Cultivation specialist Kongskilde had been operating somewhat under the radar until its takeover of fellow Danish firm JF Stoll in 2011. JF joins ploughmaker Overum and Becker’s seed drills in the Kongskilde repertoire.

That move has meant Kongskilde can now offer grass kit, diet feeders, tillage implements and drills, as well as grain handling and storage machinery.

But with seed-bed preparation in full swing, it’s the company’s ground-ripping kit that has been the focus of the Danes’ research and development department.

Inter-row cultivation

A notable addition to the range is a hydraulic-folding inter-row cultivator (pictured above).

The 6m version has eight 75cm rows, although working widths can extend to 9.7m. Transport width is kept within 3m.

The layout sees a leading disc followed by Kongskilde’s vibrating Vibro-flex S-tines. A row of spring tines finish the job and you can add a seeder on top, too.

A GPS signal ensures each of the six sections is lifted and lowered at exactly the right time, and there’s a rear-mounted camera to make sure it sticks between the rows. Kongskilde says the camera should be accurate to 2.5cm at 14kph.

The frame of the cultivator is able to shift from side to side, which means the tractor does not have to travel as accurately as the implement needs to be.

Ploughing

Also catching the eye was the Swedish-made Overum Vari-flex plough (pictured below).

The five-furrow version on show, suitable for tractors up to 180hp, can be equipped with GPS-controlled automatic furrow width adjustment.

Furrow widths can extend from 300mm to 500mm and working widths from 1.5-2.75m, so there’s plenty of scope for adjustment.

That means when a novice (or sleepy) ploughman leaves a few wobbles in the field they can be quickly corrected using a GPS signal.

The system can also be handy in awkwardly shaped fields. Once the field dimensions have been programmed, the black box can adjust furrow width according to the field shape.

A five-furrow Vari-flex will set you back £29,120.

Fertiliser spreading

The largest machine on show was the Wing Jet fertiliser spreader (pictured below).

While double-disc spreaders seem to be the more fashionable choice, Kongskilde insists there is still a place for boom spreaders.

The company reckons the Wing Jet is ideal for spreading fertiliser granules that are less uniform in size. It’s also handy for windy days, hence their popularity on coastal farms.

Each of the 20 spreading plates spreads fertiliser over 1.2m and the operator can turn off each of the four 6m sections independently. Transport width is 3m.

Kongskilde says it has already sold 10 of its 24m spreaders in the UK this year. Starting price is £62,628.

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You can see equipment from Kongskilde and other machinery manufacturers at Tillage-Live 2012.