Crop care specialist Horsch UK reveals latest products

As a global manufacturer of agricultural technology, German company Horsch offers multiple solutions for cultivation, seeding and plant protection. Cambridgeshire-based Horsch UK teamed up with local dealer, Manns of Saxham, to showcase a selection of products from its extensive line-up at the demo day.

Among these were several models from Horsch’s well-known ranges, including Joker, Cultro, Avatar, Terrano and Fortis – but there were also three machines that were brand-new to the market.

A new versatile self-propelled sprayer

The Leeb VT on demo is only the second one to reach the UK. It is a self-propelled sprayer, with the VT in its name standing for variable track. It is available in two models, the 5.230VT comes with a 5,000-litre polyethylene tank and a 230hp, 6.7 litre, turbo charged six-cylinder FTP engine, and the 6.300VT, with a 6,000 polyethylene litre tank and a 300hp version of the same engine.

The variable track is adjustable from 1.8–2.4m as standard, or 2.05m up to maximum legal road width with certain tyre options. There are options for 40 or 50in wheel rims, which will affect the machine height, but there is also around 30cm of height adjustment as well to ensure a continuous 1.3m clearance in field mode.

On the machine’s left side, a panel opens up to give access to the controls, fill point, valves for cleaning and rinsing, induction and blow-out points for IBC work and a mixing area with a stainless-steel induction hopper. This comes with a tray table to put chemical bags on and a holder for a measuring jug. There is also a conveniently located display screen/control panel to monitor and control operation from this area. Intake and discharge are both dealt with using the same 1,000-litres/min pump.

On the opposite side of the Leeb, a matching panel opens to reveal a chemical locker and fill points for diesel and Ad Blue. At the business end there are boom options from 24m to 48m, all from Horsch itself. The model on display was fitted with a 36m boom and there are two versions of this: an 18/36 and a 12/24/36.

Up front, the cab is a new generation model from Claas, as found on the Claas combines and forage harvesters, and offers good space and comfortable working conditions with features such as air conditioning, an under-seat fridge/cool box and an ergonomic design. There are options to install almost all current terminal types to deliver a familiar user interface, and Horsch Connect delivers mobile control and remote monitoring.

Lightweight no-till drill with front tank

Ben Harrison, regional sales manager for Horsch UK, talked us through new Sprinter 6.25SL.

“Best described as a lightweight, no-till seeder that can be used in different cultivation systems, this toolbar machine is part of the Sprinter family of tine seeders from Horsch.

“The SL version is new and the 6.25 model offers a 6m working width with 25cm tine row spacings. It has tines with a press wheel behind, and a coulter from the Sprinter drill. Ideal for a lighter weight tractor, it has three-point linkage and is currently set up on a single outlet and available with different types of feet for different seeds.”

It can be used as a conventional drill, or you can set it up as a half-width system or with selective hosing, where you can drill one product every other row – although you can’t combine half width and selective hosing at the same time.

It is designed to be a direct drill with hydraulic coulter pressure, and with its tall frame, it will operate in stubble or cover crops, and run through trash.

Ben explained that there will be an additional following harrow available by the end of the year, which will help with levelling off when cultivating. It comes with all-independent controls on the depth wheels, which are very simple to adjust to allow the leg to go deeper or shallower, up to around four inches.

This 6m model is the only one in the Sprinter SL range at the moment, but plans are in place to extend the design to other working width options. There is also a disc version available – the Avatar SL – which, as the name suggests, features discs from the Avatar drill range. “The back end, i.e. the Sprinter SL, can be considered the slave, with the drill being what’s mounted on the front,” commented Ben.

The front is where you will find the seed tank, fan, Isobus system and the job computer. On the demo model, the Sprinter SL was teamed up with a Horsch Partner 1600FT seed tank. The Partner can be a single tank, such as the one on display, at 1,600 litres, or a double tank, at 2,200 litres, which can be split 60/40 or 75/25 for different seed types or a seed/fertiliser combination. Coming soon is a 2,500 litre tank that will offer triple tank working.

The double and triple tanks can both be operated as a single tank too, if required.

Designed to be compact to allow for best visibility forward, the tanks are also available with an optional camera system to aid in blind spot situations, such as pulling out of a farm exit. The hopper is pressurised, for a more efficent airflow and to achieve higher application rates, and the feed opening is large for quick filling with a front loader or telehandler.

“What we are looking at here are two completely separate new machines,” pointed out Ben. “The Partner can be coupled to a range of drills or seeders, and the Sprinter SL can be mated to a choice of front tanks.”

An update on a long-standing favourite

The Pronto range is one of the most established offerings in the Horsch portfolio, but it has received many updates over the years – the latest being the Pronto 7DC.

Ben explained: “It has a 7.2m working width, which fits into 36m tramlining, and the idea behind it is that, on average, the tractor power available on farms has increased to the point where the farmer who is currently pulling a 6m drill, should be able to pull a 7.2m – so when it comes to machinery replacement, this could be the ideal drill for them.

“It has a split tank, which is pressurised, and Horsch has relocated the fan away from the bottom, where it used to be mounted, to the top, away from the dust.

“It comes with new software called I-Manager, which has taken over from E-Manager and offers more flexibility for software developers to enhance features and add to it. This new software will be rolled out across the whole Horsch range as models are revamped.

“It can be run with grain and fertiliser or grain and grain, it has twin motors with a split roller and on the metering unit there is now an option to add a divider that will allow you to change the roller for different seeds without having to empty the tank. Option-wise you can specify a front packer, levelling boards and cultivation discs; plus you can opt for a system called PPF – precision placement fertiliser.

“It has a taller tyre packer, at 18in rather than 16in, which helps prevent bow-waving on lighter land and reduces rolling resistance requiring less power. The centre bearing in the packer for road transport has changed to a gimbal-type bearing to reduce stress on the packer when dealing with uneven roads. The tyres are now 10-ply, providing almost an inch of rubber, thereby much reducing the likelihood of punctures.

“At the back end, it has a slightly different coulter pressure setup, with a Paradisc coulter providing more positive pressure, up to 130kg, over the top of the seeding zone, providing more versatility in medium to heavy ground conditions.”

In summary, the latest Pronto 7DC is available with a large number of options, compounding its versatility, and is available with the new seed flow sensor system that uses sound to determine blockages before it back-fills.

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