Watch: Amatechnica 2016 experience from Amazone

Amazone-Werke was founded in 1883 by Henrich Dreyer. Today, the company is still owned and run by the Dreyer family, now in its fourth generation. Amazone employs 1,800 people across production sites in Germany, France and Russia.

Speaking with the Irish Farmers Journal, Dr Justus Dreyer commented that sales performance is up this year based on the quarterly results. The markets that could offer potential for the company are China, South America and Africa as they are still developing, according to Dreyer.

A strong domestic European market is also crucial for the company, he said. Brexit has led to uncertainty in the UK, with sales back approximately 50%.

Dr Dreyer stated that Amazone remain focused on building machines that reduce costs and improve efficiency on farms.

In the 2015 financial year, the Amazone Group achieved a turnover of €402m (excluding trading turnover), meaning that Amazone has performed well despite the declining markets. In comparison with the previous year, the 2015 result, a decrease of 3.5 %, exceeds the original expectations.

At the beginning of the year, the forecast for the machinery sector was predicting a drop of 10% due to world political crises and the poor development of agricultural commodity prices.

In 2015, the export share amounted to around 80% of turnover. Investment in research and development continued to be more than 5% of turnover.

In the DLG image barometer, Amazone once again took fourth place in the agricultural machinery sector. The company was ranked as the best among all medium-sized companies; the first three places being covered by the Fendt, Claas and John Deere companies.

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DynamicSpread dynamic part-width section control for fertiliser spreaders:

As standard, the ZA-TS and ZG-TS ISOBUS fertiliser spreaders feature a multiple part-width section control, controlled either manually or automatically via section control software.

Up until now, the maximum number of part-width sections has been 16. For users who wish to spread even more precisely in wedge-shaped fields, in short work or around obstacles, Amazone has developed DynamicSpread dynamic part-width section control for the ZA-TS Hydro mounted and the ZG-TS Hydro trailed spreaders.

The system is based on newly developed software on both fertiliser spreaders. In combination with GPS-Switch and the Amatron 3, CCI 100 or Amapad terminals from Amazone, the new software is able to switch 64 or 128 part-width sections, resulting in a dynamic matching of spread width and the spread rate to the field shape.

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ZA-V fertiliser spreader with EasySet in-cab terminal:

The ZA-V is a new range of fertiliser spreader that has a higher specification than the current ZA-M range. It is designed for farmers who don’t need as much technology as is offered on the ZA-TS range.

As an innovation for the ZA-V fertiliser spreader product line, Amazone now offers the EasySet operating computer.

According to Amazone, this new in-cab terminal allows specific, simple and comfortable actuation, because all the basic functions of the spreader are electrically adjusted and actuated via the new machine-specific in-cab terminal.

As on all ZA-V product models, this EasySet variant is also equipped with the precision spreading unit for working widths of 10m to 36m and features the SBS system.

It is offered with hopper volumes from 1,700 litres to 4,200l and can be equipped with the Limiter V+ border spreading device for side, border or water course spreading around the headland. With the aid of the EasySet terminal, the apertures can be adjusted by key pressure independently on either the left- or right-hand side and they can be readjusted on the move. This also allows individual rate adaptation for each side.

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Cenius 4003-2 Super with C-Mix Super tines:

New to the Amazone cultivator programme and available with immediate effect is the folding Cenius 4003-2 Super mulch cultivator in 4m working width.

The Cenius 4003-2 is equipped with the new C-Mix Super tines, which are protected via a pressurised spring overload safety device. With a release force of more than 600kg and a 300mm lift height, Amazone believes this system will provide reliable operation even on heavy and stony soils at working depths down to 30cm.

For obstacles larger than 300mm, the leg of each tine is additionally secured via a shear bolt, so that it can fold upwards completely and this prevents any potential damage to the tine.

The C-Mix system includes a variety of share options so that the three-row cultivator can be used either for shallow stubble cultivating and topsoil deep loosening, right through to seedbed preparation.

For shallow operation, the C-Mix duck foot share or the C-Mix wing share are available. The solution for medium-deep soil tillage is the C-Mix 100 tip, and for deeper tillage, the C-Mix 80 tip is preferred.

The latest innovation for the C-Mix share system is the C-Mix HD share, which, thanks to its hard metal insert plates in the main wear areas, is characterised by an especially high resistance to wear.

It is a one-piece share with integrated spiral guide plate and is suited for intensive mixing at working depths from 12cm to 30cm. If combined with the 350mm C-Mix wing share, it can also be used for stubble tilling.

The depth setting is carried out centrally, via two spindles at the left- and right-hand side of the machine, or, as an optional extra, it can also be adjusted hydraulically from the tractor seat.

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Cirrus 6003-2 and 6003-2C trailed sowing combinations now also with TwinTeC+ double disc coulters:

Amazone introduced the 6m Cirrus 6003-2 and 6003-2C trailed sowing combinations (including the combined application of fertiliser and seed), offering two coulter options: the RoTeC pro single disc coulters and the TwinTeC+ double disc coulters.

The Cirrus, in combination with the RoTeC pro single disc coulters, is suited on all light to moist-heavy and sticky soils, where large amounts of harvest residues or small stones prevail.

