Offering flexibility and almost go anywhere capability, the power harrow combination drill is still the weapon of choice for many farms when it comes to getting seed in the ground. The first in a four part series, Geoff Ashcroft, Simon Henley and Alex Heath speak to users all running three-metre variants from different manufacturers, Lemken being first.
Derbyshire native Geoff Hicken knows from experience; his heavy clay soils will produce good cereal crop yields, but only if he is finished drilling before the end of September. Timing on this farm is crucial, and failure to finish planting before the winter weather sets in, may result in not drilling anything at all.
Mr Hicken has relied on Lemken cultivation and seeding equipment for 20-years. Five years ago he upgraded to a new three metre Solitair 8/300 mounted on a Lemken Zirkon 9 power harrow, which he uses in conjunction with a front-mounted Lemken Topas 140 stubble cultivator. Powering this set-up is a 250hp, 2002 John Deere 8320, which was purchased specifically to handle multiple implements with the power in reserve to tackle the farm's steep gradients.
"On this land it is important to make the most impact in the shortest time," reports Mr Hicken. "Cultivating and drilling is accomplished in just two passes, the first of which starts with moving the stubble right behind the combine.
"Using the Lemken Topas 140 mounted on the front linkage, at the rear of the tractor I pull a seven-leg subsoiler built from a modified Ransomes C90 toolbar and a set of Lemken Elisa discs. With the first pass completed, once a chit has established, I spray off the field and then drill with a high seed rate suitable for heavy ground. My wife then follows the seed drill with the rolls.
"My goal is to start drilling by the third week of September. I can comfortably drill up to 20 hectares a day, so if the weather holds out, I can now drill the entire 121ha farm in a week. This set-up has not only improved the way we farm, but literally changed my life by making it a lot less stressful."
The 3m Lemken Solitair 8/300 is the smallest model in the Solitair line-up, equipped with a hydraulically driven fan, double-disc coulters with rubber depth control wheels, switchable multi-section metering and twin seed distributors. Mr Hicken's drill also features the optional pre-emergence marker kit and hydraulic coulter pressure adjustment.
The seed metering system is driven by a star wheel which uses a cardan-shaft drive to power an infinitely variable gearbox for precise seed metering from 0.5kg up to 500kg/ha. The drill is controlled using Lemken's Easytonic electronic management system, which monitors the drill providing calibration and application rate aids, a hectare counter and tramline programming.
"One of the things I like about the Solitair, is that it's very easy drill to empty," states Mr Hicken. "By using the distributors and the fan, Lemken provide an emptying hose which allows the seed to be blown out of the hopper. I have actually modified mine, so the seed can be collected in a seed bag. It is very efficient and allows you to swap varieties or crop types quickly.
"A weak link I have found on the Solitair 8, is the flexible CV-joints on the cardan shaft driven by the metering wheel. I have replaced one of mine with a steering shaft UJ taken from a car. It works just as well and it is more durable.
"Last year I had with the metering wheel fail, which was caused by a wiring issue. Under the recommendation of the factory, the metering cable was re-routed and so far has not given any more trouble. Another minor gripe of mine pertains to the 1,100-litre seed hopper, which struggles to hold a 1,000kg of seed. I have added a hopper camera to mine, so I can monitor seed levels from the cab.
"In every other respect, I honestly cannot fault the performance of this seed drill. It is very accurate, easy to calibrate, extremely well put together and easy to set up or make adjustments. I should also add, the service I have had from Lemken has been second to none."
