Claydon users - why not use narrower batter boards?

[Brisel]

I've never managed to really get the batter boards moving enough soil into the furrows. I'm running mine nearly flat as that's the only way I can get residues through without blocking it up. In the recent wetter conditions they just get soil stuck to them which does help. Has anyone tried narrower boards?

 

[Simon Chiles]

I've never managed to really get the batter boards moving enough soil into the furrows. I'm running mine nearly flat as that's the only way I can get residues through without blocking it up. In the recent wetter conditions they just get soil stuck to them which does help. Has anyone tried narrower boards?
View attachment 841285

Could you use this type instead, I’ve got them on a set of ring rolls and opted for this type as they can cope much better with trash than the paddles. Very good design for closing slots, however I think you’d need to ensure they were positioned carefully on the Claydon to prevent digging shallow seeded seeds back up.

 

[Badshot]

Where are those from @Simon Chiles

 

[Bill Turtle]

Have you got the attachment for a double row of green harrow tines. I found that a more adaptable solution in most conditions. The paddle boards always seemed best in sunshine and dust.

 

[Matt77]

Where are those from @Simon Chiles

You wait until you find out the price per unit I did price Opico ones not Watson.

 

[Simon Chiles]

Where are those from @Simon Chiles

They were an option on my Watson rolls. When I was enquiring about the options I was advised that they would be a better solution in the high trash/ dd situations I was going to use them in, and, having had a set of paddle boards on my previous rolls, I have found it to be correct.

 

[Simon Chiles]

You wait until you find out the price per unit I did price Opico ones not Watson.

I can’t comment on the Opico ones but on a new Watson roller there wasn’t any price difference between them and the paddle boards.

 

[Matt77]

I can’t comment on the Opico ones but on a new Watson roller there wasn’t any price difference between them and the paddle boards.

I think its because I asked for them at a spare part price, it was about £3000 I think to do my 8m set, that's just the bolt on plates, no bolts etc, but I still think they are what I want in my situation, sounds like you're doing the same. I'll try Haynes and see what Watson can do price wise.

 

[Brisel]

Have you got the attachment for a double row of green harrow tines. I found that a more adaptable solution in most conditions. The paddle boards always seemed best in sunshine and dust.

You're right. Claydon themselves advocate opting for 2 rows of harrow tines in the wet in their brochure. @Daniel has this setup all the time on his sand

I was just trying to find a better way of putting soil over the furrows in all conditions. What angle did you run yours (if you had/have one)?

 

[Daniel]

You're right. Claydon themselves advocate opting for 2 rows of harrow tines in the wet in their brochure. @Daniel has this setup all the time on his sand
View attachment 841459

I was just trying to find a better way of putting soil over the furrows in all conditions. What angle did you run yours (if you had/have one)?

We farm some heavier stuff as well now, too wet this autumn for the Claydon so we had to drag old faithful back out of her 6 year retirement. It was still ugly in places.

 

[Rich k]

Hi simon have you used these paddles as a straw rake replacement to spread straw left by a bailer ? I was thinking of removing paddles altogether and putting three rows of straw rake tines on the fronted our rollers instead

 

[ratchet spanner]

I've never managed to really get the batter boards moving enough soil into the furrows. I'm running mine nearly flat as that's the only way I can get residues through without blocking it up. In the recent wetter conditions they just get soil stuck to them which does help. Has anyone tried narrower boards?
View attachment 841285

I now use two rows of tines for everything.Before that I welded bits round steel (cut up amazone following harrow) on the back edge of the paddle board at 45 degrees to push soil further over seeded area.

 

[Bill Turtle]

Like you I found the angle had to be quite shallow for the batter board to work well. I think the batter boards were developed before the double Harrow tine option. At the time we were drilling earlier than we do now, thus we had drier conditions, and we were having some dry autumns anyway.
Once we had the double Harrow tine option, it was more versatile so we didn’t really bother taking the time to put batter boards on.
Are you able to make progress this autumn with persistently wet weather?
There is a great deal of land still to be drilled locally.
It is interesting to reflect that if we still had truly effective grass weed herbicides, much of the land may have been drilled before it was too wet to drill.

 

[JD6920s]

Like you I found the angle had to be quite shallow for the batter board to work well. I think the batter boards were developed before the double Harrow tine option. At the time we were drilling earlier than we do now, thus we had drier conditions, and we were having some dry autumns anyway.
Once we had the double Harrow tine option, it was more versatile so we didn’t really bother taking the time to put batter boards on.
Are you able to make progress this autumn with persistently wet weather?
There is a great deal of land still to be drilled locally.
It is interesting to reflect that if we still had truly effective grass weed herbicides, much of the land may have been drilled before it was too wet to drill.

When running the double tine option, is the second row staggered compared to the the front row?
And do you not think that the batter boards do crush the clods in the dry going?

 

[Bill Turtle]

Yes the second row are slightly staggered, set at the same angle as the front set.in the dry a bit of care has to be taken that you don’t put too much downward pressure and affect drilling depth at the rear. In the wet they only need a light touch.
The batter boards do crush and break clods and can move soil out over a seed row if conditions are dry. I am not sure a narrower board would achieve that. They also have enough spring pressure to affect the seeding depth of the rear coulters if not set carefully.
I think I would summarise the two options by saying the batter boards crush clods and the harrows shatter and reduce the size of clods.

 

[Brisel]

I now use two rows of tines for everything.Before that I welded bits round steel (cut up amazone following harrow) on the back edge of the paddle board at 45 degrees to push soil further over seeded area.

I'm not quite with you on this - can you post a picture of what you've described please?

 

[JD6920s]

I'm not quite with you on this - can you post a picture of what you've described please?

I’m guessing like tails on the end of a mouldboard idea to just push a bit further, like my pic.only guessing mind!

 

[Brisel]

Thank you very much @JD6920s I might see if I can bolt the whole twin spring assembly on the back of the paddle mounting. I just need to find one that has the ends arranged in a Y shape.

The best I've found so far has been from the Amazone Cayena. This was on the APM Agriplant website

 

[Hammer]

Hi @Brisel I've tried all kinds of variations on the following harrow bars over the years on my Hybrid. The batter boards were simply a problem more often than not with soil build up so I haven't bothered with them for years. I've tried straight tines (didn't move enough back over rows. and blocked with straw) and I've tried some sweep tines like those in your pic above, I've tried them close spaced and then staggered on the two rows. They worked quite well and would last for thousands of acres I reckon, but they do stick a long way out the back and get dragged through hedges I found! I've now settled on 2 rows of the green Accord harrows, but I'm using the twin tine kit almost always now so they don't need to sweep quite as much soil back over row as with the a shares.

 

[ratchet spanner]

I’m guessing like tails on the end of a mouldboard idea to just push a bit further, like my pic.only guessing mind!

View attachment 841814

Thats a good example of what i did.