New a new cultivator

[ppottersfarm]

We try to direct drill (sabre tine) but finding more and more we need to cultivate. After 8 years of direct drilling our soils are very tight and hard and we also struggle for seed to soil contact due to a lack of tilth.
Grass weed issues are getting worse also because we are not getting a good chit prior to drilling.
I tried a mounted short disc machine but it would not penetrate the soil unless we made multiple passes which isnt cost efficient.
So what should I be looking at? I’ve only got one tractor (230hp) so ploughing isn’t where I want to be. I also dont want to mix the weed seed bank through the whole soil profile. Any ideas?

 

[solo]

This is why the low disturbance subsoilers have appeared on the sales pitch. See the weaving gd thread on here for ideas.

 

[warksfarmer]

23c discs for tilth and loosening in the top 2-3 inches and a proper subsoiler for deep work.

 

[Western promise]

Look on www.rytec.co.uk at restorers

 

[Oliveau]

Lemken Karat - good bit of kit. Drill straight on top

 

[colhonk]

Ahh, the joys of direct drilling...supposedly

 

[PSQ]

Horsch Ternano with the 40mm narrow deep working points (not the shallow sweeps), to aerate and shatter the profile to depth without moving a lot of soil.
Or if you don’t have stones, a shakaerator does nearly as good a job. Just not the discaerator, it was a very poor design.

 

[warksfarmer]

Lemken Karat - good bit of kit. Drill straight on top

Only on light land.

 

[alomy75]

Horsch Ternano with the 40mm narrow deep working points (not the shallow sweeps), to aerate and shatter the profile to depth without moving a lot of soil.
Or if you don’t have stones, a shakaerator does nearly as good a job. Just not the discaerator, it was a very poor design.

Discaerator was a fab bit of kit! Built like the proverbial and when we were min-tilling that’s all we used to do then straight in with the drill. I hear light land boys wanted to do 20k with them and the soil bulldozed in front of the packer but heard nothing but praise elsewhere. Had to pay quite a lot for it at a farm sale in 2016 and being offered more for it now from a couple of dealers so can’t be all bad.

 

[nick...]

I'll say it as no one else has,"plough"
Nick...

 

[PSQ]

Discaerator was a fab bit of kit! Built like the proverbial and when we were min-tilling that’s all we used to do then straight in with the drill. I hear light land boys wanted to do 20k with them and the soil bulldozed in front of the packer but heard nothing but praise elsewhere. Had to pay quite a lot for it at a farm sale in 2016 and being offered more for it now from a couple of dealers so can’t be all bad.

If the designer had been specifically asked to design a scraper bar that would intentionally pack up with stubble and act as a friction brake, then he couldn't have done a better job.
Bloody thing must have sapped 60hp just to turn the roller.

 

[alomy75]

If the designer had been specifically asked to design a scraper bar that would intentionally pack up with stubble and act as a friction brake, then he couldn't have done a better job.
Bloody thing must have sapped 60hp just to turn the roller.

Ah…that would explain why mine has been turned upside down. Often wondered! Does the trick perfectly, never blocked it

 

[Welderloon]

 

[Adeptandy]

Heva LD, plan is to Sabre into that

Or Paraplow, also plan to Sabre into that, if the GD is used, then will get the press over it.

I went for the Heva LD as it had discs in front of the legs, brilliant when its moist enough to cut in, but it’s that hard on top the discs are more an annoyance with the long stubble areas.
Would go Weaving if I could go back and do it again as they have 7 legs to Heva’s 6 legs, but as @Two Tone has highlighted more surface disturbance with the Weaving.

 

[Jim B]

Plough, and bury the grass seed.

 

[Oliveau]

Only on light land.

The land in my picture is not light land, nor would it be classed as Heavy Land, but it does go down very hard and tight after winter rainfall followed by a hot dry summer.

 

[Wombat]

The land in my picture is not light land, nor would it be classed as Heavy Land, but it does go down very hard and tight after winter rainfall followed by a hot dry summer

They pull in bits on heavy land.

 

[warksfarmer]

The land in my picture is not light land, nor would it be classed as Heavy Land, but it does go down very hard and tight after winter rainfall followed by a hot dry summer.

Thats light land in your picture.

Heavy land in the attached pictures.

 

[alomy75]

Thats light land in your picture.

Heavy land in the attached pictures.

This is like being back at school! That’s not heavy land! It has some brown in it! I could show you some grey clay with blue streaks and if you dared plough it you’d have a field of horses heads. THAT’s heavy…