform. There are three speeds, with a variation of approximately 15% between the low, medium and high positions. To protect the power system, the project includes a clutch, which triggers when the belt tension reaches a predetermined limit, protecting it against breakages. The central auger is conventional, with pick-up fingers and is positioned behind the central belt.

On the front of the mats there is a sealing system that inhibits the accumulation of straw and soil on the mats, which reduces the need for daily maintenance.

Molinete

The GTS platform features a hexagonal-shaped reel, divided into three sections and constructed from special high-strength steel. The position of the set can also be adjusted in height and feed in relation to the cutting bar and in rotation, which must be proportional to the machine's forward speed. The central windlass must be positioned backwards, to help direct the product to the machine's throat, while the two lateral ones slightly forward help to bring the mass of straw and grains to the side conveyors. 

At the ends of the reel apexes there is a comb called flip over, with the possibility of adjusting the reel pick-up fingers in seven positions. The more advanced positions, that is, forward, feed the product better and place it more easily on the conveyor belt, but when exaggerated, they more easily roll up the straw mass and the stems of the harvested plants. In more rearward positions, apprehension decreases and reduces feeding capacity.

Field Test

To test the GTS on the property.

With the support of operator Fábio Huggler Enz, from São Paulo in Piraju, we were able to spend a large part of the journey analyzing the operational behavior at a harvesting speed that varied between 6,5km/h and 7km/h. The engine load fluctuated between 55% and 65%, the central rotor was programmed to rotate at 1.000rpm and the fan at 840rpm, thus the operational production capacity was 33 tons per hour. 

During the process, platform and tailing losses were minimal and presented as such on the machine panel. We confirm these insignificant losses by collecting grains after the machine has passed. From an estimated total limit of 22 grains for an estimated total loss of 0,8%, we obtained counts of 12 to 14 grains per square meter, which meant total losses of around 0,5%. Platform losses were not specifically measured due to the rush to carry out the operation and take advantage of the moments before the approaching rain, but they were minimal.

A very positive point that stood out during the operation of the GTS platform is the excellent field of vision in front of the operator, mainly due to the windlass supports not being central but at the limits of each section.

The system adopted for harvesting the plots with conventional 45-foot platforms, which equipped the other machines at the harvesting front, comprised a fixed path length, sufficient to fill the deposits at the end of the headwaters. However, this distance was not compatible with the amount of grain that was harvested by the huge 50-foot platform, meaning that a grain trailer had to accompany the machine and receive the product inside the field. 

The harvest front consisted of seven John Deere harvesters, model S780, with 45-foot platforms and five New Holland harvesters, model CR 8.90, with the 40-foot GTS platform, one model 6080, another model 8090 and another model 9080, with 45-foot platforms. There was another New Holland machine, model CR 6080, making trims to help the harvest front.

We had assistance and support in our work from Mr. Ivan Figueiredo, who is in charge of the field and organizes the practical activity involving mechanization. Representing GTS and helping us to recognize the platform were the commercial representative of GTS in the state of Mato Grosso, Josenaldo Acácio, and the mechanic responsible for technical deliveries and customer training, Elton Oro.

Test at Fazenda Santa Maria

The location of our tests was in soybean plots at Fazenda Santa Maria, in the municipality of Rondonópolis, in the state of Mato Grosso. The Farm, with seven thousand hectares of soybean area, is owned by producer Elói Vitório Marchett, who produces in other areas, totaling approximately 55 thousand hectares of planting. Of these seven thousand hectares of soybeans, approximately six thousand hectares will subsequently be planted with safrinha corn, over early soybean cultivars in direct planting. 

At the time of the test we saw that the soybean harvest had just begun, at a percentage of 15%, and corn was also being planted at the same rate, as harvest fronts are taking place and corn is immediately being placed with seeders that reach 61 lines.

Mr. Ayrton Bresolin, who is the administrator of the farms, explained to us that 80 people are employed in Santa Maria alone, among the staff who work with machines, assistants and in grain processing activities. He praised the entrepreneurial spirit of Mr. Elói, who, being born in Caxias do Sul, arrived in Mato Grosso and formed the companies that are today an example for the region. The Farm currently has 13 harvesters and 23 tractors and a multitude of other machines, many of which have undergone adaptations and product development based on the producer's ideas. He mentioned that the Farm has several partnerships with companies to develop new products and it is not uncommon for Mr. Elói to develop his own projects and ideas.

The Flexer XS 50 platform was added to the other two in the 40-foot XS series that were already being used. Operators informed us that platform maintenance has greatly reduced compared to what they were used to.

One of the biggest difficulties in this and other years is that the region had a rainfall regime lower than the historic 1.800mm per year, shortening the sowing windows and, therefore, the harvesting windows, meaning that the machines have to work more intensely. and efficiency. This year, for example, the harvest window, which is normally 20 days, was shortened to 15 effective days. Annually, harvesting machines work an average of 500 hours and it is the company's custom to replace these machines early, putting them back on the used machines market, with an advantage for the buyer, due to the high level of maintenance and reliability of the machines. 

We verified that the organization of the machines at the harvest front is quite large, with a programmed entry order, predetermined coming and going routes and positioning of trucks at the ends of the plots, in order to avoid the entry of these vehicles and transport trailers into the area. , to prevent compaction. There are also ways to control traffic in the area with large machines with proportional widths.

GTS from Brazil

GTS do Brasil is a national manufacturer of agricultural implements founded in 2000 and established since 2005 in the city of Lages, state of Santa Catarina. 

Its product line involves several models of platforms for harvesting grains and special platforms for corn. It also produces grain trailers, scarifiers and subsoilers, agricultural planers, seeder-fertilizers, soil surface conditioners and fertilizer distributors. 

During the transition from one meter spacing between rows to reduced ones in the current corn planting system, the company was innovative in designing and building platforms for harvesting corn with smaller spacings.

Currently, the market recognizes the quality implemented through the design and placement on the market of platforms built in aluminum, which are supplied by GTS to the best national brands.

62 feet – The largest platform in the world

During the month of March, at Fazenda Ribeirão, owned by Grupo Risa, in the municipality of Baixa Grande do Ribeiro, in the south of Piauí, a multi-business event was organized with the presence of local and regional public authorities, to celebrate the beginning of the soybean harvest in the state of Piauí. This Farm, which has 20.500 hectares, is part of the Group, which produces around 70 thousand hectares in the state. 

The Risa Group, established in the region since 1982, was a pioneer in grain production in the locality and is an important company in the field of agricultural production and inputs, as well as in the grain processing activity.

For the event in Piauí, 20 harvesters were made available, 12 of which were equipped with GTS platforms with a 45-foot cutting width and one with 62 feet, designed and built especially for the Risa Group and which is now being sold by GTS, becoming the largest platform produced in the world. Until 2015, the largest platforms were around 55 feet wide and at the end of the decade, platforms measuring 60 feet or just over 18 meters began to be produced, which were then considered the largest harvesting platforms. Obviously, platforms of this size are recommended for the largest harvesters on the market, class X. 

There is currently a record of manufacturers working over 60 feet and the GTS project presents itself as the largest commercial platform, especially considering that the company's measurement is made by the cutting bar and not by the total width. This rig is a similar design to the 50-foot model we tested, having the same cutting bar and the reel divided into three sections.

Other platform sizes and models can be found using this link.

José Fernando Schlosser,
Agrotechnology Laboratory 
Agricultural Machinery Testing Center - UFSM