| |
Our latest Agricultural news and special offers section is updated monthly and details our latest product introductions, company news and product promotions.
To find out what's new or on special promotion, click on the headings below.
|
|
| News Articles // March // 2007 |
|
|
|
Article 1 // MARCH 2007
Spaldings Introduce New 12v Broadcaster
Spaldings new versatile broadcaster is ideal for the accurate application and spreading of seeds and material such as Grass seed, Oil seed Rape, Slug pellets, Grain, and small seeds.
The working width can be continually adjusted between 2 & 24m (depending upon material and application rates in use). The new broadcaster will Spread slug pellets up to 24m wide, grass seed up to 6m and small seeds such as rape, turnips, mustard up to 18m. All seed is evenly spread via adjustable, integral spreading vanes.
The Broadcaster is easy to operate and adjust in work via the clear and easy to use digital control panel mounted in the tractor cab. The panel uses advanced technology to switch the spreading disc on & off, open & close the slide, set the spread width and seed rate.
Continuous monitoring of the slide is also a feature, when if blocked by a foreign object an error message, accompanied by an audible warning, is sent to the control panel. The control panel also has a visual alert to warn operator when the hopper is empty. Once set up the RPM of the spreading disc is displayed on the control panel.
This has an automatic control adjustment compensator to increase power as and when required, ie. When the hopper is full. The sensor also has the capability to detect a blockage, either in the drive motor or in the output slide. This is an advanced safety feature, only available due to the electronic system control offered by microprocessor technology.
The versatile broadcaster can be mounted to any cultivator, tined weeder, tractor or ATV with the robust and varied range of mounting brackets available. All units are supplied complete with all cables, connectors and calibration charts and are fully CE marked.
Spaldings 12 Volt Broadcaster is available under product number 16184, for full details please visit www.spaldings.co.uk, contact any member of our sales team, telephone: 01522 507 600 or
e-mail: agsales@spaldings.co.uk
 |
|
 |
|
Article 2 // MARCH 2007
New Subsoiler Trip Leg Minimises Downtime
A potential financial upturn for Scottish arable farming could be just around the corner, but despite this new sense of optimism keeping on top of production costs is still the key to maximising profitability.
Perth-based arable farmer Graham Reid of Gourdie Farms, Spittalfield says pressure on autumn workloads and labour availability, coupled with a limited number of days for autumn cultivations means he cannot afford downtime or less than ideal soil conditions for good crop establishment.
The farms consist of a variety of soil types including heavy clay and light lands. Most of the 2000 acres of cropped land is of medium loam. Cropping includes winter cereals as well as potatoes and carrots. A further 200 acres is farmed on a contract hire basis. The farm employs four full time men.
The farm follows a traditional plough based cultivation system although most minimum tillage type arrangements have been tested at one time or other over the years.
“We have tried various one pass systems but nothing really beats the plough,” says Mr Reid. “Minimum tillage is common south of the border and it is becoming more popular in Scotland but we find our best results come after ploughing.”
For the last two years the autumn cultivation temperatures have been above average and a lot of land needed subsoiling to break up the plough pan. The farm used to have an old subsoiler but it had no wheels to help with depth control and as a result it kept bringing up large stones and clods to the surface.
Mr Reid normally subsoils around 300-400 acres a year between August and September, which is carried out to aid drainage and ploughing. Only land that actually needs pan busting is now subsoiled with a Spaldings Flatlift using auto reset or trip legs to a depth of 12-14 inches, pulled by a 130hp John Deere tractor.
“Before Auto Reset was available on the subsoiler it was not uncommon to have to replace at least 20 sheer bolts per day on the stronger land. On the lighter land the problem is nothing like as bad.”
To reduce the number of bolts breaking Mr Reid would reduce the depth of the Flatlift legs. While this went some way towards reducing the number of replacement bolts needed every day, it also meant that the subsoiling job was not being carried out effectively.
“Downtime to replace broken sheer bolts could easily take two hours out of a working day, which is time we simply cannot afford,” he says. “With an average speed of about 3 mph and limited cultivation days in the winter programme we cannot afford any downtime.”
He says the main wearing points and the wear protector plates on the Flatlift are kept on with a role pin, making them very quick to change.
“Autumn is when we try and do the majority of our land work and we must always be ahead of the plough. This should not be too difficult to achieve because normally we are only pulling up the tramlines,” explains Mr Reid.
However, sometimes there is a need to subsoil the whole field although it is not a matter of course. Mr Reid ploughs to a depth of 8-10 inches behind the 3m Flatlift.
“We fitted the subsoiler legs ourselves, which involved quite a lot of welding,” he says. “We also have the disc cultivation tool bar for going into old potato land in front of the drill. "
“Auto reset means we can increase our forward speed, but the real beauty of the system is that we don’t have to keep getting on and off the tractor to replace sheer bolts. The fact that the legs also swivel means that they are not rigid if they hit something solid rather than lifting out of the ground along with whatever has been hit.”
Mr Reid says that most growers who subsoil should have an Auto Reset system attached to their subsoilers. “It just does not make sense not to have one, especially on our soil types up here.
“Subsoiling is essential on our land and in hot years like 2005 and 2006 it was critical to have this option in order to break the plough pan. If 2007 proves to be as wet as 2004 then we will not be subsoiling."
“There are quite a few Flatlifts in the area now and they seem to be doing a good job. They are keenly priced against the main competitors but the point really is that after it has been through the field you can hardly tell it has been there as the surface looks relatively flat. Actually you struggle to see that it has been there at all sometimes.”
For full details of Spaldings Flatlift® Subsoil Cultivators please visit www.spaldings.co.uk, contact any member of our sales team, telephone: 01522 507 600 or e-mail: agsales@spaldings.co.uk
|
|
 |
|
|
|
