Compared with June’s Cereals event, the main problem for exhibitors at Tillage was not heavy clay but stones and lots of them.

The exhibition site was rated grade three Cotswold brash – a hard abrasive soil that provided some interesting viewing as manufacturers endeavoured to exhibit their wares to the 2500 or so visitors who attended the show.

Most onlookers will have considered the conditions as suitably tricky for those trying to show off new kit, although nowhere on the site were machines asked to work in chopped straw.

One piece of kit that attracted attention on the tough land was a plough from Kverneland equipped with plastic mould-boards. The composite boards are said to have less of a tendency to allow soil to stick than the steel equivalent and are claimed to really prove themselves when working on heavy land.

The firm says that although the plough is only in the development stages, it may well go into production if trials this year prove successful.

Vaderstad
Vaderstad displayed a pre-production version of a new 3m cultivator drill which has been developed with a gravity-fed hopper mounted on top of the firm’s Carrier CR 300 mounted cultivator.

Apparently the machine can be used first for stubble cultivations and later for drilling – a new concept that the Swedish manufacturer plans to aim at the smaller farmer.

The unit has two rows of rubber coulters spaced at 5in (125mm) which follow in the shadow of the unit’s serrated discs. Seed hopper capacity currently stands at 930 litres but this will be upped to 1100 litres for production models, due in 2006.

With an empty hopper the unit weighs in at 2400kg and has a minimum power requirement of 120hp.


Merlo multi-farmer
Coupled to a plough, the Merlo Multi-farmer telehandler is a novel concept but is by no means a new sight at cultivation demos.

However this version boasts the firm’s new cab which is claimed to be the widest on the market.

This now has a one piece back window and a larger area of glass in the access door.

The air-con unit – which is now 35% more powerful – has been moved to the rear of the cab roof to improve working conditions.

Terracut 400
Vogel and Noot’s Terracut 400 carries four rows of tines which can be fitted with a range of different points to provide a lifting and loosening effect in varying soil conditions.

The machine is trailed on the tractor’s lift arms to improve traction through weight transfer to the rear wheels.

Available in 3m, 4m, 5m and 6m versions, the cultivator can be fitted with a seeder-unit to improve its versatility.

Said to be suitable for work on stubble or ploughed land, a 4m model costs 16,500.

CT stubble finisher
Pulled by the largest tractor at the event — and perhaps the most powerful on the market – the Kverneland CT Stubble Finisher was hitched up to a 600hp MT 875B Challenger.
With a 6m working width, two rows of spring loaded tines are followed by a row of levelling discs.

At the rear of the machine — behind the transport wheels – runs a set of subsoil loosening tines, which can be hydraulically lifted for work on tough land.

The unit – which requires a minimum of 480hp — has an equally demanding price tag of 60,000.



Lemken Thorit 
Lemken says that its Thorit range of cultivators have been designed specifically for use in medium and heavy soils. The smallest unit on demo at Tillage was the Thorit 8, a 3m version designed for 100hp tractors.

Three rows of tines — which can be specified with three types of points – are followed by a row of paired discs and a packer roller.
Price for the Thorit 8 is 4500.

Amazone C-Drill 3000
Amazone demonstrated its new C-Drill 3000 unit which is a small non-pneumatic drill designed for sowing oilseed rape and other small seeds.

Mounted on a Catros 3001 cultivator, primary cultivations are carried out by two rows of angled discs. Observing the Amazone theory of consolidate then sow, the unit uses a welded ring roller which is followed by the seeder unit which is a full width gravity fed hopper.

The seeder costs close to 3000 while the entire unit, including the cultivator, has a price tag of almost 10,000.

Mega Finisher
One of the widest pieces of cultivation kit on demo was the Mega Finisher from Quivogne. With a 9m working width, the unit weighs just over 11t and requires 300hp.

Folding to 3m for transport the unit has 37 tines fitted with a leaf-spring overload protection system.

A row of discs – 46 in total – at the front perform primary cultivations. Imported from the Czech Republic, the unit costs 44,100.

Simba 3M X-Press
The effectiveness of Simba’s mounted 3m X-press cultivator can now be enhanced with the addition of an optional toolbar carrying five spring-loaded tines.

Each of the tines mounted on the ST bar are individually adjustable for depth and can be fitted with a range of knock-on points.

The company says that the toolbar can be fitted to most three-point linkage-mounted cultivators at a cost of 5500.



fwmachinery@rbi.co.uk