MASCHIO GASPARDO presents the restyling of ALITALIA ISOTRONIC. Thanks to the new distribution system and the larger hopper, it is possible to have a greater control of the equipment from the tractor cab, allowing also to exploit Precision Farming functions such as Variable Rate and Section Control.

The wide range of MASCHIO GASPARDO combined seed drills, which includes mechanical transmission models and electric ISOBUS models with pneumatic transport, has been updated with the introduction of the new ALITALIA ISOTRONIC model.

Important innovations concern the entire seeding system: the hopper, with increased capacity up to 2,000 litres, has been redesigned to facilitate access, loading and emptying, both during seeding and at the end of work.

MASCHIO GASPARDO collaborated with the Italian School of Design in designing the new hopper, which now no longer houses the distribution head inside. ALITALIA ISOTRONIC employs two distribution heads outside the hopper, each fed by its own newly developed electrically-driven volumetric distributor. This particular configuration allows greater precision in both seed metering and transport but, above all, allows automatic exclusion of the right or left half of the seeding bar, depending on the position within the field detected by the GPS sensor. The seed drill can be used to minimise seed wastage, especially when working in irregularly shaped fields.

The positioning of the dispensing heads outside the hopper allows maximum use of the internal volume without compromising accessibility for the operator. Again with a view to Precision Farming, the electric drive of the two volumetric distributors allows the dose to be adjusted continuously thanks to the Variable Rate function, when working with prescription maps. The seeding bar is equipped with two seeding rows with hydraulic ground pressure adjustment and can be fitted with four different types of coulter units:

• Suffolk coulter, ideal for loose or stony soils;
• Single-disc 'VORTEX' for moist soils even in the presence of residue;
• Double-disc 'COREX' for excellent flotation capacity in light soils;
• Smooth double disc 'COREX PLUS', versatile and most suitable for deep seeding up to 8 cm.

For this latter type of coulter there are two different wheels available with the dual function of ensuring seed contact with the soil and for maintaining a constant seeding depth.

The standard wheel uses a special, highly resistant rubber compound and can be equipped with a mud scraper for use even in wet soil. The optional wheel, on the other hand, has a larger diameter for greater buoyancy and more accurate determination of seeding depth. In addition, thanks to its hollow section and high flexibility, it has a better self-cleaning capacity that does not require the use of mud scrapers in order to work properly in damp or even wet soil.