New 400hp-rated Tyrok to top Amazone’s plough range

New 400hp-rated Tyrok to top Amazone’s plough range

Amazone has unveiled a new series of semi-mounted ploughs designed for tractors of up to 400hp.

The Tyrok is available in seven-, eight- and nine-furrow formats with a 200x150x10mm rectangular beam.

One of its notable features is the Speedblade body that allows for a faster forward speed. It has an extra-large front shin that should extend the life of the main mouldboard, and the wear point gradually shifts back at the working speed increases from 6kph to 10kph.

See also: On test: Lemken’s five-furrow Juwel 8 plough

According to Amazone, this means the front shin takes the brunt of the work, so the cost of replacement metal will be significantly lower than having to regularly replace entire slatted or solid mouldboards.

There is no gap between the point and blade that would otherwise allow soil residue, baler twine or other debris to tangle and block, the bodies have a wide furrow clearance for use with bigger tractor tyres and there is an open frog that should eliminate the risk of soil sticking.

The company has also introduced carbon into the manufacturing process for wearing parts, which apparently makes them harder and smoother to extend service life and reduce fuel consumption. For particularly tough conditions, heavy-duty points are available, as are reversible, interchangeable points for quicker set-up times.

A Smartturn system on the Tyrok flips the plough over in just nine seconds on the headland, but the process is slowed before the end of the cycle to produce a damping effect that puts less stress on the hydraulic cylinders.

An optional auto-reset system sees hydraulic rams push individual bodies back into the ground should they hit an immovable object. This has a trip rating of up to 2,000kg, but can be adjusted centrally for the whole plough or separately on each body. Hydraulic furrow width control is also an option.

Mechanical furrow width adjustment is standard, but a hydraulic version is available, as is the new Autoadapt system. It automatically tweaks the front furrow width when the overall width is changed on vari-width models, which could be handy in changing soil conditions or when working across slopes.

The pull line can be adjusted via the 180deg rotating headstock to keep the plough running straight and there is also the option for traction control, which uses an extra hydraulic ram to transfer weight to the tractor’s rear axle.

Various skimmer and trash boards, plus swivel arms for trailed packers, are on the options list. So too are land-side protectors and a sword land-side – the latter protecting the edges of the front shin of the mouldboard from wear and helping to cut a clean furrow wall.

On test: Lemken’s five-furrow Juwel 8 plough

Although the humble plough might have fallen out of fashion in some quarters of farming, there are still those who require a simple, no-nonsense implement to bury the remnants of last year’s harvest.

German maker Lemken provided this year’s tillage tackle for our annual tractor test and reckons that demand has remained steady for ploughs, despite thousands of farmers adopting minimum tillage methods or switching to direct drilling.

See also: On test: Kverneland’s 2500 S five-furrow iPlough

Cheeringly for the firm, a few customers have even returned to ploughing after decades away, recognising that turning over soil on a rotational basis is still one of the best ways to reduce the population of persistent weeds such as blackgrass and brome.

To give our four tractors a decent work out, Lemken supplied its popular five-furrow Juwel 8.

Lemken Juwel 8 M Format : Mounted

Mounted Furrows : Five

Five Main beam (mm): 140×140,10mm thick

(mm): 140×140,10mm thick Under-beam clearance : 80cm

80cm Mouldboard s: CS50 slatted

s: CS50 slatted Skimmers : D1

D1 Headstock rating : 280hp

280hp Width adjustment : Manual

Manual Weight :1,530kg

:1,530kg Price as tested: £31,895

The company’s mounted plough offering comes in three ranges and the 15 models offer multiple width options and furrow formats.The mounted Juwel 8 slots in the middle of the Juwel 7 and 10, with the numbers reflecting the level of spec and tech.

Its 280hp-rated headstock features a box section 140x140mm, 10mm-thick frame and provides an under-beam clearance of 80cm.

All models can work on land or in furrow and most have the option to add an extra set of boards if required. However, Lemken has stopped allowing customers to bolt on more than one unit, as it can inevitably cause undue stress on the metalwork.