On the other hand, the Cirrus in combination with TwinTeC+ coulters is the ideal seed drill under hard, dry and cloddy sowing conditions, on heavily-changing soils and hilly and undulating ground.

With the RoTeC pro, the Cirrus operates at an optimum speed range from 8km/h to 16km/h, and with the TwinTeC+ at 10km/h to 20km/h, according to Amazone. Both systems can be supplied with a row spacing of 16.6cm. However, the Cirrus with RoTeC pro coulters also comes with a row spacing of 12.5cm.

The TwinTeC+ double disc coulter features a stepless hydraulic adjustment of the coulter pressure, which includes a wide setting range of 15kg to 100kg of force.

In this way, the pressure can be matched to changing soil conditions quickly and easily, according to Amazone.

As the pressure supply is carried out via a constant oil circuit, the consistent depth guidance of the coulters in changeable soil conditions is achieved.

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Hydraulically actuated offset-slide unit for the Catros/Catros+ compact disc harrow:

As standard the Catros/Catros+ 3001 and 3501 compact disc harrows are equipped with an offset-slide unit of the disc rows. This is utilised to adjust the optimum offset between the first and the second disc row and it is also used to change between the transport and the operational position. To simplify this adjustment, Amazone now also offers a hydraulic actuation of the offset-slide unit, allowing the driver to set the disc offset via the tractors hydraulic valve. Amazone offers the hydraulic actuation factory-fitted as a special option for all new Catros/Catros+ 3001 and 3501 compact disc harrow. For older machines, a retrofit kit is also available.

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S-Force automatic stone safety release for the Cayron reversible plough:

Amazone has had this plough in development and working across Europe for the last few years. It has never been introduced here, as it was only available with a shearbolt protection system that is not favourable in our soils.

This year, Amazone developed the automatic stone safety release for its Cayron 200 and Cayron 200 V reversible ploughs. The objective was to ensure the plough’s operation with a site-specific release force under all soil conditions to prevent the ploughing up of stones.

On the hydraulic system, the release force can be adjusted from the driver’s seat over a range from 750kg to 2,000kg of force.

The first plough body is equipped with a stronger ram, so that the release force is around 18?% higher than on the other bodies on the plough.

The system has been designed in such a way that the release force exponentially decreases at an increased trip height. This means that as soon as an obstacle has been negotiated, the force increases again so that the plough body is pulled quickly into the soil again.

An optional road lighting kit has been cleverly designed to fit the last plough body.

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D9 6000 mounted seed drill:

Amazone is looking to increase the sowing output on smaller farms with low hp availability. This trailed drill has an operational width of 6m and a transport width of 2.75m. Available with seed and fertiliser hoppers, it may be an option for tillage farmers looking to sow fields in low fertility areas and also where output in the day is important. The metering units are made from plastic and stainless steel.

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EasyCheck Fertiliser TrayTest:

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EasyCheck needs only lightweight rubber mats and a newly developed smartphone app to check and to optimise the lateral distribution and the adjustment of the fertiliser spreader. Amazone believes EasyCheck will reduce the time needed to carry out a test by 75%.

Instead of the normal collecting trays, lightweight rubber collecting mats (40cm x 60cm) are laid out in the tramline at the correct spacing. The EasyCheck App needs to be calibrated by taking a picture of that specific fertiliser on the mat.

After spreading over the laid-out collecting mats, the number of granules that have been collected on the 16 mats is photographed on the smartphone. The app then automatically compares how much fertiliser has been collected on an individual row of mats and puts the result of each mat row in a ratio.

On the basis of this evaluation, the accuracy of the spread pattern can be checked. In cases where an optimum spreading result is not achieved, the app automatically suggests a readjustment of the spreading disc speed or of the delivery system on the ZA-TS, or, on the ZA-V, a change in the throwing vane position. The EasyCheck kit will be available from autumn 2016.

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Amazone AD-P Special Pneumatic drill:

The metering unit is electronically driven, making for easier calibration, especially when fitted with the TwinTerminal 3.0 screen on the back of the drill, according to Val McCauley from Farmhand.

The drill also has a clever seed shut-off system. A pressure switch on the toplink is activated when the machine is raised from the working position, shutting off the seed delivery to the coulters.

The seed rate can be adjusted from the cab using the AmaDrill + controller. The hopper capacity is either 850l or 1,250l that can be increased with extensions to 1,100l and 1,500l respectively. The seed coulter bar is hydraulically operated for adjustment.

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AmaSwitch entry-level individual nozzle switching:

As an innovation to its range of crop protection sprayers, Amazone introduced its electric AmaSwitch individual nozzle-switching system.

If AmaSwitch is used in combination with the automatic GPS-Switch headland and part-width section control, the switching of individual nozzles on a 50cm part-width section is carried out automatically.

The benefit of this individual nozzle switching is the possibility of operating with smaller part-width sections in wedge-shaped fields and in short work, as well as on the headland, meaning that it can be even more precise.

Amazone believes the overlap areas are significantly reduced by up to 85% in comparison with conventional section control part-width section shut-off. The new technology is based around threefold nozzle bodies with electric on/off switching to each body.

The standard equipment of AmaSwitch includes DUS pro high-pressure recirculation. DUS pro prevents deposits in the spray line and provides a uniform, consistent spray liquid concentration. AmaSwitch can also be supplied in combination with LED individual nozzle lighting.