Fully exploit your tractor power: Work 9,5 m wide with

Fully exploit your tractor power: Work 9,5 m wide with LEMKEN's new Rubin 12

Farmers buy bigger, stronger, and smarter tractors to work faster, wider, and better, but to accomplish these actions, farmers need implements that can do the work faster, wider, and better. Implements and tractors should fully complement one another. There is no point in having a 400 kW tractor with the most advanced technology on the market, but the only implement strong enough to use with it dates from a previous generation. "Other disc harrows that you can use with large tractors such as this 9560R are tandem implements," said Karel Munnik of LEMKEN SA, during a demonstration on the South African highveld. These tandem units' depth control and transport wheels are placed between the discs. This is a disadvantage since the wear and tear on the moving parts are extremely high due to the dust and soil particles moving around in that area. The LEMKEN compact disc harrow that was demonstrated to the farmers, is the brand new Rubin 12, which has an impressive working width of 9,5 metres. LEMKEN's Rubin 12 is no unknown sight on the Highveld. The 3 to 7 metre implements have been in the country since 2014, but now farmers can also use an 8 or 9,5 metre wide variant, that can easily cultivate vast fields of land with the correct tractor. The working depth of the Rubin 12 ranges from 7 to 20 cm (measured behind the rollers) at a working speed of 7 to 13 km/h. The discs themselves are 736 mm in size for deep cutting. The wheels of the Rubin 12 do not touch the ground at all when working in the field; they are only used to turn and for road transportation. The rollers control the working depth at the rear of the unit and on the drawbar. The front height of the implement can also be adjusted using a hydraulic system. Karel says: "An additional problem of older disc harrows is that there is no proper mixing of the residues into the topsoil as with the Rubin 12. The Rubin 12's front set of discs cuts the soil and material, whereafter it is thrown against a set of rakes. During the process, the soil and materials are mixed before being cut and mixed again by the next set of discs. Finally, the rollers form a firm, smooth seedbed." In this seedbed, the planter can cut in a true V, ensuring that each seed is placed perfectly for equal germination and a better yield. Placing the cut residues in the topsoil means more humus that breaks down faster, feeds the soil, and improves the structure of the soil. The discs are

LEMKEN's new 9,5 metre Rubin 12 was demonstrated on a farm near Middelburg in the highveld of South Africa. The implement folds up to a width of only 6 metres. The wheels are only used for road transport and turning at the end of the land, and therefore do not compact the land or churn up dust. Working depth is controlled with the rollers. The bearings of LEMKEN discs are maintenance-free and properly sealed. More than 2 600 discs are running on farms in South Africa, and only 40 bearings are sold on average per year from the local spare parts store.

mounted at 16 degrees on the front set and 14 degrees on the rear set in the working direction. The vertical angle of both sets of discs is 20 degrees. It is important to successfully cut a lot of material and blend it well into the soil. Another big difference that LEMKEN's technology offers, is that the discs maintain their vertical angle of 20 degrees, even if they wear down. Older generation disc harrows (offset and tandem) obtain a 20 degree angle by making the discs more cone-shaped, like a porridge bowl. When these discs wear over time, their angle of intrusion into the soil becomes flatter. "Compact disc harrows are here to stay," says Karel. "Nothing else can compare with its working speed and efficiency of seedbed preparation." Both the 8 and 9,5 metre Rubin 12 have a fixed beam in the middle with folding wings on the sides. The 8 m folds up to 5,5 m and the 9,5 m model to 6 m to enable road transport. Since the implements do not meet the road transport requirements of Europe (limited to 3 m width) they are only sold in Canada, America, Russia, and South Africa. Like all LEMKEN equipment available, the implements are fully supported by the experienced LEMKEN technical team.

For more information on the major benefits that LEMKEN's implements hold for your farm, contact Karel Munnik on +27 82-412-2577 or k.munnik@lemken.com; or Blackie Swart on +27 82-4049651 or b.swart@lemken.com, or visit www.lemken.com.