Belt rakes of the future
The unique RESPIRO technology in detail
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The elasticated pick-up
The elastic pick-up is the centrepiece of the RESPIRO belt rake. With pick-up widths of 3 metres and more, the pick-up must be flexible so that it can adapt to the ground. This is the only way to achieve a perfect working result in grassland. This unique position points the way to the future of belt rakes.
Best raking quality
For the best raking quality, the pick-up must be able to hug the ground. And every practitioner knows that no floor is flat. This is exactly where the flexible Respiro technology pick-up sets new standards. Even under difficult ground conditions, raking losses are low. This not only increases the overall yield but also the forage quality of subsequent cuts. Top quality hectare after hectare, cut after cut. As contractors, they always deliver good results for their customers because they adapt to the soil conditions. This creates trust and customer satisfaction.
No aggressive ground contact
Ground contact with the pick-up tines should be avoided whenever possible. With a rigid pick-up, you quickly reach the limits. Respiro technology gets it right. The flexibility of the pick-up prevents aggressive ground contact. This not only creates a good feeling during use. It is the basis for top forage quality. The sward is also protected, which promotes regrowth.
Less wear on the tines
The pick-up tines only touch the ground sporadically. This minimizes wear on the tines. That's what every practitioner wants.
Almost no tine breakage
It is impossible to ram the pick-up into the ground. The pick-up tines very rarely touch the ground. The logical consequence is maximum service life of the tines. Practical experience confirms this. For professionals and contractors, there is no need for time-consuming tine changes and the forage harvester does not eat any dangerous foreign bodies.
We have almost no more soiling in the forage. Nothing is left on the forage table - in the past, there was always about half a disc tray for 40 cows. The cows eat like crazy.
— Franz, farmer from Bavaria
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Dragging tines
The dragging tine leaves soil, stones and foreign bodies in place and thus picks up the crop cleanly from the ground.
No aggressive ground contact possible
Due to the dragging geometry, aggressive ground contact is not possible at all. This is an enormous advantage in practice. Due to the trailing tine geometry, ground contact is always gentle. For short bumps etc., additional ground adaptation can be achieved. This protects the entire system.
Stones and foreign substances remain in place
Contact with stones and foreign bodies is repellent. As a result, they remain in the field. The downstream harvesting machine is protected.
Slurry particles remain on the ground
Dried slurry particles in the grass stubble are a major problem for the roundabout rake and also for belt rakes with rigid pick-up and aggressive tines. Respiro technology sets a completely new standard here too. The light slurry particles remain in the field. Forage quality at its best.
Less wear and breakage on the tines
Due to the low load on the tine legs, there is significantly less wear. The tines are protected and have a very long service life.
Tine legs do not bend when cornering
A surprising but plausible practical result. The Respiro pick-up technology has virtually no bent tines. The dragging geometry is the reason for this. A welcome advantage in practice. Tedious tine alignment is a thing of the past.
Plant stems are not uprooted
This is particularly important for maize straw. Stalks cannot be uprooted, so neither stones nor soil get into the straw. Ideal for minimising wear on downstream cutterbars.
‘Dirty forage is very expensive forage. We harvest approx. 10 tonnes of DM per hectare of field. At approx. 100 euros/tonne forage value, that's 1000 euros per ha/year. Respiro technology increases basic forage productivity by up to 400 euros/ha. This is an increase of a whopping 40% - I don't want to miss out on this increase in value. It improves my operating result year after year.’
— Mathis, farmer from France
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Low pick-up
The small diameter, or in other words, the low pick-up, is another key feature of the Respiro technology. The crop flow is ideal. The crop flow onto the conveyor belt is harmonious. Convincingly simple and efficient. The power of the system is astounding. Depending on the operating conditions, working speeds of up to 25 km/h are possible. Despite the high impact force, the mechanical load on the crop remains low. This ensures high protein content due to very low crumbling losses of valuable leaf mass.
