Norfolk-based importer Terrington Machinery has broadened its range of tined weeders with the arrival of Einbock’s new Aerostar-Fusion.

Though still in prototype form, the implement is expected to garner keen interest from organic growers of maize, cereals, potatoes and veg crops looking for a tool to knock out weeds through the first half of the growing season.

Central to the design is a hydraulic ram that pivots the mounting rails to make the action of the tines more or less aggressive – from a light tickle to a relatively aggressive 6kg of downforce, which Terrington reckons should be enough to break through the crust of dry ground.

See also: Buyer’s guide: Camera-guided sugar beet hoes

The 7mm-diameter, 530mm-long tines are individually spring loaded and feature a hooked end that faces forward to bite into the topsoil and chip out small weed plants.

Like Einbock’s other tined weeders, the Aerostar-Fusion is designed to make regular passes, working on the basis that the crop will have a stronger root base than the weeds. As such, there’s very little space – just 28mm – between the tines and no gaps to allow the rows of crop to pass through freely. 

In cereals, the working season can run from around the three-leaf stage through until the crop is roughly 1ft tall.

The implement is linkage mounted, with its pitch determined by the position of small depth wheels at the rear. Operating speed is 3-8kph.

The 6.2m model pictured has a list price of about £15,000, but 9.2m and 12.2m variants will also be available. Options include carbide-tipped tines and a pneumatic seeder that mounts on top.