Its adaptability to a farmer’s unique needs combined with unique features of its own helps the Steketee EC weeder stand out.
Dutch hoeing technology specialist Steketee was acquired by Lemken in 2018, bringing its range of red machines into the otherwise blue stable.
The colours might be different, but the machines have slotted seamlessly alongside Lemken’s existing range, including the EC weeder.
One such EC weeder, offering a 12m working width and set up with 10-inch row spacing for working in cereal crops – which is the machine’s main target market in Australia – formed part of Lemken’s display at last month’s FarmFest in Toowoomba.
Lemken’s national sales manager Craig Hopkins says the industry’s desire to reduce chemical use has made this machine more attractive.
“We’re trying to focus on your organic market and less chemical control in your fields as well, by using a mechanical hoeing knife to weed between your rows of crop,” he says.
“That’s probably the biggest thing – chemical resistance, chemical costs and organic farmers that can’t use chemicals at all.”
A ‘one size fits all’ approach rarely works in Australian conditions, and this machine has a range of customisable elements to ensure it fits any specific needs.
“It is possible to set the machine up on just about any type of different row spacings because we use a profile toolbar,” Hopkins says.
“You can do this machine from 2m to 18m in size, and this is the one we brought in this year for demos and to put in the market because most farmers in Australia are cereal farmers.
“It looks simple and it can be adjusted to suit just about any crop type.
“You can also have different size hoeing blades – and we call it a hoeing blade because it’s not a shear or anything like that – it’s a vibrating shank.
“If you’re early on in the season, you can put a wider blade but later on when the crop is more established you can put a narrower blade to still go through, because you’ve got plenty of clearance between the frame.”
Another example of the Steketee EC weeder’s versatility is the double fold system, which helps it folds up to a transport width of just 3.6m.
The weeder is also fitted with a camera guidance system which steers the whole back part of the machine’s frame, not just the linkage itself.
This helps to guide in between rows, Hopkins says, while hydraulic down pressure on the elements and hydraulic section control also offer benefits.
“You can slide your element over a little bit if you need to narrow or widen it,” he says.
“That’s quite a unique feature from Steketee as well. It’s just running on the wheels when it’s in the field just to carry the weight of the machine but it’s mostly sitting on the three-point linkage of the tractor.
“The steering frame is another unique feature.
“It doesn’t work like a hook system, it’s a full parallelogram steering frame, so it’s maintaining its consistent row spacing when it’s steering on the go all the time.
“It’s using a constant pressure hydraulic system for steering.”
The machine has its own controller, which uses a Windows-based operating system, but it can still be plugged into an ISOBUS-compatible tractor for section control, Hopkins says.
As for the brand more broadly, Lemken has invested in a new 10,000sqm factory in the Netherlands which will exclusively manufacture Steketee products once it opens.
While the machinery colours are different, Hopkins says that does not mean Steketee’s machines should be seen any differently to the rest of Lemken’s range.
“Just because there’s a different colour, it doesn’t mean it’s not Lemken,” he says.
“Who knows – one day we might see it in blue.”
Steketee products can be viewed at Lemken’s website.