Reco Sulky TRW6 drill

While 3m and 4m drills may account for the bulk of the market, giant 6m machines are becoming increasingly popular. Reco’s French-made Sulky TRW6 min-till drill is a true lots-of-metal-for-your-money machine, with 3400 litres of grain tank capacity, individual seed metering and ultra-wide braked transport wheels that allow it to travel at 40kph on the road. Seeder units are mounted on C-spring times and give up to 80kg downwards pressure, while the soil turning is done by notched discs. A huge 650mm metal packer roller uses the weight of the drill to consolidate the ground in front of the seeder units. Power requirement is 220hp and the whole unit folds to 3m for road transport.

Gregoire Besson auto-reset

French cultivation company Gregoire Besson has added a new auto-reset option to its Discordon disc range. Auto-reset is becoming an increasingly popular option, says the firm’s Bill Immink, as more and more people choose to upgrade from shearbolts to non-stop systems that can easily be reset after hitting an immovable obstruction. Price difference for a set of seven tines is £2500.

The classic power harrow drill combination may be the backbone of many farmers’ cultivation systems but the basic fomat hasn’t changed much over the years. Now Accord has taken a fresh look at its own system and come up with the i-drill Pro. The usual main-frame that allows the drill to attach to the power harrow has gone, saving 500kg that is now used to boost the grain capacity from 750 litres to 1200. The metering unit has moved from its normal central position to an easier-to-get-to place on one side of the tank. There’s also a big viewing window so the operator can see into the bottom of the tank, plus the change in tank shape means the driver gets a better view of the tool bar. Cost starts from £11,600 for a 3m unit and £13,360 for a 4m.

Kverneland

As ploughs get bigger, turning them over gets more complicated. Which can put a lot of strain on the driver’s lever twiddling skills as well as spool valve availability.

Kverneland’s answer is to automate the process with its ATS system. This works in a similar way to a tractor’s headland management system, operating each ram in turn. The driver can operate the whole thing manually, but the simplest solution is to hit the green go button, which operates all the rams to get the plough out of the ground and into position as you

pull out at the end of the field. A second press then operates them all again to put the plough into the ground. A screen is provided to keep you informed of what’s happening but if you have a tractor with a nice Isobus display, you can show it all on that.