Description

Pushing innovation in technology and machinery to the limit so that they can best meet the needs of farmers and agricultural contractors: that´s the goal of agricultural machinery manufacturer AVR. In August 2016, AVR is unveiling its most recent innovations in crop handling technology: the Cobra and Falcon. The Cobra is a store loader with a length of 15,  17 or 19 metres and a belt width of 80 cm. The Falcon is the new receiving hopper with a 2.4 m working width on the roller set and a length of 4.5 or 6 metres. Demonstrations are being held during the Potato Demo Day in Westmaas (NL) and Potato Europe in Villers-Saint-Christophe (FR).

Images here.

Continuous development, extensive testing

It is important for a manufacturer of agricultural machinery to engage in ongoing development work. The needs of farmers and agricultural contractors are constantly evolving, and their machines have to keep pace with them. “That brought us to the development of the Cobra and Falcon. Unique features include the 100% soft bunker floor of the Falcon and the Cobra’s unequalled capacity, thanks to its double drum motors.”, notes Sales & Marketing Manager Stefaan Dierickx. "To guarantee users an optimal product with which they can confidently and safely store their valuable crop, we do long and extensive field-testing of our prototypes. It is very important that you offer a well-designed product, with which you can handle potatoes in a fast and effective, as well as a potato-friendly manner.”

“When it came to naming them, we all thought about it together. Falcon is a strong name for a powerful, robust piece of machinery, and the opening side walls do look a bit like a bird’s spread-out wings… The Cobra name originated in the analogy between the form and movements of a cobra snake and those of the long store loader.”

Profitable crop handling with the Cobra store loader 

One of the new features of the Cobra is the hydraulic wheel drive. The counterweights are placed on the side so that there is no closing below the conveyor belt (to avoid soil accumulation). The control system (CAN bus) with touchscreen and robust keypad was developed from scratch by AVR.

The advantages in a nutshell:

• The conveyor belt is electrically-powered, so that less power is necessary for the same load.
• The machine is easily accessible for maintenance and inspection.
• A stable machine thanks to generously dimensioned counterweights on both sides.
• The open chassis prevents waste build-up below the conveyor belt.
• The retractable drawbar is easy to use.
• The continuously variable speed of the hydraulically-driven wheels ensures a uniform distribution and constant flow of potatoes in the storage unit.
• Twin filling hopper guarantees good connection even when the belt is sharply inclined. Because the hopper was conceived to be as compact (low) as possible, the drop height can also be kept to a minimum.
• The twin powertrain is configured in traction mode. Thanks to the double contact surface of the powertrain, the belt turns without slippage.
• The snub idlers near the motors, press the conveyor belt snugly against the drum of the powertrain so that there is 10-15% more contact surface.
• Wall and product sensors make semi-automatic filling possible. Filling between virtual walls (e.g. for more complex storage units) is also one of the possibilities.

Potato-friendly Falcon receiving hopper

The Falcon receiving hopper is available in several versions and with different roller variations, so that the user can virtually custom-tailor his machine.

The advantages in a nutshell:

• 100% gentle handling of the crop, because all steel parts are covered with soft rubber.
• Thanks to the capacity control, one can regulate a constant flow to the roller set.
• The floor chain has 19.2 tonnes of tractive power per chain.
• The speed can vary between 0.1 – 8.1 mtr/min. Thanks to the hydraulic drive, plenty of torque is available at low floor speed as well.
• Minimal drop height between the bunker floor and the roller set, and from the roller set to the product transport belt.
• The bunker floor is standard with a kink on the back so that the product is separated for a constant flow to the roller set. This increases the sieving capacity.
• Thanks to the flat inclination angle of the bunker floor, the product is easily transported upwards in a thick layer.
• The product transport belt is height adjustable and can also be slanted for more capacity.
• The diameter of the cleaning rollers is 90mm. These small rollers ensure that the product is easily transported over the roller set to the end, thus reducing damage to the product.
• The PU spiral roller set guarantees, in addition to an excellent screen capacity, a soft roller bed for the potatoes. The Boost function allows the roller set to clean itself.
• Thanks to the particular design of the shearing elements, the scrapers (in the case of smooth steel rollers) in every position are located vertically right below the roller, thus preventing build-ups.
• Thanks to the way the shearing elements were designed, the rollers can be quickly exchanged. So the right roller (or a combination thereof) can be used for each type of crop.
• In the event of two roller sets, a simply-designed lift set ensures that the pre-sorter unit can be disconnected.