Small distance between the tine tips
The six-row pick-up with such a small diameter provides a harmonious sequence of tines. The seamless sequence of tines lifts the crop quickly and very gently from the ground. Optimum crop flow is the result.
Enables the dragging tine
The dragging tine was never ‘planned’. Practice has brought it about. Because the diameter of the pick-up is so small, the tine can be designed to drag. At the height of the mowing horizon, the tines lift the crop dynamically out of the stubble. The secret of the Respiro system.
Low tine impact speed
Due to the small height of the pick-up, the tine speed can be kept very low. The crop wave still floats, is picked up by the rotor and guided onto the conveyor belt. This is a major advantage, especially for legumes and crops with a high dry matter content. Less leaf loss and more protein.
Powerful even with short feed
The small pick-up lifts the forage out of the stubble immediately and without interruption. This enables powerful raking even with short forage. This increases the productivity of the Respiro belt rake enormously.
Underruns large swaths
The small pick-up has another decisive advantage when turning swaths and harvesting high yields: the harvesting mass floats on the pick-up, so to speak. Harmonious, powerful and efficient. Despite its very high mass, the pick-up requires very little drive torque. Ideal for energy efficiency and service life.
‘Our vet costs have fallen dramatically, I would never have thought that ’
— Ruben, farmer from Lower Saxony
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Ungesteuerte Pick-up
A belt rake has many metres of pick-up. With conventional systems, a large working width means that several curved tracks have to be installed. This is not the future of belt rakes. Easy maintenance requires an uncontrolled system. Respiro technology is the first belt rake with an uncontrolled pick-up, a real milestone.
Enables small diameter
A large pick-up diameter and at the same time an uncontrolled system is only justifiable for harvesters. When it comes to the belt rake, this combination cannot be realised. Little crop distributed over the area - that is the greatest challenge for a pick-up system. Only the small diameter opens the door for an uncontrolled, simple pick-up.
Radically simply built
Simple rotation, no additional moving parts, no additional wear. Compact, robust, reliable, simple. Built for practical use.
Significantly fewer components - no cam track
A central axle with hexagonal profile transmits the force to the tine carrier discs. No unnecessary bearing points, control rollers, cam tracks and tine carrier profiles. Why make it complicated when it can be so simple.
Axially completely backlash-free
Another significant technical advantage. The precise mounting of the pick-up tines combined with the axial play-free design of the fully equipped pick-up shaft reduces lateral wear between the pick-up tines and pick-up scraper. A well thought-out overall system.
Centre drive with two double bearings
The torque of the pick-up shaft is halved. The centre drive with gear wheels is maintenance-free.
‘We can hardly find any soil in the cutting unit of our loader wagon. That was the deciding factor in our purchase. ’
— Farm community from Upper Austria
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Anti-Loss-System
The dream of every practitioner - to have to tighten the pick-up as little as possible. The anti-loss system fulfils this dream.
Unique tine attachment
A single M8 screw secures 6 double tines.
Tine winding is supported from the inside
Another feature of the ingeniously simple solution. The tine winding is solidly supported from the inside. This guarantees a very long service life for the tines.
Tines broken in the winding are not lost
If the winding breaks, the tine remains in the support. This means that broken tines run in circles without consequential damage - replacement at the next opportunity is sufficient.
‘We are now milking 1-2 kg more milk per cow per day’
— Herbert, farmer from the Allgäu
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Sliding disc close to the tine
The sliding discs guide perfectly over the ground without leaving any marks. It is virtually impossible to dig into the ground. This is why the Respiro belt rake has no fixed skids.
Free turning
The advantages are obvious: protection of the turf and soil, even wear over the entire surface and easy drainage of foreign bodies, soil and stones to the left or right of the skid plate, as it is almost constantly in rotation. In addition, the rolling movement results in less friction between the ground and the working unit.
