Mzuri being tested in wet clay

[B&B Pig Man]

Think this is about the worst conditions anybody would expect a drill to go.

Heavy clay land following spring beans.

I'm amazed what a good job the drill is doing - only problem is keeping it clear and keeping the wheel turning!!

 

[warksfarmer]

Think this is about the worst conditions anybody would expect a drill to go.

Heavy clay land following spring beans.

I'm amazed what a good job the drill is doing - only problem is keeping it clear and keeping the wheel turning!!

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I would think that is smearing quite badly underneath and personally I would rather see an open slot from a disc drill in those conditions than what that tine is doing :-(

 

[E_B]

EXACTLY the type of conditions I'm interested in seeing a strip drill going in, no doubt there will be people saying that is too wet for you to be going in, but if you need feed to mill for your pigs for instance then you need a crop in the field and that sort of land isn't going to be getting any drier all winter now.

Please keep us well updated with how this land does!

 

[Rob Holmes]

I'd drill into that!

 

[Fuzzy]

Think this is about the worst conditions anybody would expect a drill to go.

Heavy clay land following spring beans.

I'm amazed what a good job the drill is doing - only problem is keeping it clear and keeping the wheel turning!!

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You might consider running at an angle to previous drilling, in other words you would be cutting across the (wet) channels left by the previous operation. Also would a few more covering tines help ?

 

[Hammer]

From my experience it should be fine as long as it gets several dry days on it now.

 

[SilliamWhale]

To me that doesn't look tremendously heavy. Just wet and without pores. It could be the picture though. Not much residue either.

Did you DD the beans in?

 

[B&B Pig Man]

You might consider running at an angle to previous drilling, in other words you would be cutting across the (wet) channels left by the previous operation. Also would a few more covering tines help ?

Problem with that is that's its nearly a square field, so it's either with last years drilling, or at 90 degrees.
(Going at a slight angle isn't that easy without any form of guidance).

Pic doesn't show it very well, but the following tines have the z shaped tails on them, and do a fantastic job.

 

[Rob Holmes]

To me that doesn't look tremendously heavy. Just wet and without pores. It could be the picture though. Not much residue either.

Did you DD the beans in?

I agree, doesn't look that heavy, you want heavy, take a trip to Derbyshire!

 

[B&B Pig Man]

To me that doesn't look tremendously heavy. Just wet and without pores. It could be the picture though. Not much residue either.

Did you DD the beans in?

It is pretty heavy stuff - have seen worse though.

Yes the beans were put in with the pro-til, most of the residue chopped up and spread nicely behind the lexion.

 

[B&B Pig Man]

I agree, doesn't look that heavy, you want heavy, take a trip to Derbyshire!

 

[SilliamWhale]

It is pretty heavy stuff - have seen worse though.

Yes the beans were put in with the pro-til, most of the residue chopped up and spread nicely behind the lexion.

I won't argue

 

[B&B Pig Man]

I won't argue

It is in much better condition after the last two or three years on non ploughing - best I've ever seen it.

 

[SilliamWhale]

I agree, doesn't look that heavy, you want heavy, take a trip to Derbyshire!

Reminds me of this:

 

[marco]

Reminds me of this:

when it comes to direct drilling this seems to be what most of our discussions look like,

 

[E_B]

So @B&B Pig Man, did you have to get out all the time to clear the coulter wheels? I guess letting them drag along for periods until they hopefully clear would result in uneven depth and an unlevel surface? Am I right in thinking there are smaller press wheels available with more clearance between the wheel and its bracket, and would there be any negative to having those fitted if one was to buy a drill like that do you think?

 

[B&B Pig Man]

So @B&B Pig Man, did you have to get out all the time to clear the coulter wheels? I guess letting them drag along for periods until they hopefully clear would result in uneven depth and an unlevel surface? Am I right in thinking there are smaller press wheels available with more clearance between the wheel and its bracket, and would there be any negative to having those fitted if one was to buy a drill like that do you think?

I cleared them just before doing a tramline run - as they lined up with last years tramlines, that's where the worst trash was, and hence I blocked a couple of times.

If it wasn't for the trash, I wouldn't have worried about them dragging, depth seemed to remain unchanged, and the following Harrow did a great job of levelling the surface.

I think the other press wheels are narrower, not smaller so wouldn't consolidate the whole band width - could be wrong though.

@Martin Lole or @penfold will know more about the wheel options.

I'm very pleased (so far) with the job it's done. OK it's not perfect, but the seed is in the ground, and I'm not sure any other drill could have done a better job.

 

[Andrew K]

So @B&B Pig Man, did you have to get out all the time to clear the coulter wheels? I guess letting them drag along for periods until they hopefully clear would result in uneven depth and an unlevel surface? Am I right in thinking there are smaller press wheels available with more clearance between the wheel and its bracket, and would there be any negative to having those fitted if one was to buy a drill like that do you think?

I have a set available still, they would go a lot better in the wet than the std version for sure.
You need a wheel of some sort to regulate depth anyway, which brings probs in the wet...

 

[Tractor Boy]

I have a set available still, they would go a lot better in the wet than the std version for sure.
You need a wheel of some sort to regulate depth anyway, which brings probs in the wet...

This is why drills shouldn't have press wheels. They are only of use in dry conditions

 

[mikep]

I agree, doesn't look that heavy, you want heavy, take a trip to Derbyshire!

Boys land .