With 2,803 exhibitors and more than 450,000 visitors AGRITECHNICA continues to expand its leading role as the leading trade fair for agriculture and agricultural technology.

ROPA is presenting the company's premium products and the latest innovations in the field of self-propelled sugar beet harvesters, loaders and the Keiler potato harvester at a large booth covering a total of 1359 m². With the ROPA Panther 2 with RR-XL lifter, the R-Connect Farmpilot, the drive axle with ISO-BUS automatic controls in the Keiler 2 and technical innovations on the Tiger 6 there are many innovations at Agritechnica.

Unique booth design with log cabin and Bavarian beer garden - in-house design

The tradition at ROPA is to design and build our trade fair booths in-house - we do not use a trade fair specialist. ROPA places great value on continuing the company's unique marketing and booth design with log cabin and beer garden. It represents a traditional, down to earth family company with our roots in Bavaria, an international outlook and great powers of innovation. ROPA is particularly noted for maintaining close contact with customers and providing every customer with a personal customer support representative. Customers and other interested persons feel at home with ROPA with the relaxed atmosphere and the personal attention at the booth in spite of the crowds of visitors.

A musical background for discussions in a relaxed atmosphere

Tanja Kaltofen, Development/Design and Martin Reiner, Assembly Manager, provided a pleasant musical background for the ROPA booth.

R-Connect farmpilot - premiere at Agritechnica

Intelligent networked farm and logistics management

R-Connect Farmpilot is an intelligent networked and company-independent farm and logistics management system offering significant increases in efficiency in sugar beet logistics. The system-independent networking provides immediate planning and order data to all parties involved without transmission errors. The live transmission from the machine terminal with presentation of harvesting settings, sensor values and playback function is setting new standards.

Advantages and innovations at Agritechnica

■     Convenient, fault-free and time-saving operation on the sugar beet harvester
■     Selection of orders on the map, no risk of confusion of customers and fields
■     Current progress in harvesting can be displayed at any time
■     Billing-relevant data are available for schedulers shortly after the harvesting order has been completed
■     Once the order has been completed, harvested beet quantity is documented for further transportation and marketing planning

The ROPA Tiger 6 flagship with patented hydraulic drive system and automatic slope compensation

The ROPA Tiger 6 is the most powerful sugar beet lifter in the world.

The heart of the machine is the new 700 hp or 768 hp Volvo engine with pump-nozzle injection and 16.12 litre capacity. The new machine design has perfectly integrated the drive system with automatic slope compensation, which is extremely gentle on the soil. The more powerful bunker-emptying mechanism provides faster truck loading on the move. The new cabin design with ROPA Evolution seat with air-conditioning and heated seat combined with the R-Touch terminal, WLAN interface and numerous automatic programmes offers top driving comfort for the best lifting results.

Patented hydraulic chassis system - roll stabilisation with load compensation

ROPA has developed an innovative chassis concept with an oscillating front axle in conjunction with two hydraulically supported rear axles specially for the flagship Tiger. Compared to the chassis on previous 3-axle beet harvesters (with the central axle fixed to the frame), this reduces the sway of machine by one third! The reason for the improvement is the hydraulic connection of the cylinders at the front and rear axles on one side, so unevenness at one wheel at a different level only affects the frame by 33 per cent compared to the previous system. Thanks to the reduction of the chassis swing, the row and depth control are improved simultaneously, as the frame is averaged to the position of three axles. The hydraulic connection of the axles always distributes the load equally over all 6 wheels. The result is less sway, significantly greater driving comfort with even better harvest quality.

ROPA R-Soil Protect is the combination of a soil-protective, hydraulic chassis system with MICHELIN CerexBib tyre technology. This soil protection concept was awarded a silver medal at Agritechnica in Hanover. It only requires approx. 1.4 bar tyre pressure and it is available as an option in the Tiger 6. The synergy of the load-balancing hydraulic chassis with the new generation of MICHELIN IF1000/55 R32 CerexBib tyres offers even more contact surface with sustained soil protection and significantly reduced contact pressure. Michelin technicians were on hand throughout the trade fair to provide detailed information on soil protection and tyres at the ROPA booth.

Low bar tyre pressure means reduced contact pressure even with a full beet bunker

New R-Cab2 with ROPA Evolution driver's seat with air conditioning

The ROPA Tiger 6 cabin has been completely redesigned with new equipment and is significantly improved with the ROPA Evolution driver's seat with heating and air conditioning. It is oriented to the driver, who has the best overview of the redeveloped lifting unit from a physiologically appropriate and comfortable seating position. The cabin has ample storage space and numerous storage compartments, ideal for maintaining order in the cabin.

Integrated defoliator without defoliator wheels (RISU) with hydraulically folding leaf sensor - RR-lifter with automatic single-row height adjustment

An integrated defoliator without defoliator wheels was demonstrated for the first time at Agritechnica in Hanover (RISU). Compared to the version with defoliator wheels (RIS), the new version also has a vibration damper with nitrogen and a hydraulic folding leaf sensor.

