LOCAL farmers seeking to stimulate the drying of their crops now have access to the Kubota TE4052 tedder, a haymaking implement which allows the crop to be turned and spread fluffier.
Erik Roelofs, International Product Manager at Smith Power Equipment said the new tedder is ideal for making hay very dry or hayledge dry.
“The concept of a tedder is known in South Africa. In some areas where time-windows for harvest are small, tedders provide a workable solution for drying hay. However, the implement might not be used every time the farmer harvests, but only when it’s needed. It enables the farmer to react to given circumstances and weather patterns,” Roelofs said.
He added that the TE4052’s width is the most preferred in the tedder market. The model, with a 5,2 m working width, is able to effectively pick up two swads of the most sold Kubota DM2024 and DM2028 disc mowers.
With relatively big rotors and six tine arms, the tedder is capable of dealing with heavy and long crops in the country. The driver can fold or unfold the tedder with one double acting spool valve from his tractor seat, without any need to vacate the seat.
Roelofs said the TE4052 meets all five key selling points for implements. First, it comes with durable tines – super-C tines of 9mm shot-peened spring steel, as well as big 68mm coils for extreme flexibility. Second, it has a heavy square frame of two U-sections and greaseable bush bearing on hinges.
“Third, the TE4052 comes with a stable driveline, with double universal joints at the hinges for maximum lifetime. Another major talking point is the robust rotor drive, which ensures no load/torsion on the gearbox as it is not integrated in the frame. Finally, another value proposition is the easy setting. It comes with a pin-hole setting of the spreading angle and three possible settings of tine fixation.”
