The Joker RT wins customers over with its quality and precision in tillage.
HORSCH has substantially improved the Joker RT short disc harrow. Starting autumn 2019, new versions of the machine are available with a working width of 5 and 6 m. The Joker 8 RT, with an 8 m working width, will be the next new addition.
The Joker line-up has already become a classic, winning over many HORSCH customers worldwide. The new Joker RT variants stand out not just for their design, but also for structural changes. It’s worth noting that some of these were suggested by customers themselves. For example, customers can now choose between a single or double roller, front support wheels or no wheels at all, a crusher roller or a levelling board as the front tool. HORSCH’s roller offering has also grown.
Without a doubt, particular attention should go to the increase in the machines’ effective working width: the Joker 5 RT to 5.15 m and the 6 RT to 6.15 m. The mounting design for the side disc deflector has also been noticeably improved and simplified, ensuring a flawless join between passes, preventing ridges or furrows from forming between them. As a result, the designers managed to achieve consistent tillage quality across the machine’s entire working width.
Powerful bearings
Another important feature of the updated Joker RT is the new bearing units, developed by HORSCH based on years of experience with machines working in different parts of the world. The new bearings meet the demands of the highest operating loads. Powerful, wear-resistant, adapted to work under the toughest conditions – these were the priorities set for their development. A 5-layer cassette seal reliably protects the unit’s inner cavity from dust and moisture ingress. Combined with a powerful double bearing, they make the HORSCH bearing unit one of the most robust in the industry. The company continues to invest in improving its in-house designed and manufactured HubUnits. The disc system was specifically optimized for this. With the new stem shape, it’s now possible to achieve a complete cut of the entire soil layer even with ultra-shallow tillage. This comes from an increase in the tillage area of each disc, with a serial diameter of 52 cm. But there’s also an alternative: the new CoverCrush disc. Its wavy shape promotes better soil crumbling, allowing it, for example, to be used to prepare soil for sowing small-seeded or cover crops.
Front tools
As front working tools for pre-seeding tillage, HORSCH offers a levelling board or a crusher roller with hydraulic control. The crusher roller, spanning the machine’s full working width, has a diameter of 600 mm and is fitted with 6 blades mounted to an enclosed inner shaft. The whole structure looks very solid and powerful. The relatively small diameter delivers a high roller rotation speed, further boosting crushing action. The crusher roller is very effective on corn, sunflower and rapeseed stubble, as well as for incorporating cover crops. The crusher roller’s pressing force is hydraulically adjustable up to a maximum of 140 bar. Nitrogen accumulators are provided for overload protection. When the crusher roller isn’t in use, it can be raised and locked above the machine’s frame. With the roller fully raised, the machine’s working clearance is 40 cm. An alternative to the crusher roller is the Crossbar levelling board, consisting of a row of spring tines with levelling plates. Its main application is levelling soil before sowing. The Crossbar also has hydraulic adjustment and protection. As an additional option for the Joker 5 RT and 6 RT, single or double support wheels are offered. The latter are recommended primarily for use on light soils.
Looking more closely, it’s noticeable that the machine’s chassis is positioned behind the frame, similar to the Joker RT Classic. This was done deliberately to improve pre-seeding tillage quality. A shorter distance between the disc gangs and the roller promotes better crumbling and produces more agronomically valuable soil structure.
Various roller options
A large number of roller options are offered for the updated Joker RT. Alongside two double-roller options, there are also 4 single-roller variants: Doppel RingFlex, Doppel RollPack, or single RollFlex, RingFlex, SteelDisc and a bar roller.
The Joker RT with a Doppel RingFlex double roller. Other roller options are also available.
To prevent the machine frame from swaying during operation, the new Joker RT is fitted with the proven HORSCH SoftRide smooth-ride system, which delivers a 100% level, smooth ride for the machine in the field. When shifted into working position, the Joker RT’s chassis retracts. At the same time, the hydraulic accumulator fills up. When the chassis-control hydraulic cylinder is retracted 1-2 cm toward the transport position, and the hydraulic valve is switched to the “floating” position, the accumulator’s back-pressure maintains balanced pressure in the system. Any jolts, bumps or impacts during travel are successfully absorbed. The double roller is mounted on a pendulum principle and has enough freedom of movement to level out swaying while travelling over uneven ground. The double roller also allows the set tillage depth to be maintained more precisely, and delivers even soil compaction by depth.
For sowing cover crops, the Joker RT can still be paired with the proven MiniDrill model, as before. Cover-crop cultivation is growing increasingly popular. The MiniDrill is a convenient option for quickly and effectively sowing crop and mixture seeds at rates of up to 150 kg/ha. This system is fully ISOBUS-compatible and uses the proven HORSCH Pronto metering system.
Various Joker RT equipment options (left to right): Joker 8 RT with a Doppel RingFlex roller, Crossbar, and double support wheels. Joker 6 RT (hydraulically adjustable) and 5 RT (mechanically adjustable) with a Doppel RollPack double roller, crusher roller, and single support wheels.
Big potential for 8 m working-width machines
After successfully launching the 5 m and 6 m working-width HORSCH Joker RT short disc harrows onto the market, HORSCH, guided by customer requests, is actively working on an 8 m model. The new Joker 8 RT, with a different depth-control principle than the 5 and 6 RT, is expected to have an actual working width of 8.15 m, a transport width of 3.00 m, and a height of 4.00 m. An important element of the new machine will be hydraulic retraction of the outer disc hubs – needed to keep within the 4 m transport height. Switching the machine between transport and working positions, and back, will be conveniently possible from the tractor cab. Other innovations, such as the large set of options, the double roller’s pendulum mount, the extensive range of different rollers, and optimized stems, are identical to the 5 and 6 RT models.
HORSCH plans to roll out the Joker 8 RT in stages: 20 machines in spring 2020, series production starting autumn 2020. The Joker 8 RT has every chance of becoming one of the most in-demand tillage machines on the market.
