DRIVING IMPRESSION: New rakes bolster the high end of Claas’s twin-rotor Liner range. Will the 2900 (the second-biggest of five models) just cruise away, or will it founder on the rocks of a profi test? As an interesting aside we also check out the firm’s biggest single-rotor model, which isn’t currently available in the UK
Centre rakes have much in their favour — they deliver a uniform swath, have a low power requirement and are simple to use. As forage capacity goes up, rake capacity had better follow; so, to that end, Claas offers twin-rotor rakes that approach four-rotor models for width. The biggest of these units covers 10m in a pass, but the one that we concentrate on here — the 2900 — takes in up to 9m.
We teamed our 2900 with a 77kW/103hp Claas Arion 420. Attachment is via a horizontal U-frame and Cat II lower-link pins, an arrangement that lets the outfit turn at up to 80⁰; headstock markings suggest when enough is enough. On the road the rake is rated for 50km/hr travel, where for best stability it’s worth selecting the less aggressive of its two self-steering settings.
All the rake’s arms stay in place in transport, which has to be good news for operators. That’s achieved by lowering the rotors hydraulically once folded up, producing a sub-4m maximum height. The matching bad news is that ground clearance under the tines then comes down to 200mm, although that’s not the end of the world as you can lift the machine on the tractor’s linkage
For more up-to-date farming news click here and subscribe now to profi and save
