Subsoiling vs Drainage: Fixing Wet Paddocks This Spring
As we move further into spring, decisions are being made about working land for cropping, as daytime and ground temperatures increase.
Many subsoilers tend to leave an uneven surface and are often unable to go deep enough to penetrate the compacted pan layer to achieve the required results. Alpego claims its Super Craker overcomes this problem with specially designed legs that enter the ground surface at an optimal angle, allowing the machine to penetrate through the compacted pan layer to depths of up to 600mm, while breaking the pan with minimal mixing of the subsoil into the upper soil profile.
Alpego says the profile of the soil is left in a way that in a dry season the moisture stored deep down can move freely up the soil profile to the plant, and yet in a wet season the opposite occurs with the excess moisture freely draining away, resulting in higher cropping yields in all seasons.
The machine should prove to be popular with contractors and maize growers looking to improve crops suffering from soil compaction.
Made from Swedish high tensile rated steel in the construction and cast-iron clamps to fix the legs to the frame, three models are offered from 3 to 5m working width, suitable for tractors 100 to 500hp.
A choice of shear-bolt or hydraulic auto-reset systems protect the rig from stones and trash.
The 500mm or 600mm legs allow the user to work at different compaction depths, and a Franter double-spike rear roller crushes clods left on the surface, leaving a level and semi-cultivated finish ready for the next pass before final planting, while also helping to conserve moisture.
