Dutch hemp grower Dun Agro recently took delivery of a third striking version of the Claas Xerion 4000, which harvests stems and flowers/top leaves separately in a single operation.
Industrial hemp is a fiercely tough crop to harvest requiring specialist machinery and all three of Dun Agro’s Claas Xerions, which are called Hemp Bulls, are just that. The configuration of the front attachments on the firm’s third Xerion is similar to that used on the other two 2013-made 4000s, both of which graced the pages of our September 2017 issue.
Hemp plants on the new model are still cut by a 6.0m Kemper maize header (brand new 460+ on the third machine) and a high-rise modified Shelbourne Reynolds stripper header continues to slice off valuable top parts of the plants.
The main difference on the fresh face in the Xerion fleet is the leaf storage bunker. On the previous two machines, this swivels hydraulically on a revolving frame to the side in the field.
The work position allows the bunker contents to be unloaded directly into trailers, but the overhang can be an issue for the first circuit around a tree-lined field.
The 38.0m³ bunker on the company’s latest Xerion differs in that it is fixed in position. Still in the test phase, the rear of the body is raised hydraulically to empty the contents, which are offloaded at the rear via a telescoping conveyor. There are a few small points to fine-tune, but the technique works a treat. The new bunker design also paves the way to unload on the move, something that cannot be done with the first two Xerions because tractor and trailer wheels would drive over the hemp straw swath.
Dun Agro grows approx. 1,300ha of industrial hemp in the Dutch provinces of Drenthe and Groningen in the far north of the country. As well as the three Xerions, the company also has a couple of heavily modified Agrifac sugar beet harvesters. This is a Big Six.
