The Fortis AS represents a new generation of universal cultivators brought to market by HORSCH, expanding its product portfolio in tillage. The Fortis model range currently includes machines with a working width of 6 and 7 m, and the company plans to eventually produce cultivators with working widths ranging from 6 to 9 m.
By developing the Fortis AS, HORSCH is expanding its portfolio and responding to new customer demands for universal cultivators
In recent years, classic tractor output has grown – sometimes from 350 to 450–500 hp. To meet new customer requirements for universal cultivators, HORSCH developed the Fortis 6 and 7 AS. These cultivators have “grown” to match increased tractor power and offer even greater flexibility in working depth and adjustment options. So the Fortis 6 AS, with a 6 m working width, is designed to be paired with tractors up to 550 hp, while the Fortis 7 AS, with a 7 m working width, pairs with tractors rated at a minimum of 350 and a maximum of 600 hp.
The Fortis 6 and 7 AS are designed for shallow stubble tillage, full-coverage tillage, as well as deep cultivation and primary tillage at a depth of 4 to 30 cm.
When designing the roller, engineers also made flexibility their priority. A customer can choose not only the roller type, but also how it’s connected to the frame – rigid or hydraulic. In the hydraulic-connection version, the front roller’s weight can be partially transferred to the rear one, helping to avoid getting bogged down on light soils. A genuine advantage comes from combining rollers that provide deep compaction with a shallow finishing pass.
Given such a considerable working width, uniform leveling quality across the soil surface needs to be ensured. To achieve this, the tine shank in the fourth row was lengthened. This means there’s always enough loose soil ahead of the leveling discs. So customers can achieve an optimal result. A 27 cm tine spacing is ideal for shallow stubble tillage and full-width cutting under any operating conditions. It also meets the requirement for low draft resistance, needed for deep cultivation.
To optimally follow the soil surface with the Fortis cultivator, a farmer can choose between single and dual front gauge wheels. The range of application varies fairly significantly depending on location and operating conditions: from ordinary depth guidance with precise adherence to the working depth, to a supporting function for the machine during deep tillage.
When designing this cultivator, the goal was to create a machine offering a wider choice of working depths, along with various setting options, while also matching higher tractor power
How our customers rate the new Fortis
Jean Geoffroy and his son Victor own an agricultural business in the western département of Charente-Maritime. They’ve been working with the Fortis since summer 2022. The machine has already covered more than 700 ha preparing the seedbed for wheat, rapeseed, and barley.
“We’ve had two Terrano 8 FX machines for 15 years now, and they’re still working. Back then, this machine let us make a significant agronomic leap forward: it only works the surface layer of the soil and helps improve its structure – both in the tractor’s tracks and on turns. The special shape of the Terrano 8 FX’s tines ensures smooth running at high speed. Asymmetrically arranged guide plates distribute soil well.
The Fortis AS combines all the advantages of the Terrano 8 FX and adds several more on top. Thanks to its four-row design, the cultivator has more tines per meter (one tine every 27 cm instead of 31 cm as before). At the same time, there’s still enough clearance to pass a significant amount of crop residue.
The wheels are now mounted to the frame. This makes the design more stable and compact. We like that the wheels also help with transporting the machine. It was different with the Terrano 8 FX.
The double roller is noticeably upgraded compared with the standard RollFlex. On the RollFlex, the segments are placed close together. So it breaks up clods well, but clogs under higher moisture. The Fortis’s double roller leaves a coarser finish behind it. However, this is compensated for by the next implement during seeding or additional tillage. On turns, though, the Fortis roller offers a genuine advantage, preventing clogging when turning while resting on the roller. Beyond that, the double roller provides better machine stability on slopes and prevents it from shifting sideways.
The machine is bulkier, but also heavier. Pairing it requires a Fendt 942 with 900-series wheels and good ballast up front, since the appropriate draft force is needed. We work at a speed of 12.5 km/h. The Fortis uses 80 to 100% of the tractor’s power – depending on the soil we’re working and how compacted it is.
The front depth gauge wheels have a large diameter and keep the machine in track. But we did notice one small drawback: if we lift the machine on turns, we lose a lot of time. The process takes twice as long while the machine lifts, since the wheels use the hydraulic system’s full capacity. In my opinion, that’s a technical detail the designers will resolve quickly.”
Štefan Ler works at SC Agrifarm S.R.L., located in Dolj in southern Romania. The soils there consist mostly of sandy-clay black soil with 2% humus content. The region typically has fairly long droughts. Sometimes there’s no significant rain for up to three months, and summer temperatures reach 42°. Winter, by contrast, is comparatively mild, with temperatures down to minus 15°.
