The Horsch Maestro Tv-Tx series seed drills combine compactness and operational precision, quickly adapting the seeding widths according to the crop
Mounted equipment is the preferred choice in Italian farms due to its greater operational agility. However, this advantage should not negatively impact hourly productivity and precision. For this very reason, the pneumatic precision seed drill segment offers various solutions from which each farm can choose based on its specific needs, primarily those dictated by crop row spacing, a parameter to which the seed drill must adapt and which is particularly important for spring-sown crops such as corn, soybeans, sunflowers, or sugar beets.
These are the characteristics that Horsch’s “Maestro TV” and “Maestro TX” seed drills meet. The former has six or seven rows, the latter seven rows. Their unladen weights vary depending on the number of rows, reaching 2,275 kg and 2,500 kg, respectively. These significant weights, however, always place their center of gravity very close to the tractor thanks to the machines’ compact design.
They can also be paired with tractors producing at least 130 horsepower, such as those found on most Italian arable farms. While sharing telescopic frames and a structural robustness that makes them suitable for use even in hostile field conditions, the two models differ fundamentally in the range of available row spacings and seed separation systems. The six- or seven-row versions of the “Maestro Tv” offer settings ranging from a minimum of 45 centimetres to a maximum of 80.
The seven-row “Maestro Tx” instead allow minimum distances of 37 and a half centimetres up to maximum inter-row distances of 65 centimetres, which can be quickly set according to the type of seed to be planted.
In both models, the configuration change is hydraulically controlled without any mechanical modifications, simply by repositioning the limiting clips. Regarding seed distribution, the “Maestro TV” models are equipped with the “AirVac” vacuum distribution system, offering maximum versatility, while the “Maestro Tx” models offer superior performance thanks to the “AirSpeed” system, capable of applying overpressure to the seed distribution system.
This allows this model to travel at maximum speeds of 15 kilometers per hour, compared to the 12 allowed by solutions based on pneumatic vacuum alone. Depending on the model and configuration chosen, the “Maestro TV/Tx” line seed drills can be used for planting corn, sugar beet, sunflowers, and soybeans. The common denominator, however, remains the quality of sowing, both in longitudinal terms, thanks to the precise singling systems, and in depth of seed release, made constant by special control wheels that follow the surface on both sides of the coulter even when operating on uneven terrain.
There are two options: smooth profiled rubber wheels, for general use, and finger and spike wheels, preferable for medium-heavy and clay soils. The seed furrow is instead created by double-disc coulters that cleanly cut the soil.
An integrated roller then slides into the furrow, securing the seeds as they are released from the drop tube, located at the end of the “AirVac” system, or from the launch tube, if using the “AirSpeed” system. This ensures not only precise seed placement, but also optimal contact with the soil, regardless of its characteristics. The “AutoForce” system manages the coulter pressure, automatically measuring, increasing, or decreasing it based on the resistance of the soil, up to a maximum of 220 kg per coulter. This can reach up to 300 kg if the machine is equipped with a system that transfers part of the tractor’s rear axle weight to the seeder.
Horsch Maestro Tv/Tx: Sowing, defense and nutrition together
The “Maestro TV/Tx” seed drills operate in conjunction with a central 1,300-liter hopper for the release of granular fertilizers, which can be combined or not with microgranulators for the distribution of soil insecticides, each of which has its own 18-liter tank. These are administered via precise electric dosing systems that allow the products to be placed directly in the furrow or on the surface behind the press wheels.
Title: Horsch Maestro Tv-Tx series seed drills: precision without compromise
Translation with Google
