Amazone has announced two new trailed models in its Precea precision seeder range. The 9000-TCC and 12000TCC offer working widths of 9m and 12m respectively, with high-performance overpressure singulation and large tank capacities with the Central Seed Supply delivery system.
The central hopper has a capacity of 2,000 litres, with seed carried from the hopper to the singling units pneumatically. For each row, the seed is held in a reception unit, with the air stream being shut off once this is full, and automatically starting up again when seed is required.
For the simultaneous application of fertiliser, the TCC uses a twin-chamber hopper with a total volume of 6,000 litres. Each chamber has its own metering unit and distributor head for half-width shut off as standard, and fertiliser is placed via the FerTeC twin HD fertiliser coulters. The relationship between seed and fertiliser sowing depths is set only once, with fertiliser placement being automatically adjusted when seed placement is changed.
PreTeC singling units are used for singulation, with the seed pressed against the singling disc by the air pressure. This is said to significantly reduce the power consumption of the electric drives on each row. Automatic SmartControl stripper finger adjustment is coupled with optical sensors to prevent any misses or doubles, and the singling disc turns in relation to the forward speed to maintain seed spacing.
Furrow formers are used to manage seed placement, with hydraulically adjustable coulter pressure to ensure uniform depth. As an option, Amazone also offers the SmartForce automatic coulter pressure regulation, which maintains a set contact force and adjusts as soil conditions change.
The ElectricDrive metering system allows the seed rate to be set via the ISOBUS terminal and enables rate control via GPS and field mapping. In addition, SectionControl is available to reduce seed numbers in awkwardly shaped fields.
This system also makes it possible to maintain accurate seed placement across the entire working width, even when travelling around bends. A yaw sensor is used to calculate the difference between the forward speed on the inside and outside of the bend, informing the CurveControl system which then adjusts the speed of each singling disc.
The Precea-TCC is offered with 12 or 16 rows for row widths of 70cm, 75cm or 80cm, with the option of a telescopic axle to allow the position of the oversized tyres to be adjusted to run between seed rows.
Amazone plans to continue developing the range, with medium-term plans to introduce new models for closer-spaced row crops, offering row widths of 45cm and 50cm with 18 or 24 rows.
For more information go to www.amazone.co.uk