slow till?

[damaged]

Is a minimum forward speed needed to create tilth with a strip till drill? 7 - 10k seems usual speeds but would, say, 4kmph work with a wider drill and under weight tractor?

 

[clbarclay]

Wider drill and underweight tractor will likely result in 0 km/h speed and 100% wheel slip. With strip till drills tractor weight is more important that power.

The first time we had some strip drilling done, a chipped TM160 was on a trailed 3m Mzuri, the engine wasn't working hard, but with only a modest front weight for ballast it was on the limit for grip. The strip drilling thst year was finished with a mounted version and with only a bit of OSR in the hopper the tractor was near its limits picking it up.

An underpowered tractor could be made to work with plenty of ballast, but then the transmission will be pretty stressed. Better to start with a big lump of heavy draft tractor, in which case power for plenty of speed isn't a issue.

 

[E_B]

I think we'll be aiming for a forward speed of around 9kph when we are using our Mzuri properly this Autumn. Faster on lighter ground. A decent forward speed is indeed required for tilth creation, although I suppose going slower will cause less disturbance. But I agree with the above, we have had two demos in the past where the tractor was too 'small' for the machine resulting in the drill being pulled too shallow to eradicate wheelings on tough ground with a Mzuri and headland crop failure with a DTS.

 

[tyrolens]

The slower you go, the more weight you need, as power is a multiplication of torque and rpm.
The tracition effort grows exponentially with growing driving speeds. So going slow has benefits. We normally don't go faster than 7 km/h, most of the time, we drive at 5 to 6 km/h. It also reduces seed bounce and wearing.

Using a smaller tractor is no problem,. as long as you put a lot of iron on it. John Deere advises 50 kg/hp. So a 6215R should weigh ~10,5 tons; a 400 hp tractor 20 tons.

 

[SilliamWhale]

I have seeded at between 9-14k for years depending on field, my mood and the weather.

I dont think it matters to yield much

 

[damaged]

So, in complete contrast to 'normal' drilling, the general thought for strip till is faster with narrower width. Best stick to 3m in our case. Cheers

 

[Flintstone]

Hi damaged

If it helps, I have 185 HP (NH 7.235) on a 3m Claydon. It's pretty much bang on in terms of power and weight, and I certainly wouldn't want any less than the 1500 kgs I have on the front. I travel at 11k which seems an ideal speed for minimum soil boil etc.

I was at 100% engine power on steep clay banks in the spring and that was only with the leading tines in at 4 inches. I'm hoping that the drier soil in the summer will allow me to go in at 6 inches with no problem.

Go for 60 HP per metre to be safe. With a Mzuri, make that 70 HP per metre.

As for 'slow till', I'd be careful. The strip system slightly relies on a bit of soil movement within the drill, and I'd be cautious of going too slow, for risk of not getting seed covered etc.

 

[doorknob]

So, in complete contrast to 'normal' drilling, the general thought for strip till is faster with narrower width. Best stick to 3m in our case. Cheers

The whole point of the "strip till" aspect is to put energy into the soil in a confined area to create a specific seed bed. Too slow and you fail at creating that seed bed. IMO.

 

[mo!]

Sumo's demo driver told me he drills at 11k. So I do where I can.

 

[mikep]

All a balance of power and weight which varies with speed. Faster you go more power you need and more weight to use that power. Disc drill use a lot less that so till but you will find that in some conditions power is the limiting factor in others weight/grip.
I use 95 HP (with quiet a few lame and dead ones) on 3m disc on evil land but would need 200 with a tine drill of the same size.