Lemken’s top tillage offerings for 2024
FlexPack furrow press for rocky soils
The Lemken FlexPack is already well established as an integrated plough furrow press among professional farmers. It automatically adjusts to the working width as it runs parallel to the plough frame. Now the agricultural machinery specialist is launching a successor model with numerous improvements. The most important innovation concerns working with Juwel and Titan series ploughs with OptiStone, according to the company. Thanks to a special attachment on the frame, these ploughs with hydraulic overload protection can also be equipped with the FlexPack to achieve good reconsolidation in rocky soils and restore the capillarity of the soil structure for an optimally prepared seedbed. The rings have also been updated. These are now attached to the carrier via spring steel elements so that the FlexPack can also be used successfully in heavy soils. They can deflect upwards as well as sideways if they encounter stones or coarse clods and therefore ensure trouble-free work. Larger ring bearings additionally ensure high stability. The pressure load of the FlexPack is infinitely adjustable. The new FlexPack will be available in limited quantities in 2024.
Mounted Koralin
After the semi-mounted version, Lemken now presents a low-draught mounted version of the Koralin, which makes this machine accessible to a larger number of farms. Thanks to its full-width tine section, the Koralin is suitable for both ultra-shallow tillage and mechanical weed control that cuts weeds across the full working width.
The Koralin works with a three-point linkage and its three rows of tines are arranged symmetrically with a 30cm tine spacing over a working width of 6.6m. Its 38cm-wide DeltaCut shares guarantee shallow tillage across the full width from a working depth of only two centimetres. In contrast to conventional spring tine cultivators, the shares are rigidly mounted and therefore maintain their working depth precisely. The tines are secured with shear bolts but can also be equipped with automatic overload protection. Depth control is taken care of hydraulically via a double-acting control valve. The hydraulic cylinders of the laterally and centrally arranged depth control wheels are intelligently connected for this purpose. The Koralin delivers excellent, water-conserving performance, according to Lemken, during the first and second stubble breaking. It is additionally suitable for incorporating catch crops and for weed control before sowing, for example. It will go into its first series production in spring 2024.
Camera for monitoring cultivator share wear
In December 2022, Lemken invested in Dutch ag-tech company, Track 32 to work on future technologies. In September 2023, the partnership launched iQblue tool monitoring. This is a system for detecting tool breakage and wear and analysing the wear of cultivator shares. The camera system monitors the shares and automatically records their current condition while working at the headland. It therefore provides farmers with a valuable decision-making aid for changing and buying spare parts, according to Lemken. iQblue tool monitoring is the first system on the market that ensures objective assessment even in difficult conditions. The system comprises a camera, which takes a large number of individual images of the tine section on a three-metre-wide cultivator while working at the headland.
A software algorithm evaluates the condition of the shares, which is then displayed on the Isobus terminal via a traffic-light system. Extensively worn shares are shown in red, while damaged shares are marked in yellow and intact shares in green. Based on this information, the system calculates not only future wear but also the point in time at which it makes sense to replace the shares. If necessary, users can retrieve the current tool status at any time.