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Swath after swath
with no need to get off
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MACHINERY
Fella TS 7850 Pro
Field test
Swath after swath with no need to get off
2
The TS 7850 Pro dual-rotor side rake has a compact structure and impressively short set-up and take-down times. Learn how the machinery
fares in the heat of things in our field test.
By Michael SCHERR, LANDWIRT Editor
Fella was one of the first German manufacturers to build single-rotor rakes, starting production as early as the 1960s. Now the company boasts a complete product range stretching from light Alpine machinery with a working width of 3.40 m to four-rotor rakes with
a width of 12.50 m. The newest machines in
the Fella rake family are the two dual-rotor
side rakes: The TS 7850 and the TS 7850 Pro
with a chassis. These two forage harvesters
with a maximum working width of 8.40 m
were first unveiled by Fella at Agritechnica
2013. The Feucht-based grassland technology
company gave us a preproduction version of
their TS 7850 Pro during the last harvesting
season for us to field test.
The standard TS 7850 is operated by cable
pulls and the raking height of the machine is
adjusted by two hand cranks on the two rotors.
On the model we tested, the TS 7850 Pro, the
farmer also has control over all of the rake settings from the comfort of the tractor cab, using
an electronic operation panel. In addition, the
model we tested was fitted with a second
swath cloth for forming two individual swaths
and a spare wheel.
Short downtimes
Coupling the Fella TS 7850 Pro to the tractor
and getting it ready for use takes only a few
hand movements. All the farmer has to do is
LANDWIRT
1 / 2015
The raking height
of the rotors is
hydraulically adjusted
from inside the cabin.
A clear scale on
the rotors shows the
height of the rake
bodies.
fix the lower link catch hooks to the mounting
frame, connect up the drive shaft and hydraulic
hoses, and connect the two-pin plug for the
power supply to the towing vehicle. Last but
not least, the operating terminal needs to be
passed into the driver's cabin and the stand
moved into the transport position. In order to
fold out the two rotors, the hydraulic system
can be engaged once working mode has been
preselected on the operating terminal. The operation panel is compact and the settings are
CamControl
cam track adjustment
clearly marked. We liked the fact that all of
the functions could be performed effortlessly
compared to conventional cable-pull operating
systems. When turning, first the front and then
the rear rotors are raised fully. The lifting speed
of the rotors can be adjusted using the flow
control valve on the rake. If the farmer presses
the transport button on the terminal, the rake
folds back up to a width of 2.96 m using the
hydraulic system, making the vehicle suitable
for travelling on the road. The fact that the
swath cloth automatically swings with the folding mechanism is a particularly practical feature, saving the operator time and effort. The
transport height of this rake is slightly over
4 m, but if the farmer removes the three uppermost tine arms, this is reduced to 3.60 m.
The tine arms are quick and easy to remove,
meaning that the TS 7850 Pro has a short
downtime when changing from the working
to the transport position.
CamControl cam track
adjustment system
The centrepiece of the TS 7850 Pro is the
CamControl hydraulic cam track adjustment
system. It consists of a hydraulic cylinder on
Short set-up
and take-down times
LANDWIRT Tip
Additional pictures
and the demonstration video for
the TS 7850 Pro
field test can be
found at:
www.landwirt.com/
landtechnik
Easy to use
The TS 7850 Pro is quick
to connect and disconnect
thanks to its lower link
hitch. As both rotors fold
inwards, only the three
uppermost tine arms have
to be removed before the
machinery can be transported by road.
LANDWIRT
1 / 2015
3
MACHINERY
The specifications at a glance
Machine type
Working width (single swath/two individual swaths)
Transport length
Transport width
Transport height
Weight
Rotor diameter
Tine arms per rotor
Double tines per tine arm (front/rear)
Required hydraulic connections
List price with standard specifications incl. VAT
List price with specifications of model tested incl. VAT
Fella TS 7850 Pro
7.80 m/8.40 m
8.54 m
2.96/2.80 m*
3.60 m
2.450 kg
3.60 m
13
4/5
1 x DAV with floating position
35,760 €
36,542 €
*Transport width of the standard TS 7850
The raising speed of the rotors and the pivot speed of the
swath former are adjusted using the flow control valves
on the machinery.
The tine arms are quick and easy to fit to the rotor head.
Changing the position of a handle on each rotor changes
between single- and two-swath deposition.
each of the rotor bodies. If the farmer raises
both of the rake bodies in the headland, the
cylinders turn the cam tracks until the tines
are brought into a passive working position,
reaching a ground clearance of 50 cm. In addition, with the tine arms set flat, they glide
over swaths in the area and will not destroy
them if the ground clearance proves
insufficient at any point. If both of the rakes
are lowered at the edge of the field, the cam
track is reset and the tines are reactivated. This
setup proved a particularly good solution
when harvesting hay, as the high swaths in
the headland remain mostly intact when doing
so.
