Väderstad ups the Tempo

Seeding expert, Väderstad, has released its range-topping L32 Tempo planter with 32 seeding units and an operating width of 12m in Australia.

CLAAS Harvest Centre Product Manager for Väderstad, Murray Tuck, said the unit is ideal for controlled traffic farming systems in Australia.

“Tempo is already famous for its ability to achieve outstanding precision at very high operating speeds,” he said.

“A Tempo L set a world record in 2017 by planting 502 hectares of maize in 24 hours – an average working speed of 20 to 22 km/h.

“This feat was impressive, not just in terms of its scale and speed, but also its accuracy.”

He added university researchers identified just 16 skips and 24 doubles in a sample of 6800 plants conducted two months after planting.

“The new L32 model maintains this accuracy but significantly increases its capacity to 12 metres,” Tuck said.

“The other thing to remember is that Tempo plants by individual seed, which can significantly reduce sowing rates whilst maintaining excellent emergence.”

The seeding units are set on 375mm (15 inch) row spacings, making them ideal for planting a wide range of winter and summer crops, including cereals, pulses, canola and maize.

“However, every second row of the machine can be hydraulically raised and disengaged, effectively doubling the row spacing,” Tuck said.

“This feature means producers can easily switch from planting canola or soy beans on a 375mm row spacing to say, planting maize on a 750mm row spacing.”

The Tempo L32 features a 3000-litre on-board seed hopper, but is designed to be used with a trailed air cart.

Options to go with the L32 include Väderstad’s Seed Hawk 660, which holds up to 23,000 litres of seed and fertiliser in three separate bins.

“This combination will provide enormous capacity for broadacre cropping operations,” Tuck said.

With the addition of the L32, the Tempo L series is now available in a wide range of mounted and trailed models from three to 12m with adjustable row spacing and fertiliser options to suit all planting requirements.

An optional small seed kit includes suspended stop wheels to produce an optimal seed-to-soil contact.

In addition, the angle of the closing wheels can be easily adjusted to provide a good closing of the seed trench at shallow planting depth.

All models feature Väderstad’s patented ‘PowerShoot’ technology, which controls the delivery of the seed all the way to its placement in the soil, eliminating the effects of gravity, vibrations and slopes.

Recent improvements include the addition of optional hydraulic weight transfer and floating row cleaning systems.

“The ability to increase or reduce pressure row units enables the operator to precisely adjust the machine to field conditions, thereby ensuring an even seed depth and uniform crop emergence,” Tuck said.

“Likewise, the floating row cleaner adapts to suit field conditions.”

Each row cleaner is mounted on a parallel linkage, enabling it to precisely follow the field surface.

The row cleaner is fitted with a self-cleaning rubber wheel that controls the depth setting of the row cleaner disc.

“With optimised working angles, the floating row cleaners are designed to perfectly match the speed and precision of the Tempo planter,” Tuck added.

All functions of the Tempo are controlled using the Väderstad’s E-Control iPad inside the tractor.

The Tempo planters can also be equipped with ISOBUS Task Controller, which enables GPS-controlled variable rate application and automatic section control.