What about deep tramlines in a Direct Drilling system?

Blackbarn

New Member
Arable Farmer
Thinking about cutting costs and looking into direct drilling or just cutting out passes. But we have some heavy wet ground that leaves deep tramlines, what do we do with them, avoid them or just continue sub soling them up!
 

tw15

Member
Location
DORSET
Trouble is that subsoiling can make them soft so the the next time it is wet you sink in just as bad . May be just run down them with a small cultivator to fill them in a bit.
You could just leave them in the same place as long as you are not getting too much water running off . Firm ground dosen't get washed out like softer ground .I have found that with dd you don't sink in like being on wet fully cultivated ground. It is because the soil has settled and got some natural structure that improves with time.
 

Blackbarn

New Member
Arable Farmer
Yes, see you're point. May pay to use an old bomford superflow down to tramline bottom, then power Harrow them in. Intensive yes but should only need to do it once. The ground is reclaimed woodland and heavy!
Was thinking of putting a subsoiler bar on the front of my drilling rig and doing a single pass. I did this on my old 4m drill for rape and it was excellent especially on the home light land. Trouble was when it got wet on the heavy ground it just plasticised up and never got good seed to soil contact. So I'm in a puzzle, desperate to cut costs but not spend anything!
 

RTK Farmer

Member
BASE UK Member
First step is to not block the coulters so the growing crop drys the soil a little. Many of the dd and CTF farmers abroad have made DIY machines to fill in after the first year, haven't seen the details of these though, as has been said subsoiling may exacerbate the problem.
 

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
If they are smooth and firm (even though they are rutted) then I wouldn't loosen them as it might make it worse. The loose soil will just squeeze out and the ruts will get even deeper.

We found raking and drilling at an angle to them filled them in gradually over time. Maybe a scuffle with a power harrow when it's dry would fill them in a bit or run a roller or LPG tyres over them to push the sides back in when it's dryish.

I once used a Bomford drag on the tramlines and made it almost impossible to run the sprayer as they seemed to get potholes along them.
 
I'd fill them in after but personally I grow something in my tramlines as I think it helps structure. Also can you not put wide tyres on the sprayer until T1? Only a couple of sprays with narrow ones then.

I also think you'll find ruts get less of a problem with no till but personally I like to see tramlines slightly shifted over the year if only 24" each side

don't look at DD as just cutting costs though - it needs a little bit of thinking ahead etc. to make it really work well.
 

Blackbarn

New Member
Arable Farmer
Thank you for all you're replies, very interesting.
RTK do you mean by not blocking coulters keeping rape in narrow cereal band widths 15cm and not 30 or 45 cm that is the norm in rape.
Yes we do have very wide tyres on the sprayer but when it's wet there it's wet!
 

Clive

Staff Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lichfield
you won't get deep tramlines if you zero-till, been using the same tramlines for 4 years now and they are not deep and have not been subsoiled

they used to be deep when we cultivated

we don't tramline on drill, the sprayer put them in on top of last years
 

parker

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
south staffs
I have been using the same tramlines for the last 5 years with a claydon hybrid and they are not deep very hard to spot until they have been used again after drilling, prior to that we used to have some deep ones when we ploughed or min tilled
 

Blackbarn

New Member
Arable Farmer
Thank you for the replies it will be interesting to see what happens.
Had a trailer sink up to its axles on a hill in harvest on some reclaimed woodland and have had swans wintering on some other fields!
Fallow?
 

franklin

New Member
Perhaps "start" direct drilling after a crop that wouldnt have left as bad tramlines? I'm thinking after a spring crop which would have much fewer spreader / sprayer passes?
 

Blackbarn

New Member
Arable Farmer
Yes that was my thoughts on it.
I will hopefully just add a 6m subsoiler toolbar to my existing cultivator drill to start with. That will take a pass out, but I will very light disc after the combine as this has been a very successful pass in the past.
 

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