Higher output targeted with new 18m machines
HORSCH is expanding its 18m machinery range as UK arable farms and contractors look to cover more ground within tighter fieldwork windows. An 18m version of the Avatar direct drill is already available, with 18m Joker cultivator and Serto drill models now in development.
“Contractors and farmers are looking to work faster and more efficiently to take advantage of tighter operating windows brought on by changing climate conditions,” says Stephen Burcham, General Manager at HORSCH UK. “Our versatile min-till and direct drilling machinery has low draft requirements for its size, so moving to an 18m model does not require a huge jump in horsepower. This enables customers to do more with the tractors they already have.”
More output with less headland traffic
Hertfordshire farming business AT Bone chose an 18m Avatar to increase output and improve resilience when weather narrows drilling windows. “The Avatar is marketed as a direct drill but, as a cultivated drill, it’s fantastic,” says James Ashley, Operations Manager at AT Bone.
Reducing headland traffic was another priority. “If you look at people’s field yield maps, it’s always the first 15m that will let you down, because that is where you are turning with everything. It gets a pounding, but with the Avatar, you’re 9m from the edge, which reduces compaction.”
The drill is pulled by a 410hp John Deere 8RX. James says the relatively modest power requirement is an important benefit: “It’s a great combination, and only needing a 20-tonne tractor helps keep diesel costs down. I’m doing 55 acres per hour at 13kph. I’m not going fast or stressing. I’m not wrecking tractors by pushing them to the limit, and I’m burning just 50 to 60 litres of diesel an hour: it’s a dream.”
Field-scale width, road-ready dimensions
Transport is a central consideration in the development of the new machines. The 12m Joker RT, introduced in 2024, uses a new folding mechanism and twin axle to limit transport height to 4m. HORSCH says similar engineering will make the forthcoming 18m Joker and Serto models practical to handle both in the field and on the road.
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