Two drill ranges from New Zealand – Aitchison and Duncan – and Kverneland make their debut in this year’s Ultimate Guide to tine coulter no-till drills.

As usual, the guide includes implements such as the Claydon Evolution and Hybrid, and the Mzuri Pro-Til, which have a leading tine to create a narrow band of tilth for the coulter to work in, but, nonetheless, can work into raw stubbles on heavy ground without prior cultivation.

See also: Direct drills revisited: 10m Dale Eco XL

Aitchison

The Grassfarmer and Seedmatic no-till drills are now available through the UK arm of the New Zealand manufacturer. Both are relatively simple units with full-width seed-only or seed and fertiliser hoppers and gravity delivery to the coulters.

These are the original T-shaped design, albeit with further updates for minimal disturbance stitching-in of grass seed or establishment of grain, oilseed and cover crops.

The lack of surface disturbance caused by both drill types is helped by the straight-running discs that cut a slot ahead of the coulter, and sowing depth is regulated by adjustable end wheels.

Dale

The tractor-mounted MTD models in the Dale Drills range are now available in seed and fertiliser format, with a partitioned hopper and individual metering units.

Fertiliser is then delivered separately to a twin-outlet coulter point that places it just below seeding depth, ready for uptake by the growing seedlings.

There are 3m, 4m, 6m and 8m sizes, all featuring 12mm tungsten-tipped boots mounted on semi-flexible tines, which are arranged in four rows for maximum surface trash clearance at 125mm or 166mm row spacing.

The Dale MTD now has a seed and fertiliser option © Dale Drills

Duncan

UK and Ireland distributor “Duncan Ag – Ireland” focuses on the trailed Renovator MK4 and Renovator AS tine drills. Both come in 3m sizes, but with other widths and variants available to special order.

While the MK4 has a full-width hopper and gravity distribution of both seed and fertiliser, the Renovator AS has a central hopper with metering units and air distribution.

Both machines have 25mm coil tines in four staggered rows with a replaceable cavity-opening Baker inverted T boot featuring separate seed and fertiliser outlets.

Duncan Renovator MK4 trailed no-till seeder © Duncan

Kverneland

The long-established Kverneland TS-drill – popular with growers on stony soils – gains no-till credentials with the introduction of new tine points.

The 15mm points mounted on rigid narrow tines, with coil spring tension providing up to 50kg pressure, are designed to work directly into stubbles with minimal soil disturbance.

Sowing depth is regulated by spacers on the hydraulically adjusted central section wheels, and by screw jacks on the wing section wheels.

Individual rubber press wheels or a two-row flexible tine harrow can be fitted to finish the job.

There is a choice of 125mm and 150mm row widths and overall working widths of 4.8m, 5m, 5.6m and 6m – all seed only.

No-till narrow tine is new for the Kverneland TS-drill © Kverneland

Mzuri

Tractor-mounted models return to the Pro-Til range in 3m and 4.8m sizes, with a 2,200-litre seed-only hopper in refreshed iGen form, and as a regular 3m Pro-Til with 1,200-litre seed capacity alongside the 3m to 6m trailed versions.

The iGen models have soil-loosening tines up front with optional hydraulic reset protection, followed by a shark’s fin packer ahead of the coulters, which are formed with C spring tines with individual hydraulic downforce.

Semi-pneumatic press wheels on the coulter arms provide depth regulation, and a hydraulically pressured two-row flexible tine covering harrow brings up the rear.

Mzuri’s 4.8m Pro-Til 480 iGen tine seeder © Mzuri

Simtech

A bigger capacity seed hopper is a new option for the Simtech T-Sem Grass 300 drill, providing 900 litres instead of 500 litres capacity for longer working periods between refills.

It joins a range of 3m to 6m tractor-mounted units, manufactured by engineering design and fabrication specialist Fentech – which previously produced the drills under contract – and distributed by associate company Fentech Agri.

The drills come with gravity or air distribution systems feeding inverted T coulters mounted on double-coil tines, which are preceded by straight-running discs that cut a slot for minimal surface disturbance.