2005 innovation winners at Agritechnica.

During Agritechnica 2005, Germany's large bi-annual equipment show held in November, three gold medals were awarded by the Agritechnica Innovations Commission to the Fendt 936 Vario tractor, the Brielmaier Motormower and the John Deere 8030 tractor. Products selected by the Commission for gold awards show new functions or which essentially improve known processes, based on four criteria: importance for practical application, advantages for farm and labor management, improvement of the environmental and energy situation and effects facilitating work and safety at work. The following descriptions are the Commission's summaries of the winning products.

Fendt 936 Vario, manufactured by AGCO "Fast, economical, safe and comfortable"

For the first time a standard tractor has been designed for 60 km/h. This means new safety standards for brake systems and chassis. A new way of stabilizing the front axle dependent on the travel speed ensures greater driving safety. Hydro-pneumatic full suspension of the cab with integrated pitch compensation and ergonomically optimized, actively spring-mounted seat provide excellent driving comfort. Future exhaust gas level specifications (Stage III A) are observed, yet the excellent fuel consumption values of the predecessor models are retained, thanks to ultramodern engine technology. Despite consistent design of the drive train to achieve lowest consumption during transport work, there are no restrictions in the variety of use of the standard tractor in the top performance class. Tire dimensions that have hitherto been reserved for articulated-steering vehicles ensure adequate traction at low air pressures for ground conservation. With the new model farmers will have a universally usable standard tractor in a new performance dimension that excellently unites the requirements of environmental protection, safety and comfort.

Motormower, manufactured by Brielmaier "Fully hydraulic, remote-controlled motor mower for extreme hillside applications"

In landscape care work it is often necessary to mow steep slopes with a gradient of up to 70 degrees. Conventional, manually guided motor mowers with multiple rubber tires have their limits here. With this newly developed concept, the manufacturer has succeeded in achieving an extremely low center of gravity by installing the engine and hydraulic units in the wheels. Two broad rollers with exchangeable tips serve as wheels. They make the mower ideally suited for hillside work and are gentle on the sward. The high maneuverability is achieved by a turnaround steering system that steers one wheel forwards and the other wheel backwards. The operating elements for steering and travel speed are equipped with contact-free sensors. The CAN Bus system offers an extension option for remote control, GPS module and a GPRS telemetry module. In conjunction with the high hillside capability of the chassis concept, this also means a substantial easing of the work burden for operators in care of steep slopes.

Tractor Series 8030, manufactured by John Deere "Fuel consumption and atmospheric pollution reduced"

In the tractors of Series 8030, the combination of various technological highlights leads altogether to distinctly reduced fuel consumption values, while at the same time satisfying future exhaust gas specifications (Stage III A) and reducing noise emissions. The new engine with common rail high pressure injection of the latest generation, four-valve technology, cooled and regulated external exhaust gas return, together with exhaust turbocharger with variable turbine geometry, unite excellent characteristics with minimal consumption rates. The ventilator is powered by an electronically controlled, infinitely variable transmission so that the cooling system is optimized energetically and noise emissions are clearly reduced in practice. All components of the power transmission have been completely newly developed or optimized with a view to improving the overall efficiency. Altogether, a milestone on the way to minimal consumption values in the upper performance segment--a class that is particularly sensitive to consumption levels.

Silver medal awards for innovation

The commission also awarded a number of silver medals for products showing practical application, advantages in work performance and improvement of operational reliability. Descriptions of silver winners included: electronic documentation, photo sensor to identify maize ripeness, automatic steering plus throughput control for shaker machines, engineering skills to protect the soil, automated and precise position switching of plant protection implements and fertilizer spreaders, less wear on pick-up without cam track control, ensiling agent application according to yield and moisture content, heat transfer unit for biogas plants, automatic depth guidance of ridge molding plate for potato planters, chaff management with ejector blower, active conveying and simple cleaning, fast changing device for flail holders on vegetable stem strippers, distributor head to control semi-liquid manure, filling drying silos uniformly, controlled spreading of chopped straw, hydraulic depth regulation for potato harvesters, air cleaners for engines and workshops, combination vacuum and centrifugal pump and automatic overflow safety device, radially-adjustable roller separator and weight-optimized twin-row trailed potato harvester.

Further information about any Gold Medal or Silver Medal product and its manufacturer is available from Implement & Tractor. Contact Mary Shepherd, tel: [phone], ext. 8, email: [e-mail].