Pöttinger unveils Mergento VT belt rake

Pöttinger has added another new product to its grassland range: the Mergento VT 9220 belt-type rake. With working widths of up to 9.20 meters for a central swath and 8.70 meters for a side swath, it is designed for alfalfa, clover, and a wide variety of crops from permanent grassland to straw.

The Mergento collects forage using the pick-up. Meanwhile, dirt and stones remain on the ground. Without further contact with the ground, cross conveyor belts transport the forage to the swath. Especially with leafy, dry crops, the belt rake minimizes disintegration losses because the forage is not raked across the ground. The overall result is more energy, more crude protein and less crude ash in the forage.

Optimum crop flow

Heart of the Mergento is the conveyor unit. The coordinated system ensures a consistent flow of forage and perfectly formed swaths even with short crop material. The conveyor unit consists of the pick-up, crop press roller and the cross conveyor belt.

The six-row controlled pick-up delivers maximum collection performance with minimum forage contamination. The crop is gently collected from the ground by the successive pick-up tines and fed to the cross conveyor belt. The cam track makes the tines retract just before the belt. The transfer point is 120 mm higher than the cross conveyor belt. This allows the forage to fall freely onto the conveyor belt. In addition, the flow of crop pushes the forage onto the belt. The conveyor unit also operates reliably when driving downhill and with a short cut crop. The chassis rollers are positioned very close to the point the tines contact the crop and ensure perfect ground tracking. The complete freedom of movement provided by the center pivot mounting of the belt units ensures constant weight alleviation over the entire working width. It is also the basis for 3D ground tracking. The design of the boom with three hydraulic cylinders reacts in a split second to any bumps in the ground. In the center-swath mode, the vertical freedom of movement is +475 mm to -195 mm while lateral float is +30 degrees to -13 degrees. The inclination in the direction of travel can move from +11.5 to -0 degrees.

The Mergento switches the cross conveyor belts off automatically at the headland, and start running automatically at the beginning of the next pass. This system guarantees each swath starts and finishes tidily. It also saves time because there is no need to empty the cross conveyor belt at the end of the swath. The delay time for switching the conveyor belts on and off can be conveniently adjusted using the terminal in the tractor cab.

Convenient and flexible

The direction of rotation and position of the two cross conveyor belts can be adjusted from the comfort of the tractor cab. Depending on the shape of the field, the volume of forage and the follow-up harvesting machine, the new Mergento can place a center swath, swaths to the left or right, two single swaths, convey from the inside out, and even load forage for a short period.