More options
HORSCH completely revised the disc harrow Joker RT. Since autumn 2019 it has already been available in 5 m and 6 m working width. With the Joker 8 RT there soon will be a version with 8 m working width.
The Joker disc harrow family is one of HORSCH’s guarantees for success and it is very popular among the customers all over the world. The Joker RT line comes with a new design and offers several upgrades. One excelling feature is that the new Joker RT can be completely configured according to the customers’ requirements. The customer can choose between a single or a double packer, drive without front support wheels, combined with the single packer or use the front tools knife roller or Crossbar. There are also several different packer versions available.
One of the most striking innovations of the Joker RT generation is the adapted working width. The effective working width is larger than indicated in the machine name – for the Joker 5 RT it amounts to 5.15 m. This is also true for the 6 RT: with the introduction of the new generation the effective working width is 6.15 m. In addition, the edge disc situation was simplified and optimised. Similar to the previous models it is possible to mount a side limitation disc. The optimised edge disc guarantees a level join to the neighbouring track. Moreover, it prevents the earth getting on the adjacent field or the neighbouring farm track. Due to the optimised edge disc, the boundary edge is exactly level.
Solid bearing system
Another highlight of the new Joker RT is the bearing unit that has been designed and developed by HORSCH which has proven its worth on a lot of fields all over the world. It meets the high requirements HORSCH has for a bearing system. Increased robustness and the capacity to carry high loads were the top priorities. The cassettes 4 seals also is our own development and offers an additional dirt protection. Together with our large double taper roller bearings we will have the most robust bearings on the compact disc harrow market. HORSCH continues to aim at improving the hub units attaching importance to an our own development and production. The disc section, too, was optimised. The new disc arm holder allows for an all-over cutting at an even lower working depth. Thus, the working range of every single disc has increased. As a standard, the compact disc harrow is equipped with discs with a diameter of 52 cm. The new CoverCrush disc is available as an alternative: Due to the well-thought-out wavy shape it crumbles the soil surface finely and incorporates catch crops exactly and precisely.
Front tools
Different optional front tools, here HORSCH offers the Crossbar for seedbed preparation or the hydraulically swivelling knife roller. The knife roller covers the whole working width, has a diameter of 300 mm and is equipped with six knives per roller. Due to the closed rotor design of the knife roller it is very robust. This increases stability considerably. The small diameter guarantees a high rotational speed and an additional crushing effect. It, thus, is ideal for incorporating and crushing rape, sunflower, silage maize stubbles and catch crops. The knife roller is hydraulically pre-loaded with up to 140 bar and damped via gas pressure accumulators. The solid front tool can be swivelled in or out as required. When it is swivelled in, the clearance of the knife roller amounts to 40 cm. A Crossbar is available as an alternative to the knife roller. It consists of spring tines that level longitudinally. This is particularly advantageous for seedbed preparation. The Crossbar can also be swivelled in and out hydraulically and is hydraulically pre-loaded. In addition, it is possible to equip the Joker 5 RT and 6 RT with one or two front support wheels. Double support wheels are recommended on light soils to increase the load bearing capacity of the machine.
If you take a closer look, you will notice that the transport wheels have been mounted behind the machine. So far, this has only been the case for the Joker RT Classic. This decision was taken deliberately to provide the customer with an option for seedbed preparation. The small disc spacing improves the crumbling effect and optimises the course of the earth flow.
Various packer versions
Quite a lot of different packer versions are available for the new Joker RT. In addition to two double packer versions the customer can choose from up to four single packer versions: double RingFlex packer, double RollPack packer or the single packer versions RollFlex packer, RingFlex packer, SteelDisc packer and the cage drum roller.
To counteract machine bouncing in the field, the new Joker RT, too, is equipped with the well-proven and patented HORSCH SoftRide system. This guarantees a 100 % smooth running in the field. While the machine is placed in field position, the chassis is retracted. At the same time, a nitrogen accumulator fills. When the chassis cylinder is moved again by 1 or 2 cm towards transport position and when the control device has been set to floating position, the pressure from the nitrogen accumulator is released. Any bouncing of the chassis which might be transferred to the basic machine is absorbed. Thus, the axle is hydraulically spring-loaded via the nitrogen accumulator. Moreover, the double packer can oscillate and can move feely to compensate for un-evenness’s in the field. The oscillating double packer evenly adapts to the working depths and guarantees a homogeneous consolidation.
On the headlands the new Joker RT turns on the packer over the whole working width to preserve the soil.
The Joker RT still is available fitted with the well-proven MiniDrill to sow catch crops. The cultivation of catch crops becomes more and more important. To meet these requirements, the MiniDrill is an easy option for the farmer to choose. It can be used for sowing seed mixtures and other seeds from 2 to 150 kg per hectare. Moreover, the system is fully ISOBUS-compatible and is based on the metering system of the HORSCH Pronto.
Enormous market potential for 8 m working width
In addition to the launch of the new Joker RT series in 5 and 6 m working width, HORSCH also works on an 8 m version that was clearly required by the customers. To meet these requirements the depth adjustment of the Joker 8 RT will be carried out differently as for the Joker 5 and 6 RT. The disc axles are turned to keep up a transport width of 3 m and a transport height of 4 m and a real working width of 8.15 m. The disc axles can be swivelled in and out hydraulically to achieve the maximum transport height of 4 m. Without leaving the cabin you can switch from field to transport position. Other updates like flexible configuration options, an oscillating double packer, a large packer selection and an optimised disc arm holder were adopted from the 5 and 6 RT.