Work the soil more economically
Fuel consumption can be reduced by limiting the volume of soil worked and therefore minimising forward resistance. Time spent adjusting for the texture and consistency of the soil directly equates to savings on diesel. Always take the following points into account prior to starting to work the land:
CULTISOIL - Soil loosener
- Relate working depth to the depth of compaction
- Share selection (narrow or broad)
- 28 cm: for deep working and clay soils and for less energy consumption
- 45 cm: for working less than 25 cm deep or in soils that are light, silty, clay loam, or calcareous-clay
OPTIMER - Stubble disc cultivators
- Think about the working depth: use the same working depth for the front and back disc gangs, with the correct overlap for the two sets of discs
- Horizontal position of the machinery
- Adjust the force and height of the covering harrow
- Replace worn parts
DISCOVER - Disc harrows
- Variable hitch position: adjustable to three positions combined with three point linkage to optimise traction point position and to get the most from your tractor
- Easy adjustment and maintenance because of the central connecting frame and careful placement of grease-points. The ease of grease point access makes the task less tedious and guarantees long implement life
PLOUGHS – Master
- Precise depth adjustment for each direction of ploughing. Adjusted by operating a screw, and of the first plough body width by an offset and angle combination : precision tillage at low energy consumption: 130 hp for 30 cm ploughing with 4 bodies or 15 cm with 8 bodies
- Single wheel, semi-mounted reversible ploughs: transfer of the load to the tractor means lower power requirements
Power harrows and tillers
- Easy depth adjustment to avoid working too deep: good, easy control of working depth by roller, skids or wheels (multi-position pins)
- Rollers: the bigger diameter the better to reduce resistance and fuel consumption (Maxipacker = 550 mm)
- Rollers with tungsten carbide coated scrapers: less worn scrapers means less earth build-up, thus less rolling resistance
- If soil and working conditions allow, use a crumbler-roller for less rolling resistance
- Height adjustment of the levelling bars (front or rear) by crank handle allows better positioning so that it is not too low in conditions where the soil is easily worked. In damp conditions the levelling bar can be retracted, particularly if it is rear mounted
Power harrow
- Special tines: twisted or OPTIMIX each of which are optimised for a specific job. The twisting reduces friction and fuel consumption
- Rotor rotation speed depends on the soil: the amount of crumbling is controlled by the Duplex gearbox (gearwheel position) or by selector lever. The rotation speed must be proportional to the forward speed.
Power tillers
- Adjustment of the rear hood to give the desired fineness: lift the lid for a coarser result. The EL 102-142 is articulated, and easily adjusted by crank handle (when lifted, the tiller will use less energy)
- Raise the levelling bar when not needed
- Determine this from the wheel tracks
- Select the tiller blades according to the soil:
- CULTITILLER with straight blades in a digging position: maximum adaptability
- CULTIPLOW with straight blades in a dragging position: the number of ground impacts is increased for maximum effect (in clay soils for example)
- CULTIROTOR with C-blades for good mixing of soil with live or dead vegetation (in 2 and 3 blade versions)
CD - Tine cultivator
- Choose the tool to fit the situation: replace the power harrow with a CD or use both (break-even point depends on the power used and the working speed)
