Spaldings has updated its four-model FlatLift heavy-duty subsoiler range, most notably with a simpler auto-reset system and rigid rather than pivoting leg mounts.

The line-up includes the 2.7m, three-leg V3; 2.8m, four-leg V4; 3.6m V5; and a trailed, 4.7m V7, which has seven legs.

In all cases, the legs, which are slightly longer than before, are configured in a V-formation to reduce drag and minimise trash-build-up.

They will work down to 500mm, though Spaldings says they can be equally effective at a shallower depth – just below any compaction caused by field traffic.

Leg spacings range from 900mm on the V3 to 650mm on the V4 and V5.

See also: 10 single-pass cultivator options for heavy land

Each foot carries Spaldings’ established combination of pronounced point, vertical shin and wing – the latter available in widths of 2in, 4in or 6in, depending on the amount of disturbance required.

Typically, they will lift the soil by between 50 and 100mm to improve aeration and encourage deep-rooting crops, such as oilseed rape, to establish quickly.

Buyers have the choice of standard-wearing metal or the firm’s SPL Ultra hard-wearing parts, and there’s also the option of pairing it with a Lehner Vento Duo seeder for a single-pass job.

At the back is an 800mm-diameter serrated packer, with its considerable size apparently helping to reduce rolling resistance and bulldozing in light, fluffy soil.

The shoulders of the packer are bolted on, so can be replaced when worn, and there’s a hole-and-pin arrangement to set its position – and thus the working depth.

List price for a standard shear-bolt protected version is £17,638, while opting for auto-reset rams pumps that up to £24,241.