How to increase productivity with the SIP pick-up rake?

SIP pick-up rake

SIP represent the cutting edge of swathing technology. The concept is based on the pa-tented flexible pick-up and conveyor belt. The system provides high performance work and significantly reduces contamination.

You will never drive over the cut grass or swaths

The main benefit of using a double combination of front and trailed unit is that you never drive over the cut grass/swaths with the tractor. Higher yield is ensured with this, as you don’t press the cut grass in the ground. Besides, the driver can pay more attention to the work and not so much to the driving. Synchronized drive system with one controller for both units provides comfortable handling of both devices. The front unit is connected to the hydraulic system of a trailed machine.

Less drag with the surface

The flexible pick-up system is equipped with rotating skids, whereas the system from the competition has rigid sliders. Rotating skids with the combination of hydro-pneumatic suspension are reducing the drag with the surface, preventing material from collecting on them. This feature is especially crucial on soft terrains. Rigid sliders on system without hydro-pneumatic suspension create much more drag with the surface, resulting material to collect on the skids on the soft fields.

The result is high-quality forage

The third important point is trailed tines integrated into the pick-up system. Trailed tines are a significant advantage on the stony fields providing two benefits for users: crop protection and safety. Trailed tines leave all stones in the surface.

Stones are not contaminating the forage, and besides, the system protects the tractor's cab not throwing rocks into it. The result is high--quality forage with reduced ash content important for high-quality milk production.

With the tines used on competitive machines, the pick-up device is lifting all kinds of rocks from the ground. Not only contaminating that the forage, but also too many rocks may hit the tractor’s cab putting a driver in high danger by not using additional safety cage a cab.

Leaves remain on a stem, is the fourth benefit of the AIR pick-up system. Combination of a small pick-up diameter and rotor above the pick-up will protect the crop against loss of leaves ensuring the high quality of the forage and bringing higher yield per hectare of land. On AIR pick-up system the small pick-up diameter immediately lifts the crop, whereas the rotor above the pick-up accelerates and gently spreads the hay on the conveyor belt. Forage is not contaminated with ash and leaves remain on stems. Before lifting the grass, a big pick-up diameter on comparable systems creates turbulence in the gap between the ground and the arch of the pick-up. Once the pick-up on competing systems lifts the crop, it is ejected aggressively in the air resulting in leaves to be separated from the stems. Lower yield and contaminated forage is the result of this effect.

Works efficiently on all kinds of crops

And last but not least important point is the multipurpose use of the AIR system. Thanks to the short distance between the tines in the pick-up device, the machine can work efficiently on all kinds of crops.

Specialty is a short crop – short grass or corn residues. Therefore the group of potential customers for the AIR system is even wider. Not only dairy farmers but also arable farmers can use AIR rakes or mergers. Besides grass, the SIP’s AIR system can be used for all kinds of crops like straw, corn residues, and even hemp.

To wrap up. Although the investment in the AIR pick-up rake looks like a high risk for a customer at the beginning, it is essential to convey a message about the higher yield per hectare to the potential customer. Higher operating speeds, efficient way of collecting forage and most importantly clean forage will create a higher added value for the user at the end of the day whether it's going to be a contractor or a farmer.

Better efficiency, clean forage guaranteed and less maintenance for a con-tractor on one side and better yield with healthy cows, and higher milk quality for farmers on the other.