Amazone: where it all began

Aside from all the new technology Amazone unveiled, visitors to the the recent Amatechnica field day also got to see some vintage machinery the company has produced.

Michael Collins

6 June 2018

Built around a 1954 Ruhrstahl Geräteträger (Ruhr steel mechanical mule) which produced 20hp from its Henschel diesel-engine, Amazone were early adopters of "combination-units". The Amazone implements fitted in front, underneath and behind this tractor allowed three jobs to be done at once. The front mounted hopper carried fertiliser and was made from timber to prevent rusting. Rate adjustment was easily done from the front of the machine with left and right mounted levers. The mid-mounted hopp

A very early twin-disc fertiliser spreader. Drive was taken from the large wheels to power the timber spreading discs. Fertiliser was fed onto these discs from a chute to the left and right at the rear of the machine

An early trailed Amazone spreader. This ground-driven 1959 "Zweisortenstreuer" or "two places spreader" machine had a working width of 2.5m. It used a full-width auger to meter fertiliser out the rear of the machine.The timber hopper prevented rusting.

Along side its range of fertiliser spreaders, Amazone briefly manufactured potato harvesters. This side of the business was wound up with more focus on spreaders and other tillage equipment

Amazone briefly ventured down the pneumatic spreader route but this was short lived. Instead, the company focused it's efforts on twin-disc spreaders

An Amazone PTO driven tine-harrow was the pre-cursor to the now more popular power harrow

An Amazone D7 SUPER-S mechanical seed drill in the Amazone museum. This drill design continues to this day for its simplicity, accuracy and close mounting to the tractor.

Machinery company Amazone was founded in 1883 by Heinrich Dreyer. According to historical accounts, the first machines produced were grain-cleaning machines followed by horse and tractor-drawn ploughs and potato sorters. In 1915, the family-run company produced its first fertiliser spreader after a range of other equipment had been manufactured by the Dreyer family, who still retain full ownership of Amazone to this day.

In 1915, the family-run company produced its first fertiliser spreader after a range of other equipment had been manufactured by the Dreyer family, who still retain full ownership of Amazone to this day.

Even before 1915, Dreyer was exporting machinery around the world. As early as 1906, the first grain-cleaning machines were sold in Valparaíso, Chile.

The first potato harvesters were introduced to the market in 1942 and, seven years later, seed drills were launched.

Probably the most important machine to Ireland and perhaps Amazone was introduced in the 1960s, the twin-disc ZA fertiliser spreader.

Alongside this machine, the D4 seed drill was very successful, which helped Amazone reach market leadership.

The company entered into tillage in 1967 and developed the first Amazone manufactured PTO driven tillage equipment.

The harrow and rotary cultivator were also included into the product range.

After German reunification, a range of cultivators were added to the product portfolio for the varying range of soils into which the machines were put to work.

Today, Amazone manufactures at five different sites, including at Samara in Russia.

Amatechnica – vintage display

As part of the recent Amatechnica field day, Amazone had a wide range of vintage equipment on display. Visitors got to step back in time to see just a sample of the machines that were built by the company over the years. A dedicated museum, formerly a stall for milking cows, set in the German countryside was where the machines were displayed.

A Lanz-Bulldog tractor was also running which towed a ground-driven twin-disc early model fertiliser spreader. The basic design of this machine went on to be the foundations of one of the most important machines the company now builds.

Amazone has the world at its feet