8.40 m. In order to use this function, the rotors
are moved into the transport position. Afterwards, changing the swath setting is as simple
as changing the position of the two handles
on the two rotors. On request, the manufacturer offers a hydraulic adjustment option
here as well: The swath deposition can be
changed from inside the cab of the tractor. The
optional central swath cloth is moved from its
working mode to its transport mode and vice
versa using a coupling mechanism. The central
cloth must be used when depositing two
swaths; if not, the second
swath can easily grow too large where large quantities of
LANDWIRT assessment table
forage are being worked. Fur+ Low design
thermore, when harvesting
+ High ground coverage
hay, it is important to note that
+ Easy to use
the broad rotors can produce
+ High efficiency
+ Short set-up/take-down times
large (overnight) swaths that
+ Efficient on slopes
are difficult to separate with
+ Easy to maintain
rotor tedders, where this is re+ Low demands on tractor
quired. The TS 7850 Pro will
+ Hydraulic cam track
form uniform swaths regardadjustment
less of whether it is driven at
high or low speed. The few
– Raking on hilly terrain
maintenance points are easily
– Travel on narrow roads
accessible and clearly visible.
Single- and two-swath deposition
The rake rotors have a diameter of 3.60 m.
There are 13 arms with four double tines at
the front and 13 arms with five double tines
at the back. The rotor arms are tangentially
arranged and maintenance-free thanks to their
ball bearings. Single swath deposition has a
working width of 7.80 m. However, the operator can also form two small individual
swaths as standard with the TS 7850 Pro. The
maximum working width in this instance is
LANDWIRT
1 / 2015
C
C
4
MACHINERY
In the field, the chassis scores on its good trailing characteristics and high stability
when raising the rotors.
All photos: Scherr
In the transport
position, the width
is just under 3 m.
The transport height
is 3.60 m without
the uppermost tine
arms.
5
operation panel and then carried out by the
hydraulic system. A clear scale on the rotors
shows the height of the rake bodies.
Consistent raking quality
Manoeuvrable chassis
We were thoroughly satisfied with the raking quality of the TS 7850 Pro. The fully cardanic rotor suspension ensures the rake bodies
adapt well to both longitudinal and transverse
inclinations, independently of the frame. The
suspension is supported by a six-wheel contact-sensing chassis with tandem axles. We did
have problems with the ground adaptation
over very hilly terrain, with the rakes leaving
some areas of forage untouched due to their
large diameter. There were also difficulties
using the machinery in extreme forage conditions. Particularly when operating the machinery with large amounts of wet forage,
material from the rear rotor was repeatedly
thrown back over the swath to the area that
had already been worked. The situation improved when we adjusted the time at which
the tines withdraw from the swath via the cam
track, but it did not completely rectify the
issue. The cam track can be altered without
tools. The overlap of the rotors is sufficient,
leaving no forage unworked, even on corners.
However, turning in too tight a circle, particularly in smaller areas of forage, can cause
the tines to scrape along the ground. Raising
and lowering both of the rotors in the headland
worked without damaging the sward or soiling
the forage. The tandem wheels on the rotors,
which are curved towards the back, proved
an effective solution as their positioning avoided driving over the forage. We were also impressed by the hydraulic height adjustment of
the rake. This is easily preselected using the
The rake's transport chassis is controlled by
the positive stub axle steering, integrated into
the frame of the machine, that always keeps
the transport wheels exactly behind the
tractor's tracks. In addition, the steering system
makes the machinery reasonably agile despite
its considerable full length of 8.50 m. On sloping terrain, the chassis scores on its good trailing characteristics and high stability when raising the rotors. The steering cannot be locked
when travelling on the road, making it necessary to take particular care avoiding obstacles
on narrow roads.
■
Conclusion
The TS 7850 Pro dual-rotor side rake
from Fella is a user-friendly machine and
can be connected to the tractor quickly.
The hydraulic CamControl cam track adjustment is a useful technical solution in
the headland. We were very impressed by
its ground coverage, short downtimes and
efficiency on slopes. The equipment hits
its operational limits when raking small
areas because of its working width of up
to 8.40 m. In addition, the large rotor diameter means that raking quality suffers on
very hilly terrain. The machine's chassis
ensures a tight turning circle on the field
but should not be underestimated in road
travel.
LANDWIRT
1 / 2015
FELLA-Werke GmbH | Fellastraße 1-3 | D-90537 Feucht | www.fella.eu
CamControl
adjusting
CamControl – adjus
ting the cam track
CamControl
track
FELLA
CamControl – the hydraulic
hydraulic cam tr
ack adjustment system from FELL
A – gives
you a huge amount of ground clearance
headland
clearance at the he
adland when rraising
aising the
rotors.
necessary
rotors
headland
rotors. It is not nec
essary tto
o switch off the rot
ors in the he
adland position.
to drive over
over large sw
aths without any problem, eeven
ven with large
It is possible to
swaths
forage. A
rake maintains its low ccentre
entre of
quantities of forage.
Att the same time, the rake
gr
avity and therefore
therefore enables safe
safe turning even
even on hilly terrain.
terrain.
gravity
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can the QR
QR Code
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Scan
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to see
www.fella.eu/en/1399_1922.htm
how you can clear
clear the sw
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swath
style
with the Fella
Fella C
amControl system
CamControl