Power Harrow Combis, Are they really any good?

Still not had any advice for which D Drill for my partly flooded clay land stubbles
No lincsman he never ansers un less it suits his agenda ,would like to see him farm some marine silts ,or flinty structureless sand
You maybe should of had plough through yours in september when dry , and would of stood a chance of doing something with it ,usually if worked dry , will stand some rain , but we had 7 and half inch rain in last month
 

yellowbelly

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
N.Lincs
do ploughs work in floods ?
865234_21ee5ef5a21489ce663eca18c29003ec_thumb.jpg
looks like it did here @Will 1594 (y)
 

Two Tone

Member
Mixed Farmer
The first Combi I ever saw working on a farm was a 4m Lely fitted to a Ford 7700 2WD with 2 assister rams and fitted with Dual wheels in the Early 80’s. How many HP where they?

The lowest HP I’ve used was on a Fastrac 2135. Very successfully on a lighter weight Lely Combi.

In 2010, when we went from ploughing to the Sumo Trio, we continued using our Combi. But we found that 2 rows of Suffolk coulters would often drag a lot of trash. So we soon went to 3 rows of coulters. Theses would still drag trash, but less so. Then I fitted a rotary clearer, which in effect was a square shaft with plastic ”spider” wheels along it every 3rd coulter, between the 2nd and third coulter rows. This solved the trash blocking problem.

However, after 5 years, we realised that the Sumo min-TIL approach had caused a massive explosion of Blackgrass and went 100% back to ploughing, therefore didn’t need the Rotary clearer any more. Then changed the Combi for the Kuhn Venta Combiliner wish System Disc Coulters. Vastly superior to Suffolk Coulters! But a really heavy drill.
 

Two Tone

Member
Mixed Farmer
I’ve often wondered where the ‘min’ is in dragging a Sumo through the ground with 400hp.
We had (have - my neighbour still uses it!) a 3m version and it needed 175HP to pull it.
As you rightly say there is very little ‘min” about it other than it saved a bit of time compared with ploughing, which was completely lost financially in the massive increase on herbicide spend, especially as regards Blackgrass.

It turned out for us to be even more “max” as regards cost than “max-til“ (ploughing) was, by a very considerable amount!
 

Drillman

Member
Mixed Farmer
We finished autumn drilling today btw

amazing what one man and 240hp can get done in between his spraying job with the same tractor and late combining even in a less than perfect, catchy year like this one has been
We finished 3 weeks ago.😜😜😜 Amazing what one man can do with 165hp tractor in a tricky season considering he’s also the combine driver, baler driver, contract baler driver, drier man, contract drier man, bale cart man, bale wrapper man, ploughman, contract plough man, Drillman, contract drillman,sprayer man, contract sprayer man, grain lorry loader man delivery lorry unloader man, mechanic, parts run man, stockman and still has time to help neighbours gather sheep up and tuck his little boy in to bed every night.

To be fair though without the scary finance lady at head office who does the rolling, grain carting and helps with stock work I be snookered.
 

Clive

Staff Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lichfield
We finished 3 weeks ago.😜😜😜 Amazing what one man can do with 165hp tractor in a tricky season considering he’s also the combine driver, baler driver, contract baler driver, drier man, contract drier man, bale cart man, bale wrapper man, ploughman, contract plough man, Drillman, contract drillman,sprayer man, contract sprayer man, grain lorry loader man delivery lorry unloader man, mechanic, parts run man, stockman and still has time to help neighbours gather sheep up and tuck his little boy in to bed every night.

To be fair though without the scary finance lady at head office who does the rolling, grain carting and helps with stock work I be snookered.

how many acres did you do ? i have a feeling we might have done bit more ! ? its not a competition but i think we have to consider context here, on goiof days we have been putting 250ac plus in

3 weeks ago we were still combining and I was sat on a Balearic island beach !
 

