Amazone has shrunk its Condor direct drill onto a more compact chassis with the option of 8m or 9m working widths.

The prototype Condor 02 uses the same narrow tine coulters as regular 12m and 15m machines, which can be set at 20cm or 25cm row spacings.

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Amazone Condor 02 © James Andrews

Up to 120kg of coulter pressure can be applied, giving them plenty of bite in tough conditions, and they’re staggered over three rows to allow good debris flow.

The example pictured here is fitted with new double steel press wheels which are more effective at closing the seed slot than single rubber versions, particularly in heavy soils.

Another perk is optional individual row shut-off, which reduces headland overlaps to less than 1%. This technology also allows tramlines to be put in at a different angle to the drilling.

Operators just select the direction they want the wheel marks to run and the coulters will switch off and back on at precisely the right moment.

A double split 3,200-litre seed hopper comes as standard and there’s the option of adding a third 900-litre vessel.

At the rear is a heavy-duty tine harrow for levelling the seed-bed, which can be dropped into work hydraulically.

On-farm prices for the 9m model start at £129,000.