In the market for a new drill? LAMMA had a plethora of new drills to suit all budgets and establishment regimes. Here Jane Carley, Geoff Ashcroft and Alex Heath round up the latest models from the packed NEC halls. Pictures by Marcello Garbagnoli and John Eveson.
Kockerling Vitu disc drill
Kockerling's Vitu is the latest disc drill option from SamAgri. Available in 3m, 4m and 6m working widths, the drill uses two rows of angled discs followed by a rubber tyred press wheel.
Kockerling has opted for a twin-axle press wheel configuration, offering 800mm stagger to prevent hopping and lead to improved stability for the coulter system, said the firm. Disc coulters are suspended on a spring-tine arm, with row spacings set at 12.5cm. The 6m Vitu is priced at £72,500.
Sulky Progress combination drill
Sulky's latest power-harrow drill combination, the multi-hopper Progress model, has been developed to offer a combination of up to three independent hoppers, to suit companion cropping and small seeds, in addition to grain and fertiliser use.
Sophistication comes from a distribution head with electronic control valves for each coulter, with the ability to follow seeding maps and provide total flexibility for tramline placement.
Spanning a range of working widths from three to six metres and in rigid and folding formats, the Sulky Progress is priced from £51,000.
Ma/Ag SSP30P Sicura seed drill
A more economic version for those wishing to no-till drill was shown by importers Ryetec. The Ma/Ag SSP30P Sicura uses the same soil engaging components as the firm's larger trailed units, but in a three metre wide mounted package. This includes a straight serrated disc for creating the seed slot, and an angled plain disc for opening.
It comes in at about £10,000 cheaper than the equivalent trailed unit, £28,000 for mechanical seed metering or £31,000 for an electric system.
Virkar direct drill
Those seeking out a direct drilling solution may be interested in the Virkar unit imported through sole UK distributor SamAgri.
Available in 4.5, five, six and seven metre working widths, the Spanish-built seeder uses a hydraulically pressurised, wavy-edged cutting disc that creates a 10mm slot of tilth, followed by a seed tine with press discs.
Row spacing can be 19 or 25cm, and the triple-section hopper affords a variety of grain, fertiliser or companion crop options to be handled. A fourth hopper option is available.
The Virkar drill also features a steering axle, to counter the effects of crabbing on hillsides. This 6m unit is priced at £76,500.
Bednar UK introduces range
Bednar UK was formed last year to offer specialist distribution for the Czech manufacturer whose cultivators have previously been sold by a number of importers.
The full range includes inter-row cultivators for maize and beet, the Swifterdisc cultivator aimed at CTF systems and the Omega 00FL drill. Described as the ‘ultimate' drill, the Omega can sow direct, in min-till conditions or into ploughed and cultivated land using disc sections laid out in an X-formation and choice of 12.5 and 16.7cm row spacings. Grain only and grain and fertiliser versions are available, with an optional third tank for companion cropping.
Sky Agriculture Easy Drill
The Easy Drill from Sky Agriculture has had a major refresh, with all but the disc coulter revamped. Up to four hoppers can be specified, the largest of which is split 60:40 and can hold 4,100 litres of seed and fertiliser.
The RDS control unit of old has been outed in favour of a Muller unit, which is now IsoBus ready, while the drill itself now has a CanBus system, meaning more metering systems and sensors can be employed with less wire. Coupled to this are electronic valves on each of the outlets of the distribution head which allow for different row spacings while half width shutoff is achievable.
Precision Planting from Horizon Agriculture
Horizon Agriculture, the trading name of Sly Agri, revealed a host of seeding developments including the American-built Precision Planting Ready Row Unit for retro-fitting to existing toolbar systems.
Technological upgrades allow the unit to be expanded for data capture and mapping - the SmartFirmer for example, is a sensor that runs in the opened seed slot ahead of seed placement. With live sampling, it records soil temperature, organic matter and moisture content, and is capable of altering seed rates to suit. In addition, the device has the ability to vary seed depth to suit in-field conditions, and automatically adjust press-wheel pressure to firm soil around the seed.
Weaving Sabre 6000M drill
As part of its updates to the Sabre Tine drill, Weaving Machinery has ditched the plastic hopper in favour of a 1.6-tonne capacity all-steel version.
Depth wheels have been relocated from the back to the middle of the frame, while folding wing sections offer +/- six-degrees of lateral float - both aimed at improving contour following.
An optional front-row of discs are available to future-proof the drill says Simon Weaving, for those seeking a cultivator drill capable of direct drilling.
Available in 3m, 4.8m and 6m working widths, the Sabre Tine is priced from £24,800.
