The most noticeable absentee in this year’s Ultimate Guide to direct drills with disc coulters is surely the Cross Slot seeder, built in the UK in recent years using original Baker Cross Slot disc and seed boot assemblies from New Zealand.

That partnership has been concluded, however, with UK dealer Primewest shifting its allegiance to the Novag operation in France, which builds a similar machine using its own soil-engaging components.

See also: Seed drills: Where are they made?

Bednar

The Bednar Directo NO 6m trailed direct disc drill © Bednar

There is a newcomer to fill the void, in the shape of Bednar’s Directo NO direct drill, available in 6m and 8m sizes.

Its 450mm diameter single-disc openers carry up to 300kg of hydraulic downward pressure to keep them at the desired sowing depth, with a 400mm spoked wheel running alongside providing depth control.

The discs are mounted on arms with resilient rubber clamp inserts where they are attached to the implement frame in two separate rows at 167mm line spacing, and a smooth or toothed integral closing wheel with both pressure and angle adjustment completing each assembly.

A 5,000-litre twin compartment hopper sits atop the main frame, supplying seed and fertiliser, the latter via serrated discs positioned ahead of the coulters, and placing the nutrients below and slightly to one side.

Horizon

A tractor front-mounted seed tank supplying the seeding units at the rear is the latest DSX direct drill format from Horizon Agriculture.

The seeding units are the same as used on the trailed models, comprising an angled single-disc opener on a parallelogram linkage under hydraulic pressure and with depth control via a side wheel at point of seeding.

To save weight, however, the M:DSX is available with just two row widths – 220mm or 250mm – and with all sowing elements arranged in a single row to minimise overall length and therefore effective weight imposed on the tractor.

There are five sizes, from 3m to 6m, paired with a 2,200-litre pressurised seed and fertiliser hopper.

Horsch

Front tank/rear toolbar version of the Horsch Avatar © Horsch

A front-hopper, rear-seeder combination has been added to the Avatar direct drill range as a weight-spreading solution.

The Avatar SL comes in 4m and 6m sizes, with arguably greater manoeuvrability than the trailed models that continue unchanged.

There is the established combination of optional trash-clearing wheels, single-disc openers on a trailing arm with rubber-bushed mountings, and with a rubber wheel running alongside for intimate depth control.

An integrated press wheel and covering disc complete this assembly, and fertiliser from the 2,000-litre dual-tank reservoir is simply mixed in with the flow of seed; there is also a single-compartment, 1,600-litre Partner FL tank available.

Moore

Arable Unidrill is now available in a grain/fert format © Moore

The Moore Unidrill has gained seed and fertiliser application capability for arable crops with the MDH-1700 Dual version – and for pasture with the tighter row spacing Grassland counterpart.

Arable models, deploying a notched disc and seed boot at 125mm spacing, come in 3m mounted and trailed formats, with two hoppers and Accord metering and air distribution systems.

The 410mm discs with tungsten seed coulter alongside are mounted in pairs on a trailing arm with rubber suspension inserts in the frame clamp; up to 120kg of ballast and hydraulic pressure is available to each.

Sumo

Having been absent for a short while, 8m and 9m DD drills have returned to the Sumo menu, providing an uplift in output potential over their smaller siblings.

The company’s serrated 450mm single-disc coulters are mounted on a parallel linkage assembly, with hydraulic coulter pressure providing up to 200kg of downforce, as well as stone impact protection.

Depth control comes from an angled rubber gauge wheel alongside the opener and a rear press wheel; completing the assembly is fixed-angle steel finger disc to cover the seed row and a rubber tyre press wheel.

Weaving

Revamped design of mounted GD drill is now available in 4m and 6m sizes © Weaving

A revamped version of the 3m mounted GD disc direct drill introduced last year by Weaving Machinery has been joined by a grain and fertiliser option and also 4.8m and 6m sizes.

One of the most obvious changes is the switch to lighter plastic rather than steel hoppers, which improve weight distribution and, potentially, durability.

While the 3m G&F gets a 2,800-litre divided tank and twin metering and distribution equipment, the larger sizes have a seed-only hopper of 2,000-litre capacity.

If something with greater between-fills capacity is needed, the 6m rear toolbar/front tank version fits the bill with an extra 400 litres of seed held.

Main upgrades to the design, apart from the hopper, are a coulter frame now assembled from tubular rather than square section steel that sheds soil more readily, and centre-split folding for the coulter frame that results in easier access for calibration and emptying the hopper.