DD and level land

[Adeptandy]

Currently running a Weaving GD 6m and I’m finding it difficult to keep the land level due to its impressive ability to not disturb the surface. Just starting in the 3rd year of spring drilling and the fields are definitely becoming corrugated due to wheelings etc.
Would like to add a tine drill for chopped straw as the GD on this soil can hairpin a little drilling shallow but options are then limited to a tine on a parallelogram linkage.
Other than Cross Slot are there any other offerings as I fear the Sabre etc with the rubber block mounted tine won’t give a very even sowing depth.
Your thoughts please

 

[DieselRob]

Dale drills?

I drill all my own with a sabre at an angle to the tramlines, it all grows even enough for me, certainly never look across a field and wish I’d bought something else. A 6m sabre is 2x 3m sections so you do get some contour following

 

[Badshot]

It's definitely an issue with no levelling of fields. I'm a bit further in and generally put up with it, but I have started drilling covers with the old KV, purely to level up a little, and mix the top just a teeny bit.

Virkar looks useful, but I have absolutely no experience of using one.

 

[Adeptandy]

It's definitely an issue with no levelling of fields. I'm a bit further in and generally put up with it, but I have started drilling covers with the old KV, purely to level up a little, and mix the top just a teeny bit.

Virkar looks useful, but I have absolutely no experience of using one.

Yes, it does look an interesting drill

 

[Hammer]

Yes, it does look an interesting drill

I’ve had a Virkar for 4 years now, very happy with it.

 

[FMF74]

we run a sprinter alongside our avatar now, 5” Dutch openers aren’t exactly low disturbance but it does level nicely

 

[Adeptandy]

we run a sprinter alongside our avatar now, 5” Dutch openers aren’t exactly low disturbance but it does level nicely

Like Hens teeth at the moment trying to find a sensible one

 

[Banana Bar]

Like Hens teeth at the moment trying to find a sensible one

2021 6m soon available here.

 

[Adeptandy]

2021 6m soon available here.

Right size, far to new for this place

 

[cquick]

Plenty of very reasonably priced Amazone Primeras on Agriaffaires at the moment.

 

[deleted user 837354]

Plenty of very reasonably priced Amazone Primeras on Agriaffaires at the moment.

How does yours stand up to long term use and the potential wear in the pivots on the units holding the legs?

 

[cquick]

How does yours stand up to long term use and the potential wear in the pivots on the units holding the legs?

Re-bushed it and replaced some pins last year, and it should be good for another 10 years at least. Cost about £4k + 1 man for 2 weeks.
It's a 1992? machine and it's been re-bushed 3 times I think. A very reliable drill and I would be buying another if I wasn't about to spaff 100k on a Horizon.

 

[Adeptandy]

Decided to buy a Sabre tine

 

[alomy75]

If you’ve already got un-level seedbeds I personally wouldn’t be too hasty going for a wide, mounted drill. As the depth wheels dip in and out of the low and high bits the extremities of the wings will be magnifying these undulations. I’d stick to your parallelogram desire or at least find one with a packer. Sprinters are rarely for sale for a reason… Couple in the farmers guide this week at claas dealers. Ellis machinery will find you one. Or a seed hawk?

 

[Adeptandy]

If you’ve already got un-level seedbeds I personally wouldn’t be too hasty going for a wide, mounted drill. As the depth wheels dip in and out of the low and high bits the extremities of the wings will be magnifying these undulations. I’d stick to your parallelogram desire or at least find one with a packer. Sprinters are rarely for sale for a reason… Couple in the farmers guide this week at claas dealers. Ellis machinery will find you one. Or a seed hawk?

Forgive my curiosity, but what would the difference be between a Sabre and a Sprinter/CO type machine at 6m, I haven’t seen a Sprinter in the flesh, but was under the impression they were a fixed spring loaded tine
I was also thinking the Sabre would go longer into the wet weather we seem to endure nowadays
Happy be corrected, no £ will leave the account for a few weeks

 

[alomy75]

Forgive my curiosity, but what would the difference be between a Sabre and a Sprinter/CO type machine at 6m, I haven’t seen a Sprinter in the flesh, but was under the impression they were a fixed spring loaded tine
I was also thinking the Sabre would go longer into the wet weather we seem to endure nowadays
Happy be corrected, no £ will leave the account for a few weeks

Sprinter has a full width rear (and sometimes front) packer that forms a ‘base’ to anchor all of the fixed tines to. Sabretine has 4? 6? depth wheels across the width so if any of them drop in a hole (or ride over a hill) that whole section will respond accordingly. Don’t get me wrong; sabretine is a lovey coulter (I still have a sabretine equipped Simba freeflow) which imo evolved into the 12mm metcalfe (which I have in a sprinter) but personally if you want level you won’t beat a trailed drill. Agreed though they’re pretty hopeless when it’s wet. I was drilling on a frost with the sprinter in December and interestingly my traction was lost before the packer completely bunged up; the staggered Horsch cleated tyres on the floating bogeys are really quite excellent.

 

[The Gentleman Farmer]

Trash flow through the sabre tine will be worse than CO or Sprinter. No packer on the Sabre tine.
The Metcalfe point evolved from a farmers desire to have a narrow version of the Horsch bean coulter. Nowt to do with the Sabre tine.
No machine will work, or is designed to work, in the wet. That’s just wishful thinking IMHO.

 

[Adeptandy]

Trash flow through the sabre tine will be worse than CO or Sprinter. No packer on the Sabre tine.
The Metcalfe point evolved from a farmers desire to have a narrow version of the Horsch bean coulter. Nowt to do with the Sabre tine.
No machine will work, or is designed to work, in the wet. That’s just wishful thinking IMHO.

Personally I think it depends on soil type how much you can get away with in the wet

 

[alomy75]

Trash flow through the sabre tine will be worse than CO or Sprinter. No packer on the Sabre tine.
The Metcalfe point evolved from a farmers desire to have a narrow version of the Horsch bean coulter. Nowt to do with the Sabre tine.
No machine will work, or is designed to work, in the wet. That’s just wishful thinking IMHO.

I wasn’t implying the sabretine was developed into the metcalfe but merely that the metcalfe is like an enhanced version of the sabre. Seed tube for example is more streamlined on the metcalfe. The actual soil engaging front edge is very similar.

 

[TlymarT_028]

Has anyone got any experience with this on a slightly "rougher" scale? Taken on some land that's been a bit neglected (was left without stock or any management for 4 years eg MASSIVE weed burden in way of docks, creeping buttercup, some thistles and also rings and humps from where cattle ring feeders used to sit. Soil structure seems to be OK but not amazing with some small areas of compaction but seems to be lots of worms about. Planning on spraying a certain amount off each year and DD either new leys or forage crops but would like to also get them level without ploughing if poss - any tips?