The Plano VT is Pöttinger’s response to the in-vogue demand for shallow working cultivators that move every inch across the full working width. We tested out the 6.0m version to see what it can do in a stubble field.

KEEPING IT BRIEF

  •  The 6.0m wide Plano VT6060 is Pöttinger’s first cultivator for shallow work.
  •  The Plano is shorter and lighter than most of its competitors.
  •  Impressive quality of work when cultivating this stubble field.

Pöttinger wants to strengthen its arable line-up, and the Plano VT marks the first step in closing the gap in the firm’s shallow tillage cultivator range. There were a number of pre-series machines in the field this season, with production officially starting in January 2025. Initially, there will only be a 6.0m version, but other widths are to follow, according to Pöttinger.

Compact and lightweight

With an overall length of around 8.0m, the semi-mounted Plano VT6060 is up to 2.0m shorter than some of its competitors’ machines. Pöttinger says the almost full spec version comes in at 7,652kg, which is also significantly less than some others.

Pöttinger recommends the compression-loaded spring tine for heavy soils or applications where precise depth control is important.

Power requirement is 180-350hp, depending on tines/discs format, working depth and soil conditions. Our tug for the day was a Steyr 6260 Absolut CVT with a maximum output of 260hp, and this proved to be sufficient for dealing with the wheat stubble in the arable farming region around Linz in Austria. 

The Plano VT requires at least three double-acting spools on the tractor’s part — one for the running gear, one for depth control and one for folding. If you add one of the optional front tools, another spool is needed. There are no plans for now to add ISObus controls — just work the individual spools.

The semi-mounted cultivator comes with a lower linkage crossbar that suits Cat II or Cat III balls. If needed, the Cat III spacing offers enough room to accommodate Cat. IV balls. Alternatively, Pöttinger offers a pure Cat. IV crossbar or 40mm, 50mm or 70mm hitch rings, though the latter is not very common in Western Europe.

The pivot point on the drawbar is directly behind the crossbar allowing a steering angle of (only) 90°. If you fit the optional two front gauge wheels or one of the front tools such as the knife roller, then there’s also the option of a 1.20m drawbar extension.

The small diameter of the knife roller increases the rpm and therefore the cutting effect.

Traction booster brakes

The drawbar is equipped with the so-called ‘Integrated Drawbar Cylinder’, which can be set to float or a fixed position. Float position is recommended for optimal contouring following; the fixed position is for applying some load to the hitch. If you want to actively apply weight to the tractor’s back wheels, then there is a traction boosting option. This uses two accumulators on the drawbar to control the pressure in the drawbar ram when in work. 

The two accumulators are part of the optional traction boosting system, whereas the hydraulic ram is part of the standard drawbar configuration.

We reckon that most buyers will opt for the traction control system so we would like to see it more refined. In its current state, the traction booster is supplied with oil by the same spool that also supplies the chassis, which results in relatively slow headland lift/lower times. Or at least this was certainly our experience when using the VT6060. Pöttinger says it is working on a solution. 

One advantage of connecting the drawbar cylinder and the chassis, however, is the lift/lower behaviour of the machine — instead of lifting and lowering parallel to the ground, the front of the cultivator enters the soil first and the back lifts out last. This improves the  penetration when pulling off and also ensures that the rearmost tines work up all the way to the headland line and ensure all of the soil is moved when carrying out a shallow chitting pass.

Established knife roller

If the gauge wheels are located in amongst the tine field, then there is space for the front toolbar. In our case, this was a 35cm diameter knife roller with the knives arranged helically; in fact it’s the same roller that is used on the Terradisc T trailed compact disc harrow. The roller swings hydraulically in and out of work and is useful when there is a lot of trash to deal with or for cutting through cover crops. The alternative is a front clod board that uses spring-mounted harrow tines to improve the levelling.

Two tines, two coulters

The tine field is split into three sections. Pöttinger uses 10 x 10cm box for the main beam and 8 x 8cm for the cross members. With the 6.0m version there are 37 tines spread symmetrically across six rows. The line spacing — that’s the distance between each point hitting the ground — is 16.2cm. Other makes are often several centimetres closer, which has the benefit of offering more overlap depending on the tine width.

For shallow work, Pöttinger uses 20cm wide duckfoot points. The share surface slopes slightly, which is said to increase the mixing effect, and the standard tungsten carbide coating prevents the sides from wearing off and losing their working width. Given the 3.8cm overlap, this was a sensible decision to ensure a lasting full-width cut, which the Plano VT achieves at a depth of just 3-4cm. The cultivator can’t work any shallower than this, but then there are few farms wanting to operate in that way. 

To strike an acceptable balance between ease of pulling and inter-row clearance, Pöttinger reckons that its combination of a 16.2cm line spacing and 20cm duckfoot point is the best solution. And our initial impression is that it works. Pöttinger also has a 50mm point for medium deep work of up to 15cm.

The points can be fitted to either a heavy-duty pigtail or pressure spring tine. Our model was equipped with the latter, which, thanks to its greater operating pressure and stability, Pöttinger recommends for shallow stubble cultivation and for hard, heavy soils or depths of about 15cm. On the other hand, the pigtail tine offers slight vibration and is more likely to be used where you want to produce a finer tilth such as for final seedbed preparation or stubble cultivation in light to medium-heavy soils.

Traditional depth control

Depth control comes from the two gauge wheels within the Plano tine area. This is the standard spec, but you can also opt for two leading gauge wheels, which are intended for use in sandy, soft or freshly ploughed soils, for example, due to the larger contact area. Both variants are adjusted hydraulically. The right and left gauge wheels are connected by a master/slave plumbed system. 

The connection between wheels and roller is done mechanically. A nice practical detail is that the coupling rod is threaded at both ends so you can fine-tune the gap between wheel and roller.

The interlocking press rings achieved a good balance between consolidation and crumbling.

The rear roller on our particular machine was the Tandem-Control: two rows of interlocking press rings. Each press ring consists of four sections that are inclined to the left or right, and each of the sections is individually bolted in place. The manufacturer’s theory is that this press ring design reduces water erosion and produces a finer tilth.

On its tandem rollers, Pöttinger can add an optional levelling harrow consisting of trailing spring tines that are positioned ahead of the roller to avoid ridging between the rings. The leading roller can also be raised slightly to avoid soil or trash being pushed or bulldozed. Although not yet possible, there will be the capability to work without a rear roller, but Pöttinger says that it is still working on this system.

When setting off, the front tines engage with the ground first.

Quality job

The Plano VT6060 cut a fine figure in wheat stubble. With the working depth set at 3-4cm, it delivered the desired full-width cut — at least where the field allowed. Like all ultra- shallow cultivators, if you are working at just 3-4cm deep, there is little room to compensate for and remove any wheel marks or other humps and hollows.

Set to work 3-4cm deep, the Plano VT delivered, moving all of the soil across the working width.

The Plano VT did its utmost in every case and also dealt with the chopped straw from a 9.0t crop of wheat without bunging up. It left behind a relatively even, well-mixed surface with enough tilth to prompt volunteer cereals and weeds to grow — task accomplished.

With the Plano VT6060, Pöttinger has made a good first impression in the ultra-shallow cultivator market. Its compact, comparatively lightweight design clearly sets it apart from its competitors. 

That said, it is not a bargain: the basic 6.0m lists at £47,652, whereas the fully equipped version we tested costs £98,230 (see the Data sheet for more specifics). Pöttinger is clearly not trying to undercut its competitors.

Andreas Holzhammer

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