The new Stoll ProfiLine and Solid front loaders may have been the stars of the show on the Lynx stand at LAMMA, but they were certainly not the only attraction. Other displays on the stand drew plenty of interest on both days. These included an Eggers dynamometer, a Streamline front press, weight units with integrated toolboxes, Zuidberg front linkages and PTOs and, not least, a range of some of the latest pick-up hitches and coupling systems from Dromone Engineering.
Safety, both around the farm and on the road, is rightly a major factor in the machinery purchasing decisions made by today’s farmers. One area of everyday operations to come under increasing scrutiny for its poor record of accidents leading to vehicle damage, serious injury and even loss of life, is towing. Dromone Engineering are at the forefront of towing system design and innovation with the aim of minimising and even eradicating the risk of human error or product failure associated with some traditional hitches. This focus on safety has resonated with dealers and users alike and this was reflected by the volume of people drawn to the Dromone display throughout the show.
New safety chain system gives total peace of mind
The products featured included a new safety chain system. The job of a safety chain is to ensure a trailer remains attached to the tractor, even if the primary hitch fails. Until recently, many people used long horizontal type chains for this task, but there are inherent risks with this approach.
Should the primary hitch fail, a long chain gives too much freedom to the trailer drawbar, potentially allowing it to come up through the rear window of the tractor, causing injury or even death to the driver. Dromone engineers have come up with a vertical chain position that only allows four to five inches of movement of the trailer should the primary hitch fail. Brackets on the tractor and trailer have an automatic locking system for the chain to be received and prevent it from escaping. The Dromone system is safer and prevents both injury to the driver and damage to the back of the tractor.
Award winning safety innovation
Also on display was a working model of Dromone’s award-winning Hitched & Locked (HAL) system. Designed for use with the Dromone hydraulic pick-up hitch, the new system uses smart technology to confirm to the operator that the attachment has been hitched safely and securely locked.
Using integrated sensors and controls, audio and visual signals are sent to the cab of the tractor. The combination of sensors provides assurance that locking is secure and safe in both vertical and horizontal positions. The in-cab feedback protects against human error by helping to ensure the operator can’t drive away with an unlocked pick-up hitch.
Convenience, capacity and cost reduction
Other new products from Dromone displayed on the Lynx stand included the automatic Fendt ball hitch, which provides a fully automatic ball hitch operation without leaving the tractor seat, plus a new telehandler rear pick up hitch with increased vertical lift capacity to 3.0t from 2.5t. Dromone’s increasingly in-demand Ball & Spoon coupling system also featured. Designed to reduce wear and hitch damage by up to 90% compared to traditional towing rings, the Ball & Spoon system can substantially reduce operating costs whilst ensuring smooth, positive towing at the speeds the tractor is designed for with none of the shunting and rattling noises associated with conventional hook and ring systems.
There’s another chance to see all of these Dromone products, as well as the new Stoll front loaders, Zuidberg front linkages and PTOs, weight blocks and the Streamline front press on the Lynx stand (No. 938) at Cereals on the 8th and 9th June and at the Royal Highland Show later in the same month.