The RR lifting unit is equipped with counter-rotating shaking shares, seven lifting rollers, completely maintenance-free hydraulic stone protection and automatic single-row adjustment of the lifting depth. The 850 mm large depth-control wheels combined with the intelligent three-point suspension guarantee accurate depth control of the lifter. Maintenance costs are minimised with adjustable taper roller bearings in transmissions and the oscillating share drive. The convenient maintenance position lifts the defoliator and the lifting group 90 degrees for easy access for service of defoliator knives, scalper knife and lifting shares.

Premiere of the ROPA Panther 2 with RR_XL lifting unit

ROPA is pushing forward to a new performance dimension with the Panther 2. Sporty modern design with manoeuvrability and agility combines with a "workhorse" in the new Panther 2 for pure pleasure when lifting beets. The 768 hp Volvo inline engine with pump-nozzle injection and 16.12 litre capacity has sufficient power reserves even under the most extreme lifting conditions with a 6-row lifting attachment or a 8/9-row RR-XL lifting attachment. The award winning and soil-protecting chassis system with roll stabilisation and automatic slope compensation have been flawlessly integrated into the new machine design. The ROPA Panther 2 cabin has been completely redesigned with new equipment and is significantly improved with the ROPA Evolution driver's seat with heating and air conditioning.

The ROPA Panther 2 equipped with the PR-XL series 8 or 9-row wide lifting units is capable of covering significantly larger areas at reduced harvesting speed. Advantages of this version are reduced fuel consumption, lower fixed costs and an improved topping quality. With the wide PR-XL lifting units attached, the front axle of the Panther 2 can be fitted with even wider and more soil-protective 900/60 R38 Ultraflex tyres. Less passes and manoeuvres also contribute to soil protection. The RR-XL lifting unit is also optionally available without defoliator wheels and with hydraulically folding leaf sensor.

Keiler 1 potato harvester with fully hydraulic drive

Individual speed adjustment - soil-protection tyres

The ROPA Keiler 1 is a one-row trailed potato harvester with a 6 t bunker. The Keiler 1 has been specifically designed for customers with increased demands for the highest quality (ware potato) and, at the same time, thorough and extremely gentle cleaning and excellent haulm separation. The load-sensing hydraulics enable fully hydraulic adjustment of the speed of all cleaning components, particularly sieving conveyors and leaf chain.

The fully hydraulic drive allows the speed of all cleaning units to be controlled automatically. All cleaning units can be supplied at maximum power at a PTO speed of 450 rpm.

The Keiler 1 can optionally be fitted with 710/45 R26.5 radial tyres for improved soil protection.

Optional wizard systems and additional optional ISOBUS functions

The fully hydraulic drive allows user-defined machine settings to saved and recalled at any time. Adjustments to specific crop conditions or switching programs between ware and starch potatoes is convenient at the press of a button. Enabling the task controller allows the field documentation to be output to the field file in the ISO-XML file format.

Wizard systems - additional attachments of the fully hydraulic drive

■ Six programming buttons for fast saving and calling various machine settings
■ Individually configurable and can be saved with names
■ Ideal for repeating harvesting conditions

Keiler 2 potato harvester

Fully hydraulic drive - chassis design with telescoping axle and high-volume radial tyres

The ROPA Keiler 2 is a 2-row trailed potato harvester with approx. 8 t bunker. As well as new details, the Keiler 2 has a fully hydraulic drive for optimal adjustment for cleaning. All cleaning devices maintain their set speed independently of the PTO speed. The result is reduced fuel consumption with reduced tractor engine speed.

The road transport width is only 3.00 m, which allows the Keiler 2 to travel on roads anywhere in Germany without requiring a special permit. With the telescoping axle it can be extended to a stable 3.50 m in the field.

Wizard systems - additional attachments of the fully hydraulic drive

Harvesting programs can be saved with wizard systems

  • six programming buttons for fast saving and calling various machine settings
  • individually configurable and can be saved with names
  • ideal for repeating harvesting conditions or when switching from ware potatoes to starch potatoes

 

Automatic sieve conveyor wizard system

  • sieve conveyor is actuated depending on travel speed
  • minimum and maximum speed of sieve conveyor are preset
  • ratio between sieve conveyor speed and travel speed is adjustable

 

Automatic overload wizard system

  • if a blockage occurs the upstream cleaning units are automatically shut off
  • this prevents overrunning or damage due to overloading the harvester
  • Turbo Clean program can be activated in the menu

Extended ISOBUS functions - Auxiliary Control (AUX-N):

  • defined machine functions can be actuated with additional controls
  • additional controls can include external ISOBUS joysticks, buttons from the AUX, tractor joystick, etc.  
  • Control functions can be assigned as desired

Extended ISOBUS functions - basic task controller for ISOBUS order processing

  • Documentation of total values: area (ha), distance (km) and time (h),…
  • Data exchange between field file and task controller in ISO-XML file format
  • Orders can imported to the task controller
  • completed documentation can be easily exported

Convenient quick-change system for pickup

ROPA has designed a practical new quick-change system for switching between row pickup and swath pickup. The Keiler 2 can be switched from potato harvesting to onion harvesting in just a few minutes. The reverse is the same. One person can perform the complete coupling process easily and without requiring special tools.

