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The Novacat 302 rear mower/conditioner in action.
Shane and Marie Donovan of Taihape needed to replace their combination mowers, with a pre-requisite that the replacements could deal with ground steep and rough.
After plenty of research they decided to buy Pottinger, which now looks like a smart decision.
The 301 Alpha Motion front and Novacat 302 rear mower conditioners excel in such conditions. The Alpha Motion offers 600mm of vertical travel and 16 degree of lateral oscillation, which combines with superior headstock geometry to bring the weight closer to the tractor for safe operation on the steeper areas.
At the rear, the centre pivot 302 unit supports a cutterbar that is even over the entire cutting width, while benefiting from a 45 degree range of movement, which helps achieve a clean finish on rough terrain.
Interestingly, typical forward speeds have increased by up to 4km/h, fuel use is down and higher daily work rates are being achieved without compromising quality of work.
“This is because of the slim profile of the cutter bar, combined with the low profile discs that cause only low drag resistance, and smooth crop flow into the conditioner unit,” says David Donnelly, managing director of Origin Agroup, the national distributor.
As an added benefit, the cutterbar layout has three drive teeth in constant mesh, which achieves high strength, long service and low noise characteristics. All this leads to peace of mind and better conditions for the operator.
During the evaluation process the Donovans carefully considered their choice of conditioner unit fitted to the mowers, especially because they have to deal with high volumes of lucerne gently to avoid leaf loss, and they must cope with the hard river stones prevalent in their area.
The Extra Dry tine conditioner chosen is fitted with rubber mounted, V-shaped steel tines, which flex if they hit an obstacle, yet are rigid enough to provide an even, positive flow of crop against the adjustable conditioning plate to achieve the desired result.
The Donovans sum up their switch to Pottinger as “a win-win”. “Not only in the increased productivity and reduced running costs, but customers are telling us this is the best mowing job they’ve ever had.”
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