Ripping And Cultivating

Nampo showed that rippers are ripping deeper than ever and cultivators have become even wider, says Joe Spencer.

- Joe Spencer

The latest buzzword in soil cultivation is ‘vertical tillage’. So much so, that one agricultural publication invited tillage equipment manufacturers to define the term. This resulted in a widely varying interpretation of the concept. Rather than getting involved in the debate, I’ll illustrate various manufacturers’ approach to different aspects of tillage, based on their displays at Nampo 2018.

1 Kongskilde Vertical Tillage 9000-series

The 9000-series vertical tillage tool is designed to penetrate hard, dry soil through heavy crop residue. It can work the ground down to 100mm in a single pass without requiring extra weight, mixing the soil with the crop residue to hold this valuable material in place. The 9132 shown here has 98 discs, a working width of 9,76m, and weighs 9,5t. It requires a 250kW to 280kW tractor.

2 Erdvark hydraulic reset ripper

The three-point mounted Erdvark hydraulic reset ripper is made for heavy work. The robust shanks are protected by shear bolts as well as a hydraulic reset. Working depth is between 650mm and 1 050mm, depending on the type of shank fitted. The 30mm-wide shank has a hard-wearing tip and protective shin plates to reduce wear. Also available is a special shank with adjustable wings to increase aeration and loosen compaction.

3 Degelman Pro-Till 20 compact disc cultivator