Simtech springflex

[david ll]

Has anyone modified the springflex roller on a Simtech drill to get better slot closure. The chains do not do much. I know the roller is only meant for depth control but hoping to improve closure somehow.

 

[GeorgeK]

Has anyone modified the springflex roller on a Simtech drill to get better slot closure. The chains do not do much. I know the roller is only meant for depth control but hoping to improve closure somehow.

I have often pondered whether it would be possible to achieve this with a rigid roller, but unfortunately I think it would be easy to spend lots of money on guttler rollers or press rings and not achieve much. Slot closure is a tricky procedure and there's a reason why direct drills have complicated linkages, angled press wheels, pressure adjustment etc.
Triton had a good idea with their slot closing tine... just a shame their marketing strategy has destroyed any credibility they might have had

 

[clbarclay]

The roller runs between the tines. You would have to extend it back quite a bit if you wanted to have the roller working the ground over with the rows. They are fair lumps to pick up and handle with the roller as far forwards as it is.

I think a better harrow would be more effective than trying to use a roller. On a demo I had one issue was a lot of soil from the slots ending up on top between them. The chain struggles to move much of it back and I doubt any inline roller could move much of that loose soil back either.

With my tine drill I invariably have a separate pass with a harrow afterwards, working across the direction of drilling to fill the slots in well. I am planning on remaking the harrow on that drill though to have a lot more tines.

 

[Michael S]

I have a set of 58cm Guttler rings I bought second hand I intend to make a roller with one ring directly above each row. It will add some weight but not much more than the standard roller although it will have to be far enough back to escape the tines.

 

[david ll]

I have a set of 58cm Guttler rings I bought second hand I intend to make a roller with one ring directly above each row. It will add some weight but not much more than the standard roller although it will have to be far enough back to escape the tines.

Something like this is what I was thinking

 

[Sprayer 1]

I spoke to a contractor at cereals a couple of years a go, think his name was Robin Gabriel, who has been using a SimTech for years, he told me that he hardly ever rolls behind the drill. Since then I have only rolled if there are stones left on top, and seem to get the same amount of germination as before. I do tend to put 2kg of FF pellets down the spout if slugs are about though. The only problem I find with the spring roller is that in sticky ground it can clog up solid within seconds, usually in the middle where it is hardest to clean out, wondered about some sort of scraper system, what are Gutlers like for clogging up?

 

[Michael S]

I spoke to a contractor at cereals a couple of years a go, think his name was Robin Gabriel, who has been using a SimTech for years, he told me that he hardly ever rolls behind the drill. Since then I have only rolled if there are stones left on top, and seem to get the same amount of germination as before. I do tend to put 2kg of FF pellets down the spout if slugs are about though. The only problem I find with the spring roller is that in sticky ground it can clog up solid within seconds, usually in the middle where it is hardest to clean out, wondered about some sort of scraper system, what are Gutlers like for clogging up?

I have tried leaving unrolled areas and the germination is always very poor so I always roll, on our soil the slot tends not to close very well. Even with our Moore drill we always roll.

 

[Michael S]

I spoke to a contractor at cereals a couple of years a go, think his name was Robin Gabriel, who has been using a SimTech for years, he told me that he hardly ever rolls behind the drill. Since then I have only rolled if there are stones left on top, and seem to get the same amount of germination as before. I do tend to put 2kg of FF pellets down the spout if slugs are about though. The only problem I find with the spring roller is that in sticky ground it can clog up solid within seconds, usually in the middle where it is hardest to clean out, wondered about some sort of scraper system, what are Gutlers like for clogging up?

I have blocked the roller a couple of times in the last week, like you right in the middle. I now have a camera placed to view the centre of the roller which means I can pick up any filling before it becomes hard work to clean out.

 

[Sprayer 1]

Good idea Michael. Hateful job unclogging the roller, George Simon recommended to take out every other spring off if it is sticky . It didn't stop it clogging but it was a bit easier to dig out. If I come to a sticky bit now I just pull out. wondered if two wide wheels might become an option in the future to drive the drill and measure depth and run over with the harrows or roller afterwards.

