Did you know that there’s a 30,000ha strip between the former East and West German border still contaminated with unexploded munitions from the Cold War? And did you also know that tractors and their operators on military training sites regularly encounter dud bombs? Hence the demand for ReboRack. The tractor certainly looks the part in its graphite grey livery, with its boxy steel cab replacing the standard operator accommodation on a John Deere 6R that also gains extra armour elsewhere. As well as being a Deere dealer in Germany’s Lower Saxony region, the Rebo business provides special-build tractor conversions for various municipal operations.
One of the more unusual tractors at the last Agritechnica was a John Deere called the ReboRack. This specialist conversion has the tough task of tilling soils that are littered with unexploded munitions. We visited the armoured ReboRack tractor and the 5,000ha testing facility of Rheinmetall, also located in Lower Saxony, where it develops and tests military equipment and ammunition. The company also makes automotive components such as friction bearings and complex engine assemblies, specialising in developing and manufacturing armoured cabs for firms such as MAN and Liebherr. It was this side of the business that came up with the armoured cab for the ReboRack.
Previously, conventional tractors had been used for all sorts of jobs in military training areas, carrying out tasks such as verge trimming and clearing fire breaks; the danger was when one of these machines encountered an unexploded device in the test area. Up to recently the main operator protection came from lining implements such as flail toppers with armoured steel plates.
For more up-to-date farming news and reviews click here and subscribe now to profi for just £3.99 an issue
