US tillage brand, Great Plains, together with local distributor, PFG Australia, is running a series of Turbo Max vertical tillage demonstrations and dealer training sessions.
Great Plains export director, Ryan Haffner, who is in Australia to meet farmers and conduct dealer training sessions on Great Plains products, said the Turbo Max cultivator was the premier vertical tillage product in the Great Plains line up.
“Great Plains makes the widest range of true vertical tillage tools in the world and the Turbo Max is by far our most popular machine in recent times.
“It’s not hard to have confidence in a product on the back of so many sales all over the US and internationally.”
The company claims technology teamed with practical design makes the Turbo Max a productive and adaptable machine.
With models to 15 metres, features include a patented rolling spike harrow, maintenance free bearings in rolling attachments and gangs, and transfer valves to adjust the weight from the centre to the wings delivering constant full-width down pressure.
The operator hydraulically adjust the blade angle on the go from zero through to six degrees to suit changing field conditions.
Mr Haffner said heavy stubble was not an issue, nor was hard panning.
“The Turbo Max levels the soil and gives you shallow incorporation of residue creating fissures through which moisture is able to travel in both directions,” he said.
Victorian dealer, Echuca CIH, recently helped organise a busy demo day at a 30 hectare site.
Salesman Bruce Watson said the trial site was sheep-grazed barley stubble on varying soil types from hard clay to lighter loams and the 7.3m Turbo Max cultivator worked at just over 15km/h.
“We’ve got four sections: a control zone with zero tillage, a second zone with the Turbo Max at zero degrees, a third zone with the blade angle at three degrees and a fourth zone with the angle set to six degrees.
“This region with its broadacre cropping is well suited to what the Turbo Max does best,” he said.
“The farmers I spoke to are impressed with the speed and results in these conditions.
“Later in the year, they’ll be back to check on germination and yields at the site.”
PFG national sales manager, Justin Fisher said Great Plains has been developing agronomically sound machinery for a long time.
“Farming communities here and around the world have recognised how Great Plains vertical tillage can encourage moisture retention, optimal root development and plant nutrition - and no hard pan.
“We saw a real need and a desire for change in cultivation practices here,” he said.
“Farmers need a machine that’s fast enough and versatile enough to give them one pass high productivity.
“They want good soils and great yields.”