Friday, 23 April 2021 08:55

Save money and moisture!

Written by  Mark Daniel
Tulloch Farm Machines offers the Strebel SAG 16 Strip Tillage System for establishing maize and fodder beet crops. Tulloch Farm Machines offers the Strebel SAG 16 Strip Tillage System for establishing maize and fodder beet crops.

With farmers and contractors looking to reduce crop establishment costs, the arrival of increasingly accurate GPS and a range of specialised implements, may make 'recreational' cultivation a thing of the past.

Experts suggest that excessive cultivation is damaging soil structure, often bringing poor sub-soils up into the growing levels.

There is also the impact caused by loss of moisture and fine soils to the wind. Add to that the cost of our cultivator metal and high fuel costs, then new techniques are sure to be adopted in the coming years?

Strip Tilling is a technique that allows minimal soil disturbance, reducing cultivation costs by only cultivating a narrow band of soil where the crop is going to be established. It leaves the ground between rows unmoved and brings land back into production much more quickly.

Masterton-based importer and distributor Tulloch Farm Machines offers the Strebel SAG 16 Strip Tillage System, aimed at establishing maize and fodder beet crops throughout New Zealand.

The machine that takes the outward form of a rotary cultivator, but underneath, the traditional rotor is replaced by a unit that carries a series of "milling units" that only cultivate a band of ground where the crop is to be established.

With an overall width of 3m, the machine can be configured to prepare four rows at 75cm or six rows at 50cm spacing. Ahead of each of the rows is a subsoiler leg that can operate at depths of up to 25cm. This breaks up any plough pan, before passing soil to the rotor, which can operate to 15cm working depth for breaking down into a finer seedbed.

Rear of the milling heads, an infinitely adjustable packer system sees sectional units behind each of the four or six rotors. These reconsolidate the ground, leaving a level surface for subsequent operations. The lateral extremities of the main rotor housing feature extended side panels to create a definitive edge for the worked strips.

Manufactured using Hardox steel for durability and an extended working life, power input is 1,000rpm. It has a cam-clutch overload protection set-up, with a 4-speed main gearbox and gear-driven, lateral oil bath drive to the main rotor. Speed adjustment via the main gearbox allows operators to quickly adjust rotor speeds to ground conditions or required forward speed.

As an option, a Cat2/3 rear three-point linkage can be used to carry a precision planted. Or the installation of a front-mounted hopper can be specified to incorporate fertiliser into the prepared tillage strip ahead of the rotor.

www.tulloch.co.nz

More like this

Featured

Horticulture exports hit $8.4B, surge toward $10B by 2029

A brilliant result and great news for growers and regional economies. That's how horticulture sector leaders are describing the news that sector exports for the year ended June 30 will reach $8.4 billion - an increase of 19% on last year and is forecast to hit close to $10 billion in 2029.

National

Machinery & Products

Calf feeding boost

Advantage Plastics says it is revolutionising calf meal storage and handling, making farm life easier, safer, and more efficient this…

JD's precision essentials

Farmers across New Zealand are renowned for their productivity and efficiency, always wanting to do more with less, while getting…

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Be afraid

OPINION: Your old mate hears some of the recent uptick in farmer confidence has slipped since the political polls started…

Trust us!

OPINION: Ther'es a reason politicians rank even lower than John Campbell in the most trusted profession surveys.

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter