McConnel unveiled its all-new Seedaerator seed drill at the firm’s Expo 2014 event in March.
Developed following an intensive three-year research-and-development programme, the Seedaerator has been created for farmers seeking to adopt a one-pass crop-establishment system, and for large-scale farmers and contractors looking to add a complementary machine to their existing drilling operation.
The Seedaerator offers an advanced feature set, including: 3.0m working width with three-point linkage mounting; nine 150mm wide seed bands; choice of deep soil conditioning or low-disturbance leading leg; pneumatic press wheels; contour-following seed coulters; rear press wheel with adjustable ground pressure; hopper capacity from 600-1,250kg; and an RDS metering system including radar metering and variable seed rate adjustment.
The Seedaerator enables growers to reap the benefits of the strip till revolution. Cultivating the land in strips ensures the adjoining soil structure is left undisturbed and crop residues remain on the surface to decay – releasing nutrients back into the ground and creating a living biotic soil with high levels of organic activity.
This method protects the soil from the elements and delivers improved soil quality, aeration, water percolation and moisture retention – creating a perfect environment for crop growth.
The drill’s leading legs work only the soil where the seed will be placed, then a large pneumatic, cleated tyre firms and tills the soil ready for the seed coulter to place the seed in a 150mm band. The close contour-following of the seed coulter, and the adjustable pressure of the rear packer wheel, ensure an even seed placement for uniform germination.
The rear press wheel then firms the soil to ensure excellent seed-to-soil contact, and a rear-following harrow levels ridges for an even finish. Considerable stagger between sowing bands and high ground clearance ensures the Seedaerator can work in trashy conditions and handle a wide variety of cover crops
The new machine has been extensively tested in some of the most challenging drilling conditions throughout Europe, helping McConnel refine the Seedaerator’s performance in a wide variety of different conditions to achieve sustainable intensive farming with minimal impact on the environment.
The Seedaerator is compatible with tractors from 160hp or more and is available now at £25,000 (price correct at April 2014).
For more information visit: www.mcconnel.com.
