Tine direct drill into messy stubble

Location
N Yorks
Have started sowing cover crops into a very weedy barley stubble that was sprayed off pre harvest. Drill is a new Dale. I’m having trouble with dragging dead weed and straw essentially turning the drill into a giant rake.
have tried topping the stubble which helps a little and also a light disc which seems to make things worse as the soil and long weed mass bulldoze
when I drilled in the spring into cover crops both green and sprayed off I had no issues

In a normal year we wouldn’t have a weedy stubble like this year.

Any advice on how to manage the stubble please?
 

nick...

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
south norfolk
In my ltd opinion I reckon you need discs in front of legs on direct drills to cut through the trash before the leg.i see Claydon now offer this
nick...
 
main part of the problem is that the weeds have been sprayed off and therefore can be pulled out rther than hanging on to the fround if the root ststem was alive. Sorry, analysis of your problem rather than a solution - leading discs on our duncan help but we would still struggle,
 
Have started sowing cover crops into a very weedy barley stubble that was sprayed off pre harvest. Drill is a new Dale. I’m having trouble with dragging dead weed and straw essentially turning the drill into a giant rake.
have tried topping the stubble which helps a little and also a light disc which seems to make things worse as the soil and long weed mass bulldoze
when I drilled in the spring into cover crops both green and sprayed off I had no issues

In a normal year we wouldn’t have a weedy stubble like this year.

Any advice on how to manage the stubble please?
Does it have the a disc cutting infront of the legs?
 

Clive

Staff Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lichfield
Have started sowing cover crops into a very weedy barley stubble that was sprayed off pre harvest. Drill is a new Dale. I’m having trouble with dragging dead weed and straw essentially turning the drill into a giant rake.
have tried topping the stubble which helps a little and also a light disc which seems to make things worse as the soil and long weed mass bulldoze
when I drilled in the spring into cover crops both green and sprayed off I had no issues

In a normal year we wouldn’t have a weedy stubble like this year.

Any advice on how to manage the stubble please?

there are lot of good things about tine drills but ability to desk with such trash isn’t one of them !

the solution is either a second, disc based drill or a light cultivation with something like a carrier etc

there is s good reason quite a few experienced direct drillers have x2 drills !
 

Spud

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
YO62
there are lot of good things about tine drills but ability to desk with such trash isn’t one of them !

the solution is either a second, disc based drill or a light cultivation with something like a carrier etc

there is s good reason quite a few experienced direct drillers have x2 drills !
Some peasant drillers have six drills!
 

Will7

Member
Have started sowing cover crops into a very weedy barley stubble that was sprayed off pre harvest. Drill is a new Dale. I’m having trouble with dragging dead weed and straw essentially turning the drill into a giant rake.
have tried topping the stubble which helps a little and also a light disc which seems to make things worse as the soil and long weed mass bulldoze
when I drilled in the spring into cover crops both green and sprayed off I had no issues

In a normal year we wouldn’t have a weedy stubble like this year.

Any advice on how to manage the stubble please?
What row spacing are you at? 5” spacing will be a disaster, 10” won’t be much better. When I have had problems with the seedhawk I drop the front tine off from each assembly and sow with just a single coulter. It still might not be enough.....
 

steveR

Member
Mixed Farmer
main part of the problem is that the weeds have been sprayed off and therefore can be pulled out rther than hanging on to the fround if the root ststem was alive. Sorry, analysis of your problem rather than a solution - leading discs on our duncan help but we would still struggle,

Finding this myself, with a lot of barley and wheat crops having had pre harvest Roundup this year. The leading discs on the Aitchison help a bit when I crank the pressure down on them, but it's only half an answer, especially on lighter soils.

I disced some bad areas.... then drilled turnips with the tines just skimming the surface, held up on the 3pt, so I can drop them in when I get back on the easier stubble.
 
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Farmer Roy

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
NSW, Newstralya
Err, that’s why, when you look at Australian built tyne seeders, they are all built on wider row spacings, lots of clearance between tynes & at least 4 or 5 rows of tynes. A lot also have the row unit mounted on an independent parallelogram for depth control, with a disc coulter mounted in front of the tyne, to cut through any vines & fracture the soil ahead of the tyne

I haven’t seen a single UK tyne machine that would be worth a pinch of sh!t in our zero till stubble conditions . . .

you NEED lots of clearance, that has always been the number one requirement since we started zero till 40 - 50 years ago . . .
 

Virkardd

Member
Arable Farmer
Err, that’s why, when you look at Australian built tyne seeders, they are all built on wider row spacings, lots of clearance between tynes & at least 4 or 5 rows of tynes. A lot also have the row unit mounted on an independent parallelogram for depth control, with a disc coulter mounted in front of the tyne, to cut through any vines & fracture the soil ahead of the tyne

I haven’t seen a single UK tyne machine that would be worth a pinch of sh!t in our zero till stubble conditions . . .

you NEED lots of clearance, that has always been the number one requirement since we started zero till 40 - 50 years ago . . .
The Virkar dynamic range of tine drills would suit the requirements you mention hydraulic cutting disc in front of seeding tine so trash and tall cover crops are not a issue

You have 35cm of Coulter travel per element with on the move Coulter pressure control for the most precise seeding depth

Lots of underframe clearance and stagger to aid with trash flow

We have had great success with this drill running on our own farms very low running cost and hp requirements and works in any conditions very well suited to direct drilling in hard stoney soil
 

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Spud

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
YO62
This is what we use. Sumo LDS legs and points from PanAnglia, discs from a KRM drill and a frame from the nettles once used in front of a taty planter. Hook end attachment so we can easily use the drill without legs where appropriate.
Second pic shows finished surface after drilling into sprayed off grass.
 

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