DRIVING IMPRESSION: Over the years, Kockerling’s Allrounder Flatline has made a name for itself for shallow, full-width tilling. Now more models are being added to the range

The Allrounder name encapsulates several variations of cultivator in the Kockerling range, but they all have one thing in common — they rely on tines to do the ground-engaging work.

Up until now the Flatline version has only been available in 6.0m and 7.5m widths, but Köckerling is now adding a 9.0m model to help farmers cover more acres to mechanically control weeds, as German growers look for alternatives to glyphosate.

While some things are the same as on the smaller models, other aspects have changed, hence we caught up with one of the first of the new Flatline 900s last summer to take a closer look.

The spacing of the cuts remains the same at 13cm, and, when fitted with the 220mm wide points (which are available with or without hardened tips), there’s a decent 45mm overlap. Narrower points are also available as an alternative. We used the Allrounder to give some cereal stubble a primary shallow pass, working just 2-3cm deep. The results looked very good thanks to the standard twin spring design of the tine, which helps to maintain a consistent point depth.

Different middle frame
The main beams on the central frame have been reinforced to account for the increased working width and also meet the required dimensions for travelling on the road. The pivot points were positioned closer to the ground to help achieve a folded height of sub 4.0m. However, this has resulted in some compromises, namely the slim 8cm ground clearance to stay below 4.0m — in practice, operators will not drop the cultivator down as low.

In its transport position, the 2.20m wide central section sits below the main chassis, while the 3.80m wings fold up vertically. Compared with the smaller models, the tyres on the running gear have grown, the 550mm wide rubber being swapped out for 620/40 R22.5 wheels. The location of the running gear means the rear roller is offset; the central section is positioned slightly farther back, as shown in the main picture.

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