DRIVING IMPRESSION: With the Aerostar Fusion, Einböck has yet again expanded its range of mechanical weeders. Sporting spring-loaded tines, the new addition can even be run through more delicate crops.
At last year’s Cereals, Norfolk-based Terrington Machinery unveiled a pre-production version of Einböck’s latest mechanical weeding harrow, the Aerostar Fusion, a precision harrow. What makes this unit different to the eight other mechanical weeding tools from the Austrian firm is that the tines are mounted in plastic holders that pivot on Fusion’s frame and are individually tensioned.
Special springs
Essentially there are two frames. The lower frame is for the tines and their plastic holders, with the individual tensioning rods connected to the upper frame to help determine the tine pressure. This indirect tine attachment helps ensure the tip pressure is always the same regardless of the tine angle, meaning the tines running on the top of a ridge exert the same pressure as the tines in the furrow. The special double spring design allows the tines to be hydraulically preloaded to increase pressure to the tip in addition to the pressure they gain from the tine flexing.
The weight acting on the end of the tine and thus the force is infinitely adjustable from 150g to 6kg. This large working range means the tines can work in sensitive crops with less intervention or break capped soil with more tine pressure.
Compared to its comb harrow, Einböck also changed the end of the tine for the Aerostar Fusion. It has a larger radius than the classic tine. According to the maker, this means the tines drag less organic material so they can also be used in min-tilled fields.
The soil-engaging tine end can wear off up to 10cm before it needs to be replaced. There is a harder wearing tine option, too. The 7mm diameter, 53cm long tines can also be used to comb through taller crops, like the oats we harrowed during our driving impression.
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