Mechanised sugarcane production

Mascor’s recent open day in Pietermaritzburg included some interesting cane-farming equipment.

Mechanised sugarcane production
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Mascor has branches in most of the sugarcane- growing areas of South Africa. The company imports and distributes equipment specifically aimed at this market.

John Deere CH330 cane harvester:
The 4WD JD CH 330’s unique 45° articulated frame steering system makes it practical for areas not fully prepared for mechanised harvesting: it can operate in small lands with heavy crops, narrow row spacing and limited headlands. In addition, the crop dividers and topper pivot with the front section, so that the CH330 does not have to be aligned like a conventional harvester and can be driven straight into the crop.

It has a 148kW John Deere 6,8-litre Power Tech engine and the permanent 4WD ‘Shift on the go’ transmission has three speed ranges. The Doble TT Colosus 10.000 self-dumping cane wagon from Argentina, seen in the foreground, is lifted and tipped with electro-hydraulic controls to discharge the hopper contents.

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Doble TT Neozaf EOZAF:
This automatic chopped cane planter performs up to seven tasks in one pass, avoiding the compaction caused by multiple operations. It opens the furrow, plants the seed cane chopped by the harvester, applies fungicide or growth promoter, places granular fertiliser, covers and seals the furrow and applies liquid fertiliser at speeds of between 8km/h and 12km/h.

Doble TT FertiMax:
The Fertimax applies fertiliser accurately at a depth of up to 200mm. The stainless steel hopper has a capacity of 1 000kg and there is a loading platform for operator safety. Fertiliser is discharged by means of an orbital hydraulic motor with a flow regulator providing 10 speeds. Overall width: 4m; transport width: 3m.

Doble TT Super Heavy Aradora:
This hinged offset disc harrow, which requires a tractor of approximately 135kW, has twenty 711mm x 8mm discs spaced at 270mm intervals. Weight per disc is a massive 170kg and the axles, or gang bolts, are 50,8mm in diameter. The gang angle is adjusted by means of a hydraulic cylinder. Total weight: 3 550kg; working width: 2,7m.

John Deere 1111:
This planter is capable of high-speed precision planting yet has low power requirements. It is easy to adjust and built to work in the most severe planting conditions. It is suitable for all soil types and can be used in no-till operations, even with large amounts of crop residue. The JD 1111 has 10 rows spaced at 450mm or 500mm, the fertiliser hopper capacity is 1 440kg, and the seed boxes each hold 50kg. Transport width: 5,7m. Depending on soil conditions and working depth, the JD 1111 requires a 80kW to 110kW tractor.

John Deere S670:
The JD S670 combine harvester is powered by a six-cylinder John Deere nine-litre 278kW engine and has a 10 600l capacity grain tank. The single rotor design is simple and reliable, with few moving parts. This results in lower power consumption, less wear and fewer parts to maintain. There are, in fact, no daily grease points on an S-Series combine.