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XtraBlatt issue 02-2016

  • Text
  • Krone
  • Straw
  • Machinery
  • Agricultural
  • Forage
  • Harvest
  • Menschen
  • Alfons
  • Enterprise
  • Rotor

MENSCHEN INTERNATIONAL

MENSCHEN INTERNATIONAL RUBRIK 1 8-ROW HARVESTING WITH 750 HP His harvesters can call on between 650 to 750 HP. More is not necessary while less is also not desired. “The power output suits our 8-row maize headers well. On the one hand, we need to maintain a certain speed during the harvest so that the trucks in second gear can keep up with the harvesters. On the other hand, we want enough time for silage to be optimally processed by the machine. This means the chopped stalks should be split open and every corn shattered”, says the contractor, adding: “The harvesters are fitted with 28-knife drums. I like these drums best because one knife is always on the shear bar so capital damage to the drum is not to be expected.” The drum is combined with a conditioner featuring two rollers with respectively 123 and 105 teeth and an individual roller speed difference of 30%. Distance between these rollers is set at a maximum 1 mm. “This combination has proved optimal for our operations. Right through the system we use only heavy duty or chromed wearing parts and components. As mentioned, there’s no rain here and the crops get very dusty which leads to extreme wear in the machine.” Silage is carted off by truck as well as tractor and trailer. “In total, we use 11 trucks, plus tractors. During silage harvest we usually work with two complete teams. Where fields are all together around a farm, tractor and trailer is the best rig. From journeys of 5 km upwards we bring increasingly more trucks into the harvest chain”, explains Wiebren Jonkman. Why doesn’t he apply only trucks, like many of his colleagues do? “We use the tractors on the farm anyway, because we spread slurry. I want to apply the tractors as efficiently as possible to lower operating costs.” He estimates tractor diesel consumption per tonne carted at just the same as his trucks because the tractor rigs can carry much more per journey. “Our wagon volume is 60 m 3 . The smaller truck can carry half this and our articulated ones 50 m 3 ”. 60 T ON THE CLAMP Working at the silage clamp are four tractors, a conventional and three with articulated steering and 335 to 500 HP. As a rule, two tractors work on the clamp which is normally “drive over” design. Attached to the front hydraulic arms of the clamp tractors are bulldozer blades for pushing and levelling. Ballasted dual tyres are fitted. The articulated steerers get additional ballasting taking operating weight to around 30 t. 30

3 2 Most farm contractor firms in California specialise in one service such as silage making. But the Diamond J enterprise has another business philosophy: “With specialists, the customer has to arrange a separate contractor for each job. We, on the other hand, offer to do everything. We build up trust and bind the customer to us long-term. This is our success recipe.” Wife Luciana plays a role in this concept, being an independent livestock feed adviser. “We can thus offer our customers a complete package – from drilling through to harvest – and, when desired, inclusive of feeding advice,” says Wiebren Jonkman, neatly summing up his enterprise portfolio. 1 Nothing grows in Central Valley without irrigation. Maize fields are flooded during the growing period. 14 days before harvest, irrigation is stopped. The ground dries out and can then be driven over by trucks. 4 2 Two tractors compact silage on the clamp. The Case articulated steerer tips the scales at around 30 t. 3 In July this year, Luciana and Wiebren Jonkman took over a neighbouring dairy farm with 900 cows and followers. The milk from the Jersey cattle all goes for cheesemaking. 4 On average, Wiebren Jonkman harvests 66 t fresh maize silage per ha. Customers put great value on getting every grain cracked into at least four parts. 31