48 Doepker 8.25 m Grain Drill and Windrower Transporter
49 Flexi-coil Windrower Transporter
50 Laurier Welding Windrower Transporter
119 Smith-Roles Windrower Transporter
169 Bergen Windrower Transporter
Summary of Doepker 8.25 m Grain Drill and Windrower Transporter (Evaluation Report - PDF File - 0.40 MB)
Overall functional performance of the Doepker transporter was very good for transporting press drills and poor for transporting self-propelled windrowers.
Ease of loading and unloading was very good for press drills. Windrowers were awkward to Ioad due to inadequate clearance between the windrower headers and the transporter arch. This necessitated intricate blocking under the loading ramps and transporter bed to raise headers above the transporter arch.
Maneuverability was very good while transporting press drills and was good while transporting windrowers. The large turning radius, long wheelbase, and limited ground clearance necessitated careful maneuvering on sharp corners and irregular ground surfaces.
The Doepker transporter could safely be operated at maximum tractor road speeds when used as a drill transporter. When towed with a truck as a windrower transporter, maximum possible transport speed varied from 15 to 40 km/h (10 to 25 mph) and was usually limited by shimmy of the windrower castor wheels. Transport speed usually depended upon the make and model of windrower being transported.
The Doepker transporter was supplied with adequate tires. The tire Ioad rating permitted safe transport of loads of 2045 kg (4500 lbs) at speeds up to 30 km/h (20 mph). This permitted the safe transport of three sections of 2.5 m (8 ft) press drills with empty grain and fertilizer boxes, or any common self-propelled windrower at speeds up to 30 km/h. The tires were overloaded 34% if the grain and fertilizer boxes were half-filled and 55% if the boxes were completely filled when transporting at 30 km/h (20 mph).
Rear visibility was good when transporting drills with a tractor, but was restricted when transporting windrowers with a one-half ton truck. Operator safety was good if accepted safety procedures were followed.
Only minor mechanical problems occurred during functional evaluation and Ioad testing.
Summary of Flexi-coil Windrower Transporter (Evaluation Report - PDF File - 0.34 MB)
Overall functional performance of the Flexi-coil windrower transporter was excellent as a full carrying transporter and very good as a towing transporter. Maneuverability, ease of loading and ease of unloading were very good.
The Flexi-coil transporter was easily towed with a one-half ton truck in most conditions, however, a heavier towing vehicle with suitable brakes would be preferable.
When used as a carrying transporter, suitable speeds ranged up to 15 km/h (10 mph) on rough roads, 65 km/h (40 mph) on smooth gravel highways and 80 km/h (50 mph) on paved roads, provided the machine was fitted with appropriate tires. When used as a towing transporter, speeds up to 40 km/h (25 mph) were possible without excessive sway or bounce, but speeds were usually limited from 15 to 30 km/h (10 to 20 mph) due to shimmy of the windrower castor wheels.
The Flexi-coil was compatible with all common self-propelled windrowers.
The tire load rating permitted safe transport of 1540 kg (3400 lb) of weight at speeds up to 30 km/h (20 mph). Agricultural implement tires are not recommended for speeds above 30 km/h (20 mph). This meant that most windrowers could be safely transported at speeds up to 15 km/h (10 mph) and some could be transported at speeds up to 30 km/h (20 mph). Tires were overloaded by 62% when transporting one large windrower at 30 km/h (20 mph).
The ball and socket hitch was rated for a gross weight less than 1590 kg (3500 lb). Depending upon windrower weight, the hitch was overloaded from 50 to 87% when transporting commonly used windrowers.
Rear visibility was obstructed when towing windrowers with a small truck. Transport width was determined by the windrower header width. As a result, the operator should install suitable signal devices when transporting on public roads.
Only minor mechanical problems occurred during functional evaluation and load testing.
Summary of Laurier Welding Windrower Transporter (Evaluation Report - PDF File - 0.24 MB)
Overall functional performance of the Laurier Welding windrower transporter was good. Maneuverability and ease of loading were very good. Ease of unloading was very good for windrowers with large drive wheels, but was poor for windrowers with small drive wheels.
