Slatted boards
- Thread starter Conor B
- Start date
We’ve a Kuhn on slats, and a Kuhn on boards, the one on boards is far better most of the time, but if I kept only one plough it would be the one on slats as we’ve a few sticky fields the boards are useless on. If you don’t need the slats for this reason I’d go boards every time.
- Location
- Co antrim
Slats are more expensive to replace than boards
- Location
- Acton Scott, South Shropshire
I have run both slats and solids - rabe for years then Pottinger on solids and now Kuhn on slats -(would have been pottinger but just too heavy unfortunately).
1.You can make just as good a job on turf with slats as with solids.
2 slats are are easier to pull than solids but the slats are heavier than solid boards usually. Easier to pull equates to less diesel per acre.
3. My ploughs have always been used for contracting so get used on a wide range of soils and I have never found stones an issue.
4. I prefer the look of work produced by solids but my wallet is healthier for running slats. The broken finish of slatted ploughing, especially on heavy land, results in easier working of the ground after which is money in my pocket as either less fuel or time saving.
5. Running costs of slats is , in my opinion, a lot less than solids. Slats are thicker than solids boards so wear slower. When a solid wears out you are throwing away 75% (?) of the board whilst still usable. With slats you only replace the worn out bit. We have rarely changed a bottom slat - never changed a top slat - changed middle slats at approximately half the rate of solid boards.
Running slats is a commercial decision for us
1.You can make just as good a job on turf with slats as with solids.
2 slats are are easier to pull than solids but the slats are heavier than solid boards usually. Easier to pull equates to less diesel per acre.
3. My ploughs have always been used for contracting so get used on a wide range of soils and I have never found stones an issue.
4. I prefer the look of work produced by solids but my wallet is healthier for running slats. The broken finish of slatted ploughing, especially on heavy land, results in easier working of the ground after which is money in my pocket as either less fuel or time saving.
5. Running costs of slats is , in my opinion, a lot less than solids. Slats are thicker than solids boards so wear slower. When a solid wears out you are throwing away 75% (?) of the board whilst still usable. With slats you only replace the worn out bit. We have rarely changed a bottom slat - never changed a top slat - changed middle slats at approximately half the rate of solid boards.
Running slats is a commercial decision for us
It's funny you say they're easier pulled kv is the opposite I ran slats for 16 years and went back to solids for the following reasons
Easier pulled less wearing metal used firmer job behind the solid board so takes in less water and even tho it's less broken behind the solid board I can still drill quicker as I'm not sinking into it the same as I was with the slats. We still have our slatted plough and running both together you can tell the difference when drilling
- Location
- Acton Scott, South Shropshire
I can’t quote the actual research but rabe used to quote figures from tests that showed that slats were around 15% easier to pull - I would agree with that from our own experience.
Your experiences are at odds with my own - life would be boring if we all agreed
Your experiences are at odds with my own - life would be boring if we all agreed
Put it this way the last new slatted plough we bought the kv men said tried to convince us to go back to boards as they're easier to pull we didn't listen but a few years later we did
- Location
- Acton Scott, South Shropshire
Fuel consumed per acre on ours would suggest otherwise
I'm not saying your wrong I'm just pointing out they're not all like your experience. I know someone with a lemken that tried a board after years of slats when they brought out that big long board and couldn't pull it where he now has a kv on no 28 and gets on grand with it
Landrover
Member
My views having run both are that on our really light ground that the slats took more pulling as they seemed to "push" the ground over instead of turning it but great on heavy ground as it left it more broken ready for drilling, back to solid boards as needed a new plough and these more modern solid boards seem to break it up almost as well as the slats and are easier pulled on the light ground
- Location
- Acton Scott, South Shropshire
I’d agree that the older type of slats that got imported were digger types but the modern types like we have on our Kuhn are much longer and very much roll a furrow rather than push it - will lay turf over without breaking it if set right
On the kv the slats are a completely different type of head so have far more of an aggressive angle compared to full body. They have more turn as well they'll throw uphill far better . When ploughing together the boarded plough gets problems with the furrows rolling back over before the slatted. Also in heavy hard ground the slats will get issues wanting to break the auto reset out with extra springs on where the full boards on standard springs stays in no bother .
Put all that together it's easy to see why they take more pulling
oakleaf
Member
- Location
- South coast of Ireland
Any chance you'd throw some figures on it?
Would it be litres/ac or mls/ac?
What would ploughing be anyway, 6 or 7 litres/acre or is that guess way out?
- Location
- Acton Scott, South Shropshire
Just asked my son - solid boards was 10l/ac - slats is 8litres/ac
oakleaf
Member
- Location
- South coast of Ireland
Thanks. Fair difference if one is ploughing a lot of acres.
- Location
- central scotland
Really like our slated plough Lemken with BS40 boards I think they are great on heavy land they don’t stick and leave a slightly easier furrow to work down. I do wonder if they may leave dry shingley ground very puffy and loose but am only guessing .....only one way to find out I suppose 
- Location
- Co antrim
U could always go for plastic boards as they dont stick but are a full board