Vicon unveiled the Andex 904 Hydro twin-rotor rake at Agritechnica 2013, and a number of examples were out working in the field last season. We caught up with one of the earlier 904s to roll off the manufacturer’s production line
With the pressure of a forager hot on their tail, some rake operators might be tempted to leave on those vulnerable upper tine arms for short runs on the road, which is all well and good until the rake snags on a low hanging branch. To speed up getting from transport to work, Vicon has added hydraulic rams to the Andex 904’s running gear, allowing the rake to squat down in its transport position and do away with the need to remove those upper tine arms. This extra hydraulic functionality is the reasoning behind the ‘Hydro’ tag in the model name.
Starting up at the front, the twin-rotor rake attaches via Cat II couplers and is powered via a Walterscheid wide angle pto, which is stored in a holder when parked. All hydraulic hoses and electric lines are well routed and stored in holders when not in use. The parking stand offers various pin-and-hole height options depending on the rake’s storage position with the chassis raised up or lowered.
A Bondioli and Pavesi gearbox resides down underneath the rectangular section frame, splitting the power and sending it along two Walterscheid shafts to drive the rotors on either side. These mount on Vicon’s Terra- Link Quattro bogies, which boast a unique detail: the bottom of the underside of the telescoping tubes has several openings cut into a diamond profile. This is referred to as the Terra-Link system and allows the telescoping tube to flex, optimising the bogie’s contour following ability in the direction of travel.
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