Precision drilling world record broken

Claas and Horsch set a new world record on 26th April by drilling 448.29 ha in 24 hours with the Maestro 24 SW drill and the Claas Xerion 5000 Trac tractor.

The joint bid took place near Chaplygin, Russia, about 200 miles south-east of Moscow, with the goal of setting a world record for high-speed precision drilling; 24 precision rows in 24 hours.

As part of the challenge, the team, drawn from members of Claas and Horsch, aimed to drill and apply fertilizer simultaneously using the 24-row Maestro running at about 15 km/h. The high precision was an essential requirement laid down by the farmer whose fields were used for the record attempt. The attempt was independently verified by Johannes Hädicke from AGRARTECHNIK magazine and Alexey Andreev from Russian agricultural Neue Landwirtschaft Russland publication.

Designed for large precision drilling operations, the Maestro 24 features a 2800 litre seed and fertiliser hopper and 24 seed rows fed from a "Seed on Demand" system for easy filling and short filling times. A high coulter pressure up to 300 kg gives effective operation up to 15km/h and can be adjusted centrally via a hydraulic drive.

The small, electrically-driven metering devices and be controlled independently and are designed to ensure the distance between the fertiliser and seed remains consistent. Few moving parts ensure the metering devices are accurate and robust.

The 524hp Xerion 5000 is designed for big farming operations. Four equal-sized wheels transmit power via a permanent four-wheel drive system that ensures maximum traction and power-to-the-ground is always maintained. An ideal 56% / 44% front-to-rear weight distribution is beautifully balanced with rear implements for easy control and traction.

Throughout the 24 hours, all machine and sowing parameters were monitored and documented constantly by CLAAS TELEMATICS and the grain sensor of the seed drill.

In total, 10 tonnes of seed and 47 tonnes of fertiliser were applied. As a result, 10 pit stops had to be made to fill the seed drill. Each stop was also used as an opportunity to refuel the tractor. The world record was achieved with an average fuel consumption of 3.17 l/ha.

Total area planted (ha)- 448.29

Total duration (h)- 24

Surface output (ha per h)- 18.6

Sowing rate (grains/ha)- 88,000

Reference spot (%)- 94

Total seed used (t)- 10

Total fertilizer used (t)- 47

Fuel consumption (l per ha) -3.17

Speed (km/h)- 14.7