Having hit the market with its aerating roller, Alstrong has now come up with a grassland rejuvenation tool that’s as happy working directly into old pasture as it is on ploughed ground. The name of this versatile machine is Auctus.
It’s nice to see manufacturers coming up with a creative and meaningful name for a product. After some head scratch- ing, Alstrong’s Alan Winters had a eureka moment when he looked up the Latin for growth and discovered it was Auctus. As he explains, his grass reseeding cultivator is all about growth. And if you want to get philosophical about it, this second implement range should also make a sizeable contribution to growing the Alstrong brand.
So, aside from its thought provoking label, what is the Alstrong Auctus? In short, it’s a grassland seeding tool that can work directly into burnt-off pasture or pre-cultivated ground. Paddle tines do the aggressive work followed by a heavy duty toothed roller; spring tines then scratch at the soil so the seed is given a shallow seedbed, which is then firmed with the rear roller. The more power you can stick in front, the better the work rates, but at a minimum the 2.92m wide cultivator needs 90kW/120hp to get things moving.
The Auctus is towed from the drawbar, and standard wheel equipment is 19.0/45-17s running on a six-stud axle. The machine we went to see had a braked 10-stud axle, shod with larger 710/40 R22.5s — this broader rubber increases minimum weight from 4.5t up to 4.8t. In our view the mudguard should curl around the tyre more and is something Alstrong is looking to address. Hydraulic requirement is three lots of double-acting. Also on the need-to-improve list is a pipe holder and hose markers
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