Drive axle - movement and manoeuvring made easy!

The ROPA Keiler 2 can be equipped with an optional drive axle for increased traction and soil protection even under extremely difficult harvesting conditions. Even with this optional equipment with high-volume 850/50 R 30.5 tyres the road transport width is just 3.00 metres.

The integrated axle freewheel allows speeds up to 40 km/h on the road. A maximum torque up to 14,500 Nm can be achieved at the wheel for a thrust of 2 tons. It can be coupled and uncoupled during travel at any time. The maximum speed with a coupled drive axle is up to 14 km/h.

Comfortable and powerful for extreme harvesting conditions!

ISOBUS automatic operation for the hydraulically powered axle in the ROPA Keiler 2 potato harvester

The new and practical automatic operation using tractors with ISOBUS is a convenient and elegant solution. The drive axle is automatically actuated in the applicable direction of travel during start-up and controlled synchronously, then switched off again at a standstill. A significant advantage, because it is not necessary to switch, stop or switch the drive axle to reverse separately while moving or starting.

  • Under extremely difficult harvesting conditions the automatic operation completely eliminates the danger of bogging due to activation of the drive axle too late or a deactivated drive axle
  • The automatic operation always moves the drive axle in the correct direction of movement immediately and ensures drive support and movement under the most difficult conditions
  • The ISOBUS automatic operation completely prevents the tractor from being pushed by an activated drive axle or one that is deactivated too late
  • The Auxiliary Control (AUX-N) functions can activate the ISOBUS automatic operation for the drive axle and also the most important lifting functions in addition to the terminal with the ISOBUS keys on the tractor or an ISOBUS control

Maus 5

10.20 metre-wide pickup system - counterweight arm for optimal balance

The Maus 5 is impressive with the redesigned cabin. The proven Maus 5 cabin has been fitted with the ROPA Evolution driver's seat with heating and air conditioning. The overall design that combines capacity and efficiency with the 10.2 m wide pickup system and offers practice-oriented developments with the latest technical innovations. The counterweight arm, over 9 metres long, guarantees absolute stability even with the truck loader at maximum width.

ROPA technology in miniature format

The 44-year-old farmer Allan Clausen from Denmark has built the unique remote-controlled LEGO ROPA MAUS 5 from Lego bricks in hours of patient work. He was at our booth at Agritechnica 2013 with his first machine, the LEGO ROPA Tiger, and was the centre of attention.

Allan's fascination for agricultural machinery in general and particularly for ROPA technology led him to build the Maus in Lego after the lifter. The result of several years of work is really impressive. He has produced a model of the ROPA Maus 5 with all the functions of its full-sized original. All functions on the Maus and the Tiger can be controlled from a tablet.

ROPA fan shop - new collection

The new collection was presented for the first time in the ROPA shop. ROPA quilted vests, quilted jackets, hoodies and the new caps were hot items. Some items were so popular and so much in demand that they sold out quickly. We have them on back-order and they should be available again soon in our fan shop on the web site (free shipping for orders over 25 euros).

ROPA in the agriculture simulator from mid-2018 - an exclusive preview

Some ROPA machines will be available in the agriculture simulator from the middle of 2018. The Giants developer team is working intensively on the visualisation. The Maus 5 and Keiler 2 could be tested already in the exclusive preview at our trade fair booth.

Albach wood chipper - the top of the range in off-road wood chippers with motorway approval

ROPA with its subsidiaries is the general importer for Albach wood chippers in Belgium, France and Poland. The Albach team was there at the ROPA booth again this year with a Diamant 2000. High power, excellent torque output and low speed - the design of the Volvo engine and the chipping and driving characteristics of the self-propelled wood chipper are an ideal combination.The Diamant 2000 is powered by the 768 hp (565 kW) Volvo engine, like the ROPA Tiger 6 and Panther 2 harvesters. The chipper with its outstanding road speed of 70 km/h is now approved for operation on motorways in France.

ROPA Agritechnica 2017 team

At this point we would like to thank all our visitors for their great enthusiasm at the ROPA booth

The ROPA team at the new ROPA booth with its unique booth design. It represents a traditional, down to earth family company with our roots in Bavaria, an international outlook and great powers of innovation. The tradition at ROPA is to design and build our trade fair booths in-house - Carolin Paintner (centre) was responsible for design and construction of the house at the booth.We place great value on continuing the company's unique marketing and booth design with log cabin and beer garden. 

Thanks to all involved and to all of our visitors for a successful Agritechnica.

And a special thanks to our girls

Our girls, all ROPA employees and friends, provided outstanding service, good cheer and a relaxed atmosphere at the ROPA booth. Thank you very much!

Impressions of ROPA at Agritechnica 2017