Power requirements for stubble cultivators

ashmore

Member
It's probably been discussed before, so excuse the repetition. I'm looking at simple stubble cultivators. Like the Kverneland CTD, Kongskilde Deltaflex, or Lemken Karat. So, surface disturbing tines, one row of discs, and a press (either rings or cage). And I'm wondering what sort of hp/meter I can get away with. We're on lightish land, small percentage is peat (not worth worrying about). And not too hilly. We've got 250hp to play with. Thanks all.
 

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
We pull 3 m with 140 hp on lightish land. Makes it sweat a bit but the key thing is it can still go fast enough to work properly, leave it level, mix it etc.
On very heavy hard land the legs tend to trip back anyway even with only 140 hp, so need two progressively deeper passes.
I wouldn’t go too wide as speed is better than width with these tools.
Our plan next year is to go straight behind the combine with ours then spray off and drill either in autumn or spring. Trials of this have worked well here. Creates just enough tilth for “direct drilling” and reduces trash / slug problems while creating a good chit. A cheap easy and much under rated tool.
 
It's probably been discussed before, so excuse the repetition. I'm looking at simple stubble cultivators. Like the Kverneland CTD, Kongskilde Deltaflex, or Lemken Karat. So, surface disturbing tines, one row of discs, and a press (either rings or cage). And I'm wondering what sort of hp/meter I can get away with. We're on lightish land, small percentage is peat (not worth worrying about). And not too hilly. We've got 250hp to play with. Thanks all.

6 metres for 250hp provided you don't want to go ridiculously fast or deep.

Used an Amazone centaur in the past and you could near stop a 200hp tractor dead if you sunk the tines in.
 
How ever did we manage in the past with a 2wd 7600 Ford tractor pulling a 10ft chisel plough or pig tail spring tine and without twin beacons and 2 ton weight on the front and probably on 12x38 or 14x34 tyres aswell.
nick...

They managed because there were loads of blokes prepared to sit on the seat and stick the noise, dust and heat/cold.

Today the big estates have 1 man instead of 3 who would each have a Ford 5000 and two furrow plough.
 

PSQ

Member
Arable Farmer
How ever did we manage in the past with a 2wd 7600 Ford tractor pulling a 10ft chisel plough or pig tail spring tine and without twin beacons and 2 ton weight on the front and probably on 12x38 or 14x34 tyres aswell.
nick...

You forgot to mention the best bits needed at least 3 successively deeper passes, and the worst bits 6, or 8, or that bit where we just went round and round for half a day.

When diesel was 8p a litre and there were only 3 channels on the telly, we didn't really have any reasons to go home, we just battered the ground into submission. That was before someone invented 'compaction', then things changed a bit.
 
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Andy26

Moderator
Arable Farmer
Location
Northants
50hp/m is about the mark if there rows of tines and a decent packer on the back.

I've a 3m Delta Flex and 180hp isn't enough at times. You want to be going around 10k to have the best result, more speed needs more power.
 

Spud

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
YO62
We have a 4m Simba SL (discs, tines, discs, packer. Great tool, but takes some pulling. 8kph at 4" deep on 170hp on strong land.
 

Spud

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
YO62
Cos the 7600 was an awesome tractor in its day👍
Certainly was, neighbours have a W reg one in very tidy nick. 16,000odd hrs, had it since it was 2yo. It used to drill 100ac/day flat out in 6th gear on dual wheels pulling a 4m Massey 30, sowing 2cwt of seed and 3cwt of fert, all filled with cwt sacks!
Same tractor drilled beet, hosted a mower, then buckraked silage, carted corn, baled straw, did the drilling, spread muck and pulled the feeder wagon. It'll be worth at least what they paid for it too I should think. We used to hire it for two months of power harrowing and taty carting 20yrs ago. These days it drills & scruffled beet, puts beet out for the sheep, rakes grass and carts silage. Slightly easier life!
 
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Richard98

Member
We used to pull our 3m kongskilde delta with an mf 6265 (105hp) and could do over 40 acres a day no bother, it knew it had it mind. 120hp is more than comfortable with it, 145hp plays with it. But we’re in south norfolk so hills aren’t an issue.
 

Richard98

Member
Cos the 7600 was an awesome tractor in its day👍
Dad always speaks fondly of the steel cab 6600 they used to have (bought just before q cabs because they’d never catch on😂), pulled like a train and smoked like one too apparently. They’d be carting diesel up to it by 11am and it would boil up in the early afternoon every day when it was cultivating
 

Bury the Trash

Member
Mixed Farmer
They managed because there were loads of blokes prepared to sit on the seat and stick the noise, dust and heat/cold.

Today the big estates have 1 man instead of 3 who would each have a Ford 5000 and two furrow plough.
We Used to pull 4 furrow bamford with a 4000, 5000, and 6600, then on to 3 furrow reversible on a 7610 all 2wd o_O
 

Spud

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
YO62
We Used to pull 4 furrow bamford with a 4000, 5000, and 6600, then on to 3 furrow reversible on a 7610 all 2wd o_O

I cut my teeth on a 4f KV conventional plough on the 5600. Wheel weights and a box of 4st weights. 4th gear, diff lock in, throttle back! (Atlantic 252 & some warm dusty air for company)
Graduated to a 2wd MF 399 on a 4f Ransomes plough.
Then a 4wd 956 Case IH with a turbo on the same plough with a press. Broke the beam and replaced it with a 4fKV
Then came an 8340 NH, followed by an MF 6290 on a 5f KV & press
Then a 6f Dowdeswell on a MF6490 (20.8r42 tyres made it) alongside a 6480 on a newer 5f KV
Currently the old Dowdeswell is down to 5f, pulled by the 6480 (on 20.8r38), and a MF 7620VT (on 20.8r42) pulls a 7f KV vari width wagon plough (mostly on spud land)

Times change, mostly for the better. We plough a lot less than we did, in much less time, much easier than 30yrs ago.
 

Farma Parma

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Northumberlandia
240hp or 190hp Tractors on 3m Horsch Terrano FX which has 10 staggered auto reset legs running 7-8" depth with 6" side wings on rear leveling discs & DD Lite packer.
both manage job but the bigger one slightly better more so on the heavier ground.
I hit land once & try to PH/Combi into this, sometimes you need an extra pass with various machines i have here
i pretty much sowed 135ac with no further passes infront of Combi.
I wouldnt like to go any wider with this setup & aim is to get to 5mph or as near as poss to get effective soil mixing.
All depends on your land if its light then go wider by all means.
Its twice as fast as a 5fr plough i cant deffo say that.
 

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