Cereals 2013: SimTech 8m direct drill puts company into the big league

SimTech’s latest development looks to have taken the company into the drill-making big league.

Having this year developed a 4.8m and 6m mounted range, the Suffolk-based company also had a big 8m version finished just in time for the show.

The mounted T-Sem drills have a 1,700-litre hopper and Sulky metering system. Underneath, it’s the same configuration as the firm’s smaller drills – using an inverted T-slot to minimise soil disturbance.

Although it’s designed primarily as a direct drill, the lead cutting discs can be replaced by a rubber roller to level out cultivated ground. Working depth range extends to 120mm and power requirements are anything from 140hp.

But it was the 6.5t big boy that was attracting all the attention. A 3,000-litre hopper (with a seed-and-fert option due to arrive next year) feeds down to three drill sections. Wings are centre-pivoted to help follow contours and the operator can lower the chassis to add extra weight to the drill to improve penetration in hard conditions.

Front discs are on hydraulic cylinders so they can be picked up out of the way when turning corners, for instance. Working speed should be 8-12kph and there are plans to take it to 12m wide in the future. It’ll need a tractor of at least 200hp on the front. Prices are yet to be announced.