A new disc cultivator designed for quick coupling with the Venta 1030 pneumatic drill offers significant drilling flexibility as an alternative to the power harrow combination.
The CD 1020, currently available in 3.0 and 3.5 metre formats, has two rows of 400mm diameter notched discs to create a fine seedbed to a shallow working depth in light soil conditions. The unit can be fitted with Kuhn’s new Megapacker 590mm diameter roller, or other roller options. Designed to operate in combination at up to 15km/hr, or up to 4ha/hour in the 3.0 metre format, the CD has the potential for high drilling outputs when conditions allow. The CD can also operate as a stand-alone cultivator.
The discs are supported by a single vertical arm, each holding two discs per arm. Together with a good under frame clearance and a notched disc design that creates a self-driving action in plant residues, this allows the CD to operate effectively in trashy conditions. The disc arms are fitted onto a cross-shaped profile, with polyurethane blocks providing both elasticity – to maintain a consistent working depth – and durability. Side deflectors, fitted on a parallelogram and extending as far as the roller, ensure a level finish between passes.
Linkage between the Venta 1030 drill and the tillage tool is via a specially designed roller frame, a patented concept that creates a very compact unit and ensures cultivation and drilling are fully independent functions. This increases the adaptability of the combination unit and allows optimum drilling performance to be maintained in the widest range of conditions. This design also helps facilitate quick interchange of tillage tools, with coupling estimated to take less than 10 minutes.
When the Venta 1030 is used in combination with either the CD disc cultivator or HR power harrow, a range of functions including seed rate, working depth, levelling bar position, central adjustment point, covering harrow, seed rate calibration and seeding depth can all be adjusted from the tractor cab. This allows the disc cultivator or power harrow, and drill settings, to be adjusted quickly and easily to compensate for changing soil conditions.
The Venta seed drill features an 1,800 litre seed hopper and uses a fluted metering unit with large splines for larger seeds (wheat, barley, peas, beans, etc.) as well as small splines for smaller seeds such as oilseed rape. Seeding rates can be set between 1 and 430kg/ha. A speed sensing radar ensures precise seeding at up to 15km/hr and it is possible to shut-off every second row for special applications. KUHN’s precision coulter bar, the Seedflex system, takes care of seed placement, with widely offset double discs mounted on a parallelogram to enable fast and accurate seeding. These maintenance-free coulters perform well in all soil conditions, from ploughed to min-tilled land. Following press wheels control seeding depth and ensure good soil to seed contact for consistent germination.
