The Redekop SCU mounts to the combine chopper and injects processed chaff directly into the residue stream for excellent distribution over the entire cutting width. In doing so, it destroys weed seed, helping to manage weed resistance for the next seasons.
John Deere production system manager Ben Kelly said all the benefits already enjoyed by customers with SCUs on S-Series Combine Harvesters could now be enjoyed by the owners and operators of X-Series.
“The SCU is already a proven performer on the S-Series and we are excited to have worked collaboratively with the team at Redekop to adapt the technology to be suited to the power and capacity of the bigger machines,” Mr Kelly said.
“This will also open the door to the X9 being an option for more farmers, knowing they can fit this highly effective weed control system, further allowing them to grow the efficiency of their small grain and cereal cropping operations.”
Redekop’s Trevor Thiessen said the trials of the past three years clearly demonstrated the combined John Deere and Redekop design team had created an iteration of SCU that could handle the additional volume presented by the X-Series, without compromising harvester throughput.
“The X9 has significantly more capacity, including cleaning shoe capacity, than the John Deere S-Series, so we had to make sure that the mills taking the material off the back of the harvester could handle that,” Mr Thiessen said.
How it works
The Redekop SCU, mounted behind the cleaning shoe of the X-Series and fully integrated with the machine, is designed to work in all crop conditions with one set of mills, negating the need to swap mills in response to crop or harvest conditions.
The reversible mills can destroy up to 98 per cent of harvestable seeds before the material is directed back to the residue stream, mixed with straw and spread evenly over the entire cutting width, to ensure minimal weed pressure and better crop establishment in subsequent seasons.
The SCU is fully integrated with the G5PLUS CommandCenter and can be easily engaged or disengaged as required.
“The integration with CommandCenter was flawless, there were just some tweaks to the software to make it all work and we have a great relationship with the John Deere engineering departments making it easy,” Mr Thiessen said.
He gave credit to Australian innovators for pioneering the systems that have led to the development of harvest weed seed control practices of today.
“Australian farmers were some of the first to understand the preventative benefits of this type of weed control and the good news is that others around the world — in the US, South America and Europe — are seeing what they’re doing, so Australia should be proud of that.”
