Rather than increasing power and size, DTW has chosen to develop its MK 7 as a more  “intelligent”  machine which fully utilizes total available engine power throughout the cutting process, regardless of cutting conditions, in order to improve cutting rates.

Earlier versions of the Tempest have used a feedback system which keeps constant load on the flail head. This constant load is achieved by increasing and decreasing track speed. If the flail head is lightly loaded, the machine ground speeds will automatically increase to increase the load on the flail.  In turn, power to the head will rise until a set limit is reached.

Although effective, the earlier systems did not use all the engine power all the time.  That’s where the Mk7 differs from its predecessors.  The MK 7 has been designed to take the power not used by the tracks and to transfer that unused track power to the flail head – the “Maximum Power Distribution” (MPD) system.

Click here for a flash animation of the MPD system.

Click here for a discussion paper that more fully explains the MPD system.