Drillman

Member
Mixed Farmer
how many acres did uou do ? i have a feeling we might have done bit more ! ? its not a competition but i think we have to consider context here, on goiof days we have been putting 250ac plus in

3 weeks ago we were still combing and I was sat on a Balearic island beach !
Oh yes you will have done a lot more acres than me no doubting that.

but your head would probably spin if you had to juggle the same amount of balls as us small inefficient one man bands do at times😂😂😂

crops look a picture though👍
 

Clive

Staff Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lichfield
Oh yes you will have done a lot more acres than me no doubting that.

but your head would probably spin if you had to juggle the same amount of balls as us small inefficient one man bands do at times😂😂😂

crops look a picture though👍

every farm sure is different and both stock and roots complicate things no end i’m sure

all work here is done by one key man with support and backup from another less skilled man so familiar with the challenges of trying to be in 2 places at the same time
 

glasshouse

Member
Location
lothians
We had (have - my neighbour still uses it!) a 3m version and it needed 175HP to pull it.
As you rightly say there is very little ‘min” about it other than it saved a bit of time compared with ploughing, which was completely lost financially in the massive increase on herbicide spend, especially as regards Blackgrass.

It turned out for us to be even more “max” as regards cost than “max-til“ (ploughing) was, by a very considerable amount!
The object of using a solo or trio was to keep the seedbed weatherproof
If we ploughed and got tooo dry we got blue mould and the seed died
If it rained heavy we couldnt get on it
Min till was good, but then we didnt have blackgrass
 

Drillman

Member
Mixed Farmer
every farm sure is different and both stock and roots complicate things no end i’m sure

all work here is done by one key man with support and backup from another less skilled man so familiar with the challenges of trying to be in 2 places at the same time

been needed in only 2 places at a time!
Sheer luxury imo😂😂😂😂


Oh did I mention I’m also the receptionist and have to steer the tractor myself, which is why the drilling is a bit wobbly in places cos obviously been a bloke I’m unable to multiitask😂😂
 

Chae1

Member
Location
Aberdeenshire
Oh yes you will have done a lot more acres than me no doubting that.

but your head would probably spin if you had to juggle the same amount of balls as us small inefficient one man bands do at times😂😂😂

crops look a picture though👍

Not wishing to suck up clives arse but how many businesses is he running? He's not actually what you'd call a 1 trick pony?

Farming forum, grain storage, contract farming keeping many individual customers happy isn't easy, simple in my experience. Runs commercial storage sheds. Sells grain conditioning equipment. Lecturing on farming practices That's just ones I'm aware of.

Wouldn't say your unique in juggling lots of balls.
 

Drillman

Member
Mixed Farmer
Not wishing to suck up clives arse but how many businesses is he running? He's not actually what you'd call a 1 trick pony?

Farming forum, grain storage, contract farming keeping many individual customers happy isn't easy, simple in my experience. Runs commercial storage sheds. Sells grain conditioning equipment. Lecturing on farming practices That's just ones I'm aware of.

Wouldn't say your unique in juggling lots of balls.
I’m not but just cos we don’t have a DD drill doesn’t mean I spend all autumn tied to a tractor and plough was the point I was getting across and it was largely in Jest.

in reality I wouldn’t want to swap places with Clive and run a business like his any more than he would want to do what I do.

and like I say I’m bone idol I’ve done sod all so far today other than stir the pot on here😂😂
 

Drillman

Member
Mixed Farmer
Anyway to put this back on track.

to the OP yes get a combi drill you won’t regret it.
We love ours. Makes life easy especially wen the weather doesn’t play ball.
 

Phil P

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
North West
every farm sure is different and both stock and roots complicate things no end i’m sure

all work here is done by one key man with support and backup from another less skilled man so familiar with the challenges of trying to be in 2 places at the same time
If it’s all about efficiency and cost saving would it not be better to do the work yourself instead of paying a workman so you can sit on a beach 🏖 🤔😂






(just pulling ya leg😉)

ps, or are you the “less skilled man” 😂
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 77 43.0%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 62 34.6%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 16.8%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.7%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.7%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 4 2.2%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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