Sulky twin disc sower.

[Tha Ulsterscot]

Any pit falls to look for? going to look at a second hand one tomorrow.

 

[James]

@ douglas hamilton's?

 

[spin cycle]

love mine...yonks old...puts up with me...never a stripe

 

[defender]

Good spreaders , look at excessive slack in discs and wear in the plastic bush that works the agitator
The vanes on the discs wear out eventually

 

[Cowabunga]

Yes, the plastic bushes where the agitator shafts enter the hopper can wear, as can the shaft bearings, which are a bitch to change if I remember correctly. The agitators themselves are prone to snapping off and exiting through the hole in the bottom, so check for damaged vanes and bent discs.
As said above, the vanes to wear quite quickly because these are 'drop and bat' type applicators. A design that also causes spread width variations on steep land due to fertiliser dropping on a different place on the vanes due to gravity. This cannot be avoided on this type of machine. Its fine on relatively flat fields.

 

[farmerphilly]

good spreader i have a dx 30. To me its rusting to early compared to the kuhn i owned for the previous 12 years. I have heard that sulky however have improved there paint setup.

 

[mixed breed]

The agitators themselves are prone to snapping off and exiting through the hole in the bottom, so check for damaged vanes and bent discs.

Quite an experience, half way round the headland, suddenly a rattle. Stopped before any damage but the tine was stopping shutter closing, so fert was pouring out and theres me frantically digging down to retrieved the darn thing.

apparently the new ones have a loop (B) that stops them falling in when they snap

Other than that mines been right good.

 

[Robt]

Yes, the plastic bushes where the agitator shafts enter the hopper can wear, as can the shaft bearings, which are a bitch to change if I remember correctly. The agitators themselves are prone to snapping off and exiting through the hole in the bottom, so check for damaged vanes and bent discs.
As said above, the vanes to wear quite quickly because these are 'drop and bat' type applicators. A design that also causes spread width variations on steep land due to fertiliser dropping on a different place on the vanes due to gravity. This cannot be avoided on this type of machine. Its fine on relatively flat fields.

Hi, on the point of varying drop point due to hills and slopes. Every machine goes out with a hillside kit (nobody ever fits it!) its two tiny plates that sit in base of hopper to compensate flow on hillsides. They work very well but people dont tend to fit them as they need cleaning regularly.

 

[Robt]

regarding the regulator (agitator ) tines. I recommend changing them every other season. Due to the way they are designed to work. They degrade over time. As said, if they brake during use it can be a pain..
setting for machines upto 30 years old are on the Sulky website.
pm me if you want any more info

 

[Cowabunga]

Hi, on the point of varying drop point due to hills and slopes. Every machine goes out with a hillside kit (nobody ever fits it!) its two tiny plates that sit in base of hopper to compensate flow on hillsides. They work very well but people dont tend to fit them as they need cleaning regularly.

These fit in the slide between the hopper and the disk. They are just a divider like the divider on a combine’s grain pan and sieves. The slide is what is adjusted to vary the spread width to account for different fertiliser’s flow characteristics to vary the drop point on the vanes. There are only two vanes per disc and they turn fast, throwing out from the centre at the back, hence the relatively high rate of vane wear. The vanes work hard.
In my experience they work moderately well on sidling land but are hardly worth a damn working up and down steep fields. Yes, I had them fitted and, yes, I did clean them to avoid the buildup of compacted fertiliser dust.

It’s not all bad. The machines are simple and far more robust than Vicon and work quite well on flat and gently sloping land when set up correctly. They have been proven not to be suitable for much of my land though. I ran two over a period of 15 years or more. I speak as I find.

 

[farmerm]

Make model and age? We never replaced our agitator tines when they snapped, probably 15 years ago. Never found they make much difference unless you are spreading grass seeds. When fert starts to get low is in the drill I simply tap the independent brakes and "throw" the drill to one side and then the other which levels it. A few of the plastic plugs that fill holes in the hopper, presumably used to suspend the hopper during manufacturing, have been replaced with duct tape, and more strategic use of duck tape prevents spillage though the agitator plastic bushes..

 

[Tha Ulsterscot]

So I now own a Sulky, next to try setting it to put on approx what I'm aiming for. One piece of advice would be useful though, how do you sow the headlands? I know that one disc can be shut off, but do you drive tight to boundary and sow into field, or drive in field to sow towards the boundary? Machine has been on the same small farm since new so hoping I'll get an operators manual with it. Thanks for your help Tha Ulsterscot.

 

[mixed breed]

Download sulky fertitest app imput the type and amount of product, width, forward speed and it will tell you the settings, mine is always 3 settings down from the advise given.

I always set the one width adjuster (on side of machine) nearest the hedge to around 1/3 of whats advised when doing the outside.

 

[spin cycle]

So I now own a Sulky, next to try setting it to put on approx what I'm aiming for. One piece of advice would be useful though, how do you sow the headlands? I know that one disc can be shut off, but do you drive tight to boundary and sow into field, or drive in field to sow towards the boundary? Machine has been on the same small farm since new so hoping I'll get an operators manual with it. Thanks for your help Tha Ulsterscot.

should have a headland vane that stops fert going more than 6 meters.....you put it on/off quite easily....or like me you forget to take it off one day but bizarrely don't get any striping ......so you don't bother taking it off anymore

 

[Cowabunga]

should have a headland vane that stops fert going more than 6 meters.....you put it on/off quite easily....or like me you forget to take it off one day but bizarrely don't get any striping ......so you don't bother taking it off anymore

If you go back and forth in adjacent bouts then you will get little of no striping but if you went round and round in the same direction I suspect [know] that you would have noticeable striping. If it doesn't, ask yourself whether it actually does anything at all.

 

[spin cycle]

If you go back and forth in adjacent bouts then you will get little of no striping but if you went round and round in the same direction I suspect [know] that you would have noticeable striping. If it doesn't, ask yourself whether it actually does anything at all.

that was more less my conclusion TBH...it's only a 12m machine so i can see fert stopping on headland runs at 6m....i'm not huge n fert user either