Or, more appropriately, hello Blue Bird because Rabe’s tine/disc cultivator has yet to make it to UK shores. Potential buyers won’t have to wait for long, though, with Rabe importer WestMac planning to bring the Blue Bird over in time for next year’s drilling campaign. profi’s pre-launch test gives an insight into what will be on offer
If the 1999 cultivation kit year is remembered for anything, it will be for the re-emergence of the tine/disc cultivator. At Cereals ’99, for example, Amazone, Burdens and Tri-Ag all exhibited new examples of a breed that has been brought dramatically back into prominence by the interest in minimal tillage
So it comes as little surprise to learn that Rabe is about to launch its own version, the Blue Bird, on to the UK market. A range of working widths will be available – 2.6m to 6m – although for test purposes we concentrate on the mass market 3m GH 3000.
In simple terms, the Blue Bird layout follows what has become a familiar tine/disc design, two rows of winged tines heading up an outfit that also incorporates a row of discs and a following rear crumbler roller. The roller takes care of depth control hence representing something of a departure for Rabe which traditionally uses a side wheel to maintain in-work depth settings. Our particular test model sported the firm’s 54cm diameter crumbler roller and tipped the scales
at 1,070kg.
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