Two new one-pass seed drill / power harrow combinations are available this year. Peter Hill finds out more
The Kverneland e-drill Maxi becomes the Maxi Plus when multi-seed/fertiliser capability is added, while the Sulky Progress is a newcomer to the French manufacturer’s range with the option of two or three hopper divisions.
“We know that many farmers struggled to get crops drilled after a very wet autumn, so this is where a combination drill like the Progress can help,” said Rob Thurkettle, managing director of Sulky-Burrel’s UK operation.
“The reduced number of passes that comes with preparing the seedbed and sowing in one pass minimises potential soil damage, especially when drilling in less-than-ideal conditions.”
Explaining the rationale behind the multi-hopper development, he said: “The multiple hopper configuration of the Progress drill provides growers with greater flexibility because they can choose to drill just one type of seed, or a main crop plus a companion or second variety.
“And with up to three independent hoppers, they can also add granular fertiliser at the point of sowing.”
The Progress has a universal metering mechanism that is said to handle all seed types without the need to change metering wheels.
The distributor head at the rear of the metering unit is designed to accurately distribute the single or mixed products to flexible tubes that feed three rows of Unisoc 3D Suffolk coulters or a staggered row of Twindisc 30kg or notched 100kg Cultidisc coulters.
There are 3m, 3.5m and 4m sizes, each with a choice of 1,250, 1,750, and 2,000-litre hopper capacities. Set up and control can be handled via the Wiso software available on Sulky’s Quartz console, an iPad or a third-party Isobus-compliant display.
Meanwhile, with Kverneland’s e-drill Maxi Plus, the 2,100-litre hopper can be divided in 60:40 and 70:30 proportions with independent metering mechanisms on either side to suit a number of companion cropping or fertiliser placement scenarios, as well as 100% for one seed type.
There are twin delivery tubes to the disc coulters, which can be set up for 125mm or 150mm row spacing, and the coulter assembly has a quick-attach mechanism enabling the power harrow to be used alone.
Isobus electronics mean the drill element of the combination can be operated by any compliant console or display, including Kverneland’s IsoMatch Tellus Go and Tellus Pro, although the simpler non-Isobus Focus 3 controller can also be used.