Large contact surface
Even in very soft and wet ground conditions, the Respiro belt rake glides smoothly over the ground. The large contact surface has a damping effect and thus reduces system oscillations and vibrations. Holes in the ground prevent the pick-up from sagging and thus ensure an ideal working result.
Simple wear part
The base disc carries the wear plate. The wear disc made of hardened boron steel is simple and cost-effective. This ensures that wear costs remain low even in difficult, hard ground conditions
Optional: Robalon sliding disc
For use in straw, any flying sparks must be avoided for certain field conditions. Otherwise the risk of fire increases enormously. The optional sliding disc made of Robalon helps here. Lightweight, robust and prevents any flying sparks. In straw mode, the working units are carried over the ground, i.e. the plastic sliding discs only touch the ground very rarely. This minimises wear on the plastic sliding discs.
‘It's a very good feeling to know that my animals are getting the best forage.’
— Johann, farmer from Lower Austria
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Conveyor rotor and swath roller
A guided crop flow provides a very high degree of flexibility in use. Whether the crop is short or long, dry or moist, the travelling speed high or low, the conveyor rotor ensures a good flow. This delivers uniform swaths. The key to the productivity of the downstream harvester.
Ensures constant good flow
The synchronised pick-up and conveyor rotor work hand in hand. The pick-up lifts gently from the floor, the rotor conveys onto the belt. An ideal combination.
Conveyor rotor hydraulically relieved and adjustable in height
The feed rotor is hydraulically relieved to optimise the working result under heavily fluctuating forage masses. If there is a lot of crop or a swath is moved again, the rotor moves upwards automatically, thus increasing the intake capacity and impact force. For very dry crops and to avoid additional crumbling losses, the height of the rotor can be adjusted. In this way, the rotor accompanies the crop flow and does not crush the feed mat unnecessarily.
Swath roller guides the crop flow at the pick-up
The trailing tine geometry makes a swath roller indispensable. This means that even very short crops can be picked up from the ground with minimal loss. Even at the headland, no forage remains in front of the pick-up when it is extended. That is perfect working quality.
‘The feed quality is incredibly good. We would never have thought that.’
— Josef, hay producer from Hungary
Added value for contractors
Less feed soiling
Improved customer image thanks to higher feed value Higher revenue per hour or hectare Fewer breakdowns due to foreign objects in the forage harvester, loader wagon or baler
Low effort and wear
lower wear costs on the rake thanks to passive tines fewer tine breakages, tines cannot be lost. less blade grinding on the cutterbars of the downstream equipment longer service life of the machines
Versatile: Utilisation of rake and downstream chain
In all areas of application Grassland, forage (e.g. lucerne), straw swath turning, maize straw Flexibility through centre swath/side swath with a lot or little crop mass from long horse hay to the short last cut in permanent grassland Higher working speed and output without loss of quality
Swath loose, even, perfect size
earlier start of the swath possible uniform swath for high performance of the following machine repeated overlifting results in no clogging of the swath and no losses flexible cleaning out of corners and pointed fields by loading the stopped belt
Added value farmer
Less feed soiling
Better fermentation quality and higher feed intake Less crude ash, more energy, more protein, more milk yield Best forage quality ensures animal health, lower veterinary costs
Ideal for legumes
less leaf loss more crude protein
Fewer field losses
More yield per hectare due to fewer raking losses Less crumbling losses delivers more output from the basic forage No leftover rotting grass
Swath loose, even, perfect size
earlier start of the swath possible uniform swath for high performance of the following machine repeated overlifting results in no clogging of the swath and no losses flexible cleaning out of corners and pointed fields by loading the stopped belt
Further advantages
Soil protection less effort required less wear and tear no broken tines in the forage longer machine service life lower repair costs
We would be happy to assess the potential of RESPIRO technology for your business too
Intensive exchange of experience with our customers and calculations of added value show the full potential of RESPIRO technology. Take advantage of this experience for your business and request a free potential analysis.
