Armed with 25 heavy-duty spring tine coulters, the 300E box drill from New Zealand outfit Taege is geared up for fuss-free direct crop establishment.

And by staggering the outlets over the length of the implement, the firm has provided ample room for trash clearance while maintaining a row width of 121mm.

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Alteration of seeding depth is equally straightforward, achieved by clipping shims on the hydraulic lift rams, and it comes with a simple control box that’s quick and easy to calibrate.

Buyers can opt for either a single seed box or the pictured twin hopper arrangement that allows two products to be placed simultaneously.

Each has a capacity of 504 litres and, for those regularly sowing fertiliser, there’s the option of upgrading to a stainless-steel hopper rather than painted mild steel.

Seed is metered out of these using a series of sponge rollers, which offer rates from as little as 600g/ha to 420kg/ha.

Drilling speeds of 9-12kph are possible and the narrow points on each tine allow placement down to 70mm.

All models have a fully galvanised frame with a twin following harrow to flick some soil over the seed and help close the slot.

Range of models

Taege equipment is imported by UK Farm Agri and prices for the 3m twin-hopper trailed model start at £28,995.

The drills are eligible for FETF grants, which can cover 50% of the purchase price.

Box drills are also available in 1.2m and 2.1m working widths and all can be configured with a trailed or mounted chassis. Then there are pneumatic versions which come in 3m, 4m, 4.8m or 6m guises.

In addition, the firm offers a trailed tyre packer which is designed for light consolidation of the seed-bed.

This has a series of bogies – each fitted with four wheels – which slink over ground contours and gently press the surface with a pressure of 0.9 bar a tyre. The 3m version is priced at £6,100.