Our five-furrow model was refreshingly simple, with only two hydraulic rams – one for retracting the front furrow and the other for turnover. At this spec, the front furrow isn’t adjustable on the move, with tweaks instead achieved using a threaded stop at the end of the ram. On turnover, it pulls in to provide plenty of ground clearance and then returns to its set position ready to start work.

At the rear, the position of the stocky depth wheel is easy to set via a simple pin adjustment, but we found the hydraulic cylinder, which softens the turnover fall, occasionally got snagged by lumps of mud that prevented it from slotting into place. The skimmers also involve a manual pin and clip alteration.

Simple versions like this one don’t offer vari-width, although it is available on Juwel ‘V’ models.

For the road, there’s a lock to mount the plough in butterfly/transport mode.

Slatted boards

The slatted CS50 boards on the plough are from Lemken’s Duramaxx range, which it has offered for 10 years. This method uses clips, rather than bolts, to lock on to the plough’s frame and helps keep the soil-engaging surface free from holes that weaken it over time.

The flush-fitting points mean there is no gap between them and the board, and the smooth surface helps limit wear and keeps the point taking a majority of the impact. Lemken reckons UK demand is fairly evenly split between solid and slatted boards, with the choice driven by soil type.

Even though there is less metal on a slatted board, the extra cost associated in the build can also be a deterrent for potential buyers, although replacing a single slat rather than whole board does reduce the running costs.

The benefits of an extra crumble when folding the soil over during our test left a much neater finish than the host farm’s solid board plough. The D1 skimmers helped to bury the trash and ours had extended tails, which forced the material down into the furrow ahead of the bulk of the soil.

Experiencing the future of ploughing with the Lemken Juwel 8 TCP

Precision, a steady hand and a good eye – that’s what a good ploughman needs.

With technology developing faster and faster, however, another characteristic is also important – openness to smart technologies.

Eamon Tracey has all of this. The reigning World Ploughing Champion tested a Lemken Juwel 8 TCP on his farm for a month and was delighted with the experience. He knows what he’s talking about.

At the 2018 World Ploughing Championships (sponsored by Lemken) in Germany, the likeable farmer represented the Republic of Ireland in ploughing – and won the gold medal with an outstanding performance in the conventional class.

Of course, he is following on from a whole series of successes. Tracey first won the Golden Plough trophy in France in 2014, and successfully defended it only a year later in Denmark.

In the following years he ranked second place several times in the competition. In addition to that, he has been Irish Champion 11 times.

At ploughing competitions ‘technical aids’ are forbidden. Competitors must make all adjustments mechanically or hydraulically. Some of them even attach their own hydraulic cylinders (rams) to the ploughs to obtain the best possible settings – for the prevailing soil conditions.

“I have adjusted everything manually so far. On bad days you can climb out of the cab 10 times during the first 10m to make settings,” explained Eamon.

Simple control with the CCI terminal

However, with the electronic control system of the Juwel 8 TCP (mounted, reversible) plough, that’s a thing of the past. Thanks to ISOBUS control, the operator can adjust everything directly from the cab.

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Thanks to electro-hydraulic control, the operator can even adjust the ploughing angle – directly from the tractor seat.

This is even more convenient with a joystick or a multi-function handle in the tractor. The farmer can combine, store and retrieve up to four different scenarios – for example, when ploughing on slopes or ploughing out an area.

This means that larger contractors and farmers can be sure that even operators who may not have much ploughing experience can handle the Juwel 8 TCP well. The better the end result; the easier it is to cultivate and prepare the land for planting – and the easier it is to control weeds on headlands.

No fear of technology

“Despite these advantages, many farmers and plough operators are still afraid of electronic control for ploughing,” said Derek Delahunty, Lemken’s area sales manager for Ireland.

This doesn’t apply to Eamon Tracey though. After just under an hour of set-up, he had already gotten started with the TCP. In the end, he says, all plough operators share the same goal – “to achieve the best ploughing possible”.

Demo ploughs

There are currently two demo units available – in five and six-furrow sizes. Lemken dealer TFM has its own unit currently out working with customers. Meanwhile, Lemken’s own ‘demo’ unit can be seen countrywide.

Contact your local dealer for more information…and to experience the future of ploughing first-hand.

To book a demo click here

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