The farmed area totals 3,420 ha, with 95% under plowless tillage. Winter wheat is grown on 1,240 ha – the largest share of the area. Beyond that, sunflower is seeded on 680 ha, winter rapeseed on 580 ha, and winter barley on 540 ha. The remaining area is used for chickpeas, mustard, vegetables, and fruit.
“Due to a breakdown of our Terrano 6 MT this autumn, between September 25 and November 5, 2022, we had the chance to test the Fortis 7 AS from HORSCH. The cultivator was fitted with a SteelFlex roller, 80 mm HM Plus tines, mechanical working-depth adjustment via aluminum stops, and dual wheels. We removed the wings on the TerraGrip shanks, since we wanted to work the soil deeper than 25 cm. We paired the Fortis 7 AS with a Challenger MT 865 E tracked tractor or with a Quadtrac 9380.
Working speed ranged from 8 to 13 km/h. Since we’d had heavy rainfall, the fields were covered with an unusually thick green layer of grass weeds, volunteer cereals and sunflower, as well as lambsquarters, amaranth, and nightshade. The working depth across all fields was roughly 28 cm. In total, during autumn tillage, the Fortis 7 AS covered 1,300 ha. There was no need to replace tines. By that point the machine had already covered 3,000 ha, and by season’s end that figure reached 4,500 ha.
What we especially like about the HORSCH Fortis 7 AS is its sturdy design, as well as the new-generation TerraGrip shanks, since this spring set wears much less. Beyond that, we were drawn to the simple working-depth setting via the familiar aluminum-stop system, and the wheeled roller. We wouldn’t choose the hydraulic adjustment system here. Turning while resting on the wheels rather than the wheeled roller also provides many advantages. Thanks to its design, with dual wheels up front and a SteelFlex roller at the rear, the HORSCH Fortis 7 AS follows the tractor almost like a trailer.
Thanks to this, the cultivator, despite its considerable working width, excellently follows the soil surface and guarantees a uniform working depth. The cherry on top is the chassis’s “parking” position in the transport setting. Attachment points designed into the frame keep the shanks from contacting the surface, thereby preventing sudden damage to them. Another plus is the large support foot with a jack, as well as the massive hitch-linkage joint. We didn’t use the integrated draft-force booster, but it’s probably useful equipment. We also didn’t use HorschConnect, since our tractors didn’t have the sockets it needs.
Besides its many advantages, we also noticed a few weak points. The first is how closely the chassis and frame sit together in the working position, causing the chassis frame to rub against the cultivator’s frame. Second, the hydraulic hoses running from the chassis cylinders also have points of friction with the central frame, which could cause damage. We discussed both points with the designers, so they can be resolved quickly. The shank with aluminum stops on the wheeled roller will also be reinforced, since it’s a bit too weak for the current weight. For us, this shank broke twice, and we welded it back together well, but adjusting the working depth was no longer possible. The machine’s overly high center of gravity in the transport position also seemed a bit unusual to us.
Two housings on the TerraGrip shanks cracked due to air bubbles in the cast-iron parts. Overall, though, the shanks and their mounts impressed us with their stability. We also missed a function to limit the cultivator’s working depth using the chassis. After all, we’re used to using our
HORSCH Terrano 6 MT for autumn tillage without a wheeled roller. Soil treated this way retains and stores moisture better over winter in the furrows and creates a better microclimate in them by spring. Beyond that, the soil ridges dry out faster and let us get into the field earlier. A breakdown of the Flex roller’s axle stub didn’t stop our work, since the cultivator can work without it too. Replacing the stub with a new one caused no problems and took up to 30 minutes.
Overall, we’re very satisfied with the Fortis 7 AS’s performance. The Fortis 7 AS is a well thought-out machine for both shallow and deep tillage. The linkage, tine arrangement, and overall design ensure a uniform working depth and good soil-mixing quality.”
Source: terra HORSCH 25 | 2022
ABA “Astra” Agro-Building Alliance is one of the largest suppliers and service operators of agricultural machinery in Ukraine. The company’s core activities are the sale of new and used agricultural machinery, warranty service, and the sale of spare parts.
“Astra” offers its clients a wide range of machinery for practically every type of agricultural work: Fendt, Valtra, Manitou, Berthoud and Horsch, Framest, Bogballe, Valley, Trimble, Oros. The company supplies customers with the widest range of genuine spare parts to support all models of agricultural machinery from world-renowned manufacturers. Servicing agricultural machinery holds a key place in the company’s operations, covering nearly the entire territory of Ukraine and ensuring a fast response to farmers’ requests.
“Astra” has been operating on Ukraine’s agricultural market for 25 years, providing agricultural producers with quality machinery, innovative agricultural technologies, and a consistently high level of service.