 

[Michael S]

Good idea Michael. Hateful job unclogging the roller, George Simon recommended to take out every other spring off if it is sticky . It didn't stop it clogging but it was a bit easier to dig out. If I come to a sticky bit now I just pull out. wondered if two wide wheels might become an option in the future to drive the drill and measure depth and run over with the harrows or roller afterwards.

Reading this I am wondering whether to try taking off even more rings?

 

[Sprayer 1]

Possibility, but the more you take off the deeper it sinks and at the moment I can hardly walk here. Interesting to know how you go on.

 

[Michael S]

Possibility, but the more you take off the deeper it sinks and at the moment I can hardly walk here. Interesting to know how you go on.

The ground is still mostly firm here but very moist, perhaps I will start by taking off 11 of the 21 rings on my 4m, when I tried the drill yesterday it was pretty close to going so perhaps taking off every other ring will make the difference. The drill was doing a good job but the centre of the roller filled up; despite having the drill as shallow as possible the soil sticky enough to bind with the trash and fill the centre of the roller. Pleasingly the knee high rape stubble passes through the drill without issue.

In my wisdom I decided to catch up on some office jobs believing the met office forecast that it would stay dry tomorrow, now they have decided it will rain so I will have time to unbolt some rings.

 

[Sprayer 1]

I was wondering if I should take all the centre ones out and leave a meter on each side to carry it, as it is always the centre that fills up first.

 

[Sprayer 1]

What part of the country are you in Michael, and how long have you been DD?

 

[Michael S]

I was wondering if I should take all the centre ones out and leave a meter on each side to carry it, as it is always the centre that fills up first.

After some careful consideration I have removed every other ring leaving 11 of the 21 rings on. Just need it to be a bit drier again!

What part of the country are you in Michael, and how long have you been DD?

I am in west Essex. I have used DD as a management tool with a Moore drill since the early 1990s, mostly sowing wheat after broad leaf crops where ground conditions are right. Trying to sow anything after wheat with chopped straw with the Moore has almost always lead to disappointment. Last year I bought a 4m Simtech (with a contribution from the simple productivity grant) with a view to moving to more no-till. The Simtech drill has the advantage it will draw into virtually any ground regardless of how hard it is without requiring enormous self weight that becomes a liability in a wet time. We still have the 8m Moore and most years it does most of our tillage land and DD after stripped linseed when we grow linseed.

I probably start from a better position than many with relatively high organic matter content soils because of the grass seed in the rotation along with imported FYM (30 years) and slurry (20 years). My soils are mainly Ragdale and heavier phase Hanslope clays that are stiff enough to make the 19th Century land owner plant trees on a good chunk of it because it wasn't considered ploughable with horses. The trees were cleared by the American air force in 1943.

 

[Andrew K]

How are the sown crops looking now Michael?

 

[Michael S]

How are the sown crops looking now Michael?

Generally OK. The most disappointing thing is with our Avadex spreader being on the rolls we have rolled all but the last field drilled in some places the rolls have restricted emergence where we had a couple of new rings and they picked up, in the worst affected areas of the worst affected field the roll tractor wheelings aren't yet showing and I guess they may not.

 

[Michael S]

I was wondering if I should take all the centre ones out and leave a meter on each side to carry it, as it is always the centre that fills up first.

I can report that with every other ring removed it is more difficult to block the roller and easier to unblock it but it does still block from the middle first. My "roller-cam" means that usually it is quick to unblock because I catch it in good time. Pictures on Twitter.

 

[Andrew K]

Were you using it yesterday Michael?

 

[Michael S]

Were you using it yesterday Michael?

I did the ex OSR on Tuesday 22nd. Tried some second wheat on the Wednesday but decided it was just too wet. ATM thinking I will try again this Wednesday depending on the weather? Looks unsettled again from Thursday onwards.