Lincolnshire direct-drilling specialist Dale has added a cutting disc option to its machines in a bid to help farmers drilling in fields planted with cover crops.

The straight disc is designed to bolt on in place of the leading tine on each drilling assembly and will cut a clear line through high levels of green cover.

The disc is mounted on a new type of bearing fitted to the press wheel, reducing the number of different parts on the drill and cutting maintenance requirement.

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The cutting disc can be retrofitted to existing machines and is available for all sizes and models – including the flagship Eco Drill and smaller Eco T.

The company said this will further increase the versatility of the drills, which are capable of sowing in direct, min-till and conventional seed-beds.

The press wheels – which are fitted to each drilling assembly to give an even sowing depth across the width of the drill – have also been improved with a new fully enclosed bearing.

James Dale, who runs Dale Drills with his brother Tom, said: “Our drills are already capable of high workrates without the need for a huge amount of horsepower. But these latest modifications go that much further.

“Other types of wheel bearings tend to need greasing regularly, while tapered roller bearings need tightening at set intervals. By fully enclosing the bearing we have removed the need for this extra maintenance and helped reduce downtime and improve output.”

“Our trials have shown that the disc works well, slicing a path through the cover crops for the following tine, which is then able to create a tilth and place the seed into clean soil.”