Does such a drill exist ? Bear with me !

spikeislander

Member
Location
bedfordshire
First post in this hallowed section so please go easy.
Long story short , currently farming and hopefully due to be charged with helping to farm an “area” which needs to be farmed in a “regen” style approach, this is totally new to me but I’m excited at the opportunity to try on some one else’s farm , with minimal risk as I do feel there is definitely something to learn.
Heavy clay , with a high weed burden so it’s less than ideal, I fear our land around here is possibly not suitable to go straight into direct drilling at this point so I’m researching other directions.
I’ve always been interested in strip tillage as our land certainly benefits from the weathering between cultivation and drilling , tbh it’s this time that turns our clay lumps into tilth through drying / cracking / soaking etc.
what I’d like to try and I’m not sure if such a machine exists is as follows
I’d like to run a subsoiler style leg through ( not massively deep) with a few chopping discs following , then the disc coulter bar set to the side of tilled strip to plant a cover crop at this time, then later in the season at drilling time , lift the subsoiler leg up , shift coulter back behind the leg/ disc assembly to drill the wheat .
Not sure if this is capable with the drills on the market ?
any ideas or experiences welcome.
Thanks
 

TWF

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Peterborough

May be get a low disturbance subsoiler tine in the front ?

We use a Vaderstad Seeshawk to drill cover crops with. It does move quite a bit of soil 3" nearly every 10". If the cover crop didn't get to tall you would have some weathered tilth to drill into.
 

Case290

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Worcestershire
Is this spring going to be your first drilling operation. +1 I’ve used a 3 inch spoon to plant cover crops then dd disc drill into it worked well the twice I’ve done it. Not sure on the subsoiling.
Is regen a cover crop every yr
 

scholland

Member
Location
ze3

I can only imagine what the cost is!
 

Karlis

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Latvia
Too much soil movement might be challenging fighting against weeds. I switched to notill just like that in ex organic system fields and had a massive issue with the poa weeds. Notill disc drill really helped a lot. Seems like a never ending war against weeds for some of the neighboor farmers with min till and strip till drills.
Next year it will be a challenge for notill WOSR since many farmers have given up on the idea of Notill WOSR. Row cleaners might help. If not then looking at the Tillso low disturbance subsoiler with openers for drilling OSR
 

Karlis

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Latvia

I can only imagine what the cost is!
I guess the price tag is enermous but then again they are stating that even 100 hectare farm can afford 8 m machine :D
 

Badshot

Member
Location
Kent
Just use a DTS or similar and rtk. Shift it over to drill in between the previous rows.

Be cheaper than the cost to build something like you are searching for.
 

Karlis

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Latvia
First post in this hallowed section so please go easy.
Long story short , currently farming and hopefully due to be charged with helping to farm an “area” which needs to be farmed in a “regen” style approach, this is totally new to me but I’m excited at the opportunity to try on some one else’s farm , with minimal risk as I do feel there is definitely something to learn.
Heavy clay , with a high weed burden so it’s less than ideal, I fear our land around here is possibly not suitable to go straight into direct drilling at this point so I’m researching other directions.
I’ve always been interested in strip tillage as our land certainly benefits from the weathering between cultivation and drilling , tbh it’s this time that turns our clay lumps into tilth through drying / cracking / soaking etc.
what I’d like to try and I’m not sure if such a machine exists is as follows
I’d like to run a subsoiler style leg through ( not massively deep) with a few chopping discs following , then the disc coulter bar set to the side of tilled strip to plant a cover crop at this time, then later in the season at drilling time , lift the subsoiler leg up , shift coulter back behind the leg/ disc assembly to drill the wheat .
Not sure if this is capable with the drills on the market ?
any ideas or experiences welcome.
Thanks
Probably strip till cultivator with front tank and openers (2 per strip ? )at the back might work. Remove the leg when drilling the cash crop.
 

willyorkshire

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
East Yorkshire
Ask around your area or similar soil type areas, get demos with any you can. Like most soil engaging machinery, it's what works for you. DTS works for us on light/medium wold soil.
 

Karlis

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Latvia
Some pictures of 1st year Notill (angled disc opener and pneumatic closing system) wheat drilling in heavy lands. It can also work very well in min till conditions.
 

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Andrew K

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Essex
Damian,

Prob best to use a Hybrid or SR spec Claydon with its inherent wide row width and then fill in later with RTK and the intended crop?
Advantage to have front tine which can be supplemented/exchanged with a self made[?] cutting disc in front of the sowing coulter, which itself can also have a sowing point of 1inch up to 7plus inches wide.
IMO you need adaptability, and your clays are prob better suited to a sowing tine rather than discs most years? What sort of crops would you grow?

An interesting project,keep us informed please.
 

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