Claydon hybrid

[Hobbit]

Hi.
Currently looking at a second hand hybrid but it is a shear bolt model. We have a lot of brash soils and the heavy soils have random lumps of blue lias in them. I’m not planning to run the legs deep as we have already been direct drilling for 6 years. Would the shear bolts be a nightmare with the stones?
Will.

 

[HarryB97]

Hi.
Currently looking at a second hand hybrid but it is a shear bolt model. We have a lot of brash soils and the heavy soils have random lumps of blue lias in them. I’m not planning to run the legs deep as we have already been direct drilling for 6 years. Would the shear bolts be a nightmare with the stones?
Will.

Definitely avoid the shear bolt option on rocky land. Where I used to work we had some really gravely fields which didn’t appear to contain any rocks. Every run up the field I was breaking nearly half the shear bolts on a 4.8 metre drill. The local dealer ran out of shear bolts and so did our neighbours we used so many. In the end we just let them break and drag along the top for those few fields. I’m surprised shear bolts drills and cultivators are even an option nowadays.

 

[Hobbit]

Definitely avoid the shear bolt option on rocky land. Where I used to work we had some really gravely fields which didn’t appear to contain any rocks. Every run up the field I was breaking nearly half the shear bolts on a 4.8 metre drill. The local dealer ran out of shear bolts and so did our neighbours we used so many. In the end we just let them break and drag along the top for those few fields. I’m surprised shear bolts drills and cultivators are even an option nowadays.

Thanks for the reply. That’s my fear. All the machines we have or had, have always been auto reset.

 

[HarryB97]

Thanks for the reply. That’s my fear. All the machines we have or had, have always been auto reset.

We had a lot of brashly fields as well and very rarely broke a shear bolt in those despite some bits looking more like a quarry than a field. Best to be safe than sorry though!

 

[Hobbit]

I will give Claydon a ring in the morning. Second hand hybrids seem to sell very quickly. Is there anything else I should be aware of?

 

[Daniel]

I will give Claydon a ring in the morning. Second hand hybrids seem to sell very quickly. Is there anything else I should be aware of?

Not really. We had a few mice destroy the wiring on ours, so I rewired the whole thing with sy cable one winter, easy cable runs, accessible junction boxes. We also had to replace the drive motor for the metering unit one year, easy enough to do though I recall it wasn't cheap. If you get a blocked coulter (I had a stone get into a pipe outlet in the distribution head this year) it is soooo painful to look at all year.

Other than that they are a very versatile and almost idiot proof drill!

 

[Hobbit]

Not really. We had a few mice destroy the wiring on ours, so I rewired the whole thing with sy cable one winter, easy cable runs, accessible junction boxes. We also had to replace the drive motor for the metering unit one year, easy enough to do though I recall it wasn't cheap. If you get a blocked coulter (I had a stone get into a pipe outlet in the distribution head this year) it is soooo painful to look at all year.

Other than that they are a very versatile and almost idiot proof drill!

Did you have a demo of the disc version the other day? I’m considering swapping the front leg for a disc if I do go for the hybrid.

 

[Daniel]

Did you have a demo of the disc version the other day? I’m considering swapping the front leg for a disc if I do go for the hybrid.

Yes the twin disc. It worked pretty well, managed to block it with cover crop a few times but I think that could be overcome by adjusting the stagger on the tines.

My little farmers think it's come up ok.

I think perhaps for us just swapping the leading tine for a disc and keeping the a-share in place might be a better compromise.

 

[Hobbit]

Looks good. The neighbours have the leading discs on their new Claydon so I will go and pick their brains.

 

[Andrew K]

Can you not convert a shearbolt machine to auto reset or is it £££££?

 

[Hobbit]

Can you not convert a shearbolt machine to auto reset or is it £££££?

Good point, and possibly an option providing it’s not cost prohibitive. Spoke to Claydon this morning. They were so helpful. Sounds like the shear bolt wouldn’t be a massive problem with the stones but more so with tight tramlines etc. I have brought the drill so fingers crossed. Will consider swapping the leading tine for discs.

 

[Andrew K]

The shearbolts are reputedly a heavier duty spec on the later drills.I would have a firm price for A/R conversion on my desk before I took delivery just so its a known cost should it be needed. Having said that ,Claydons are as fair and genuine a company as you will find.

 

[Brisel]

I was very glad to have auto reset on mine. That said, we broke a bolt or two on the rams each day on our flinty ground.

What did Julian L's have fitted @tw15 ? Shearbolt or Stone Release?

 

[JD6920s]

Can you not convert a shearbolt machine to auto reset or is it £££££?

We added auto reset to our hybrid after the first year, due to originally thinking that we didn’t have many stones! compared to a plough and combi, a time will find them!
I fitted it myself, very straight forward. Get a price off them, I think every soil engaging implement should be auto reset these days.

 

[Hobbit]

We added auto reset to our hybrid after the first year, due to originally thinking that we didn’t have many stones! compared to a plough and combi, a time will find them!
I fitted it myself, very straight forward. Get a price off them, I think every soil engaging implement should be auto reset these days.

Do you mind me asking how much it cost?

 

[JD6920s]

Do you mind me asking how much it cost?

Not certain tbh, it was back in 2012

 

[Hobbit]

It will be here early next week so I will find out if the shear bolts are going to be a problem.

 

[Case290]

Shear bolts or A/R for running the front discs ? I have a shear bolt on the front tine and there fine but have swapped to the disc and now half of the disc arms are bent and wondered if the discs need to run with the A/R to stop them bending.