A Firm favourite with contractors and larger farming operations, Pöttinger’s Torro range for the 2009 season will now include the new entry-level Torro 4500L Special Edition model.
This new model answers the increasing requests from farming and contracting businesses for a smaller capacity bodied Torro model, but with all the performance benefits that the bigger Torro models offer.
Some 60cm shorter in length than the top selling 5100L model, the 4500L Special Edition will appeal to those where access around farm buildings and the clamp area is an issue.
This 45m³ capacity model can be powered by as little as 130hp, but still features the rugged gear drive intake system, heavy-duty running gear and chassis found in the bigger Torro models. This rugged driveline can handle tractors from 130-230hp and will provide many years of trouble-free service thanks to it’s fully cam clutch protected driveline. A 1.85m wide pendulum-mounted pick-up ensures the cleanest of crop collection in the field whatever the contour; its six rows of double-coil pick-up tines can cope with the heaviest of swaths.
The eight-point, 800mm diameter Powermatic rotor feeds crop in from the pick-up across its full width thanks to a spiral design. This ensures the full width of the knife bank is used for chopping, reducing the power required, increasing performance and optimising output.
As with all other 2009 Torro models, the 4500L Special edition will feature the new heavy-duty chopping unit as used in the Jumbo range, Pöttinger largest models. Maintaining its unrivalled chop length of 35mm the Torro models utilise 39 knives, which now benefits from the heavy-duty design features of the Jumbo system such as a market-leading, high-torque driveline allowing the highest loading efficiency even in the most difficult of crops. These heavy-duty chopping units have been designed for the toughest of conditions found across the UK.
The addition of this new style chopping unit to the 4500L and the complete Torro range brings several key benefits; both in operation, but also during sharpening and maintenance. Retaining the patented Easy Move swing out knife bank system makes the Torro – as with any other Pöttinger model – the most straightforward wagon to maintain. The complete knife bank can be lowered hydraulically and after removing four lynch pins the whole unit can be pivoted out to the side of the wagon allowing for unparalleled access.
The dimensions of each individual knife has been increased by about 20%, increasing durability in difficult conditions and also enhancing the working life. These larger knives are still secured and protected via front and rear spring packs, ensuring the tripping force required when encountering foreign obstacles is the same along the entire length of the blade.
This system also ensures the blades move both backwards and down away from the foreign body and then returns automatically into the chopping/working position, with no manual resetting required by the operator. This automatic resetting of the blades ensures continuous chopping in the most difficult of conditions.
A completely new addition is the cleaning comb; this hinged cleaner removes short material from between the blades every time the operator hydraulically lowers the blades. This prevents build-up between the knives, ensuring they are working at their optimum and removes the need to carry out this task manually.
The cleaning comb can be hinged clear of the knife bank allowing full access for sharpening and maintenance. When lowering the blades hydraulically, the operator simply selects the service position on the knife bank which automatically releases all the knives across the knife bank allowing each blade to be removed without the need for tools.
As with all Pöttinger Torro models, the 4500L Special Edition comes equipped as standard with full Isobus compatibility allowing those with suitably equipped tractors to connect directly to the wagon control system. In addition to this feature, the Pöttinger Power Control is also supplied allowing those with no Isobus compatible tractor.
Pöttinger product specialist Shaun Groom said the Pöttinger forage wagon range was being continuously developed to keep pace with the demands of customers.
“British and Irish forage harvesting conditions are pretty much unique in the world, often seeing only one very large cut taken, this contrasts sharply with multiple cuts in Continental Europe,” he said. “Many manufacturers build models based on their experience in Continental Europe, but the unique heavy-cut conditions here in the UK leads Pöttinger to consult closely with end users, listening to their demands and in turn developing models that can cope year-in/year-out with all we throw at them.”
For more information visit: www.poettinger.au.
