Rabe SpeedBird semi-mounted cultivator The name of this 7.50m wide, semi-mounted cultivator suggests high work rates. To see just how high and what’s in store for potential SpeedBird users, we landed it in a field of stubble
Rabe’s ProfiBird semi-mounted cultivators span working widths of 3m-6m. Now there’s an even bigger fledgling in the nest in the shape of the SpeedBird, which tops out the line at 7.50m. And it’s not just a wider version of the originals, but a new development, bringing with it the following:
■ Fresh frame design
■ Choice of tine points
■ Flexible tine spacing
■ Choice of levelling tools or discs
■ Full range of presses of up to 800mm diameter.
The main frame is made up of a pair of massive and close-spaced longitudinal beams, which carry a 3m wide central line bank and provide mountings for two 2.25m folding wings. The beams themselves are a closed, triangulated design whose pent-roof cross-section build aims to increase stiffness and shed dirt. Using paired main beams rather than a wider conventional frame does mean that the implement sways a lot when it’s out of work, and Rabe UK says that to minimise this, the tractor’s linkage stabilisers need to be adjusted to allow only around 13mm movement on each side.
The tine bank frames are constructed from box-section steel, turned through 90° to present a diamond profile. Rabe says this boosts stiffness to the point that diagonal bracing isn’t needed, which explains why it’s possible to order the machine with different tine numbers. Users can also vary the tine count to suit different tractor powers and working conditions, as each tine is attached by six bolts. Although this won’t be the work of a few minutes, at least the possibility is there.
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