New European mower-conditioners.

Specialty machines have been designed for performance, power and speed.

Custom operators and larger farms in Europe are turning to purpose-made self-propelled grass mowers to keep ahead of high capacity forage harvesters. Some contractors have tried to keep up by mounting triple mowers on reverse drive tractors or on redundant self-propelled harvesters with the chopping system removed.

However, German manufacturers Bernard Krone and Deutz-Fahr decided there were performance and operational advantages to be gained from purpose-made designs.

Krone's Big M has a cutting width of 9.1m (30[feet]) using three largely standard Krone drum mower-conditioners. With one mounted up-front and two on either side of the four-wheel drive chassis, the mowers leave three broad swaths of grass which can later be raked into a single broad swath for the chopper.

The folding wing units reduce transport width to just 3m (9[feet] 10 [inches]) to cope with Euro-size roads and back lanes, while a tight-turning rear axle helps maneuverability in the field and on the road. Power is from a 300hp John Deere diesel engine, and a John Deere forage harvester cab houses the driver. Hydrostatic drive, through radial piston motors on each of the equal size wheels, gives three speed ranges.

The Deutz-Fahr Grasant is a more radical design that conditions the grass within the body of the machine. Fast drying times following treatment are claimed, so crops are exposed less during changeable weather and mowing does not have to be carried out as far ahead of the harvester team.

Mowing width is 6.2m (20 ft) using a folding disc mower across the front of the machine. An auger brings grass to the centre where it is taken to the conditioning system by a combine-like crop elevator.

A large diameter ribbed cylinder, running at up to 3000 rpm, works in conjunction with two smaller ribbed rollers to provide the intensive - and adjustable - rubbing action that is designed to break through the moisture-retaining wax coating while causing minimal leaf damage. Vanes at the rear of the 'grass combine' spread the mowed and processed grass over the cutting width as a further measure towards minimizing the drying time.

The Grasant 260H is powered by a 260hp Deutz aircooled engine, has two-speed hydrostatic drive and will return work rates of 6ha (15 acres) an hour, according to the company.