The Laurier transporter was easily towed with a one-half ton truck in most conditions, however, a heavier towing vehicle is preferable.
Transport speeds up to 40 km/h (25 mph) were possible without excessive sway or bounce, but speeds were usually limited from 15 to 30 km/h (10 to 20 mph) due to shimmy of the windrower castor wheels. Transport speed usually depended upon the make and model of windrower being transported.
The Laurier transporter was readily adaptable to a wide variety of windrowers. The cradle was too narrow to accept one model of windrower.
The tire load rating permitted safe transport of loads of 1940kg (4220 lb) at speeds up to 30 km/h (20 mph). This meant that all currently used windrowers could be safely transported at speeds up to 15 km/h (10 mph) and most could be transported at speeds up to 30 km/h (20 mph). Tires were overloaded by 29% when transporting one large windrower at 30 km/h (20 mph).
Rear visibility was completely obstructed when towing windrowers with a small truck. Transport width was established by the windrower header width. As a result, the operator should install suitable signal devices when transporting on public roads.
No mechanical problems occurred during evaluation or load testing.
Summary of Smith-Roles Windrower Transporter (Evaluation Report - PDF File - 0.22 MB)
Overall functional performance of the Smith-Roles windrower transporter was very good. Maneuverability and ease of unloading were very good. Ease of loading was good.
The Smith-Roles transporter was easily towed with a one-half ton truck in most conditions, however, a larger towing vehicle with suitable brakes would be preferable.
Transport speeds up to 40 km/h (25 mph) were possible without excessive sway or bounce, but maximum speed was usually limited from 15 to 30 km/h (10 to 20 mph) due to shimmy of the windrower castor wheels. Transport speed usually depended upon the make and model of windrawer being transported.
The Smith-Roles transporter was compatible with only a few self-propelled wind rowers. This was due to the limited table lift on most machines, which did not provide adequate clearance above the centre wheel of the transporter. Shorter loading ramps would have reduced this problem.
The tire load rating permitted safe transport of loads of 1725 kg (3800 lb) at speeds up to 30 km/h (20 mph). Most windrowers subjected the tires on the transporter to loads of 2400 to 3000 kg, (5300 to 6600 lb) which resulted in tire overloads of 40 to 75 percent.
The ball and socket hitch was rated for a maximum gross weight of 1590 kg (3500 lb). Due to the location of the transporter wheel axles, there was a negative weight on the hitch when the transporter was loaded.
Rear visibility was completely obstructed when towing windrowers with a small truck. Transport width was determined by the windrower header width. As a result, the operator should install suitable signal devices when transporting on public roads.
No serious mechanical problems occurred during evaluation or load testing.
Summary of Bergen Windrower Transporter (Evaluation Report - PDF File - 0.38 MB)
Overall functional performance of the Bergen windrower transporter was very good. Maneuverability, ease of loading and ease of unloading were very good.
The Bergen transporter was easily towed with a one-half ton truck in most situations, however, a larger towing vehicle is preferable due to better braking capability.
Transport speeds up to 50 km/h (30 mph) were possible without excessive sway or bounce, but speeds were usually limited from 15 to 30 km/h (10 to 20 mph) due to shimmy of the windrower castor wheels. Transport speed usually depended upon the make and model of windrower being transported.
The Bergen transporter was not compatible with some self-propelled windrowers, due to limited windrower table lift which did not permit adequate clearance above the transporter tires.
The tires supplied with the Bergen permitted safe transport of 1800 kg (3960 lb) loads at speeds up to 30 km/h (20 mph). The weight of most windrowers produced tire loads of 2400 to 3000 kg (5300 to 6600 lb) resulting in overloads of up to 65 percent with large machines.
Performance of the optional deck attachment was very good. A suitable jack was needed for hitching when the deck was used, due to the increased hitch weight. Adequate transport speeds were possible when using the deck attachment.
Rear visibility was completely obstructed when towing windrowers with a small truck. Transport width was determined by the windrower header width. As a result, an operator should install suitable signal devices when transporting windrowers on public roads.
No mechanical problems occurred during evaluation or load testing. |