Volvo Penta is the exclusive engine partner to SILOKING. (Image source: Volvo Penta)

Machines by German feed mixer manufacturer, SILOKING Mayer Maschinenbau GmbH have been selling like hotcakes following their integration of Volvo Penta’s D5 and D8 engines across their SelfLine self-propelled range, ahead of the Stage IV emissions legislation

According to SILOKING’s senior director Procurement Karl-Michael Stieglbauer, the two companies have now delivered more than 3000 SelfLine feed mixers, with more than 50% of those being powered by Volvo Penta. Moreover, changing out the engine took just 10 months, thanks to strong support from Volvo Penta. 

The collaboration and engine design boasts the advantage of simplifying the process of meeting diverse power output requirements for different climate zones and worldwide emissions regulations. The consistent basic footprint of D5 and D8 engines as they evolve to meet next emissions steps – from Stage IIIA to forthcoming Stage VI, and China IV – helps reduce development time for new machines and facilitates SILOKING’s market expansion with minimal modifications. 

Extensive parts commonality between the D5 and D8 engines also benefits both OEMs and customers in terms of ease and cost optimisation. Moreover, the pre-mounted delivery of these engines with the cable harness and the plug-and-play design of the exhaust system significantly reduces installation time and costs. 

Initial engine installations received greater fine-tuning to ensure optimal operation with the mixers’ hydraulics, resulting in a highly efficient driveline. In top-tier SelfLine models with multiple high-pressure circuits and an open hydraulic circuit, the engine needed various PTO connections. The alignment of engine maintenance with the 1000 operating hour requirements for the rest of the machine, greatly reduces maintenance time and costs, while also promoting higher machine availability. 

Dialing in the ideal amount of high torque at low RPM enables the feed mixers to cope with high peak loads when milling. The Volvo Penta engines also produce fewer vibrations at a noise level of just 70.6 dB(A) for more cattle-friendly operations, while consuming less fuel. Working with electronic monitoring and assistance systems such as SILOKING’s data weighing system, the engine automatically reverts to idle speed after mixing concludes. 

“The strong cooperation between SILOKING’s R&D department and Volvo Penta’s application engineers has resulted in a class-leading range of vehicles, with a purpose-built drivetrain that is far more suited to the task at hand,” concluded Industrial sales manager at Volvo Penta, Tim Hansen.

For more information, visit: https://www.siloking.com/en and https://www.volvopenta.com

Leveraging BeCrop technology, stakeholders can proactively monitor and manage soil conditions and accomplish company goals. (Image source: Biome Makers)

Biome Makers Inc. will be announcing new updates to its BeCrop technology in an exclusive webinar scheduled to take place on 29 November

New Holland CR11 wins Best Combine Harvester. (Image source: CNH)

CNH on 12 November, announced that its brands had won the most medals at the Farm Machine 2024 awards which took place at the Agritechnica show in Hanover, Germany

AI makes watering decisions based on the field environment. (Image source: NEC Corporation)

Kagome Co., Ltd., NEC Corporation and DXAS Agricultural Technology LDA have commercially introduced an agricultural ICT platform, ‘CropScope,’ to large-scale tomato fields in northern Italy and Portugal

The platform which combines AI farming advice and automatic irrigation control functions, is compatible with pulse drip irrigation, a cultivation method in which the amount of water and fertiliser required by a crop is given in many portions, and the optimum amount of soil moisture for the crop is maintained. 

By expanding the areas in which CropScope is introduced, the three companies aim to contribute to sustainable agriculture by promoting environmentally friendly and profitable farming. They have also confirmed reproducibility and are effectively responding to water shortages at farming sites, which are challenges faced around the world.

Results from a field trial of CropScope in northern Italy found that using the technology helped increase yield by about 23% with about 19% less irrigation, compared to a field that did not introduce the platform. It was confirmed that this system would produce good results even in new cultivation environments where climates, soil, etc. differed from those in the regions where CropScope was previously introduced. 

The three companies plan to incorporate the knowledge gained from this initiative into the machine-learning of CropScope, and to improve the accuracy of AI farming advice and strengthen solutions by repeating field trials and increasing reproducibility. In addition, DXAS will reinforce its support for agricultural management by spreading this service to the worldwide processing tomato market.

"Congratulations to CropScope and its cutting-edge technology, in collaboration with agronomist instructions, the platform has obtained meaningful results from this campaign in fields of significant size,” said CEO of Herdade do Caldas in Portugal, João Geada. “The industrial tomato crop is one of the most difficult to produce, especially in the current unstable farming environment, which is why the support provided by CropScope is so needed for daily control of fields.”

For more information, visit: https://www.nec.com