Tillage Hybrid

By Dan Miller, Senior Editor

Great Plains is rolling out a couple of pieces of new equipment -- an addition to its PL Series planter and a new hybrid tillage tool, Terra-Max.

Terra-Max is a soil-management tool targeted to primary and secondary tillage operations to address a variety of needs, from killing weeds and sizing residue to preparing seedbeds. Great Plains offers it in widths from 20 to 40 feet. The Terra-Max features adjustable front and rear coulter gangs. The front gangs adjust from 0 to 8 degrees, while the rear coulter gangs adjust from 0 to 6 degrees. Rodney Hake, tillage engineering manager who presented Terra-Max, says the 8-degree adjustment range incorporated into the front gangs gives this tillage tool an enhanced ability to manage fall field conditions.

GREAT FINISH

"What makes the Terra-Max really shine compared to other hybrid tillage tools on the market is its finishing capabilities," he explains. A lengthened frame, opposing left-hand and right-hand rolling spike harrows, and a double-basket rear attachment combined with active hydraulic downpressure (rated up to 900 pounds per square inch) all work to create an ideal seedbed.

Key to Terra-Max's productivity, Great Plains says, is its TurboSpeed blade. It is a design crafted for higher speeds that combines the soil-penetration characteristics of Great Plains' Turbo-Max-mounted TurboBlade and the low-concavity profile of the SpeedBlade, a key feature of the company's Velocity tillage line.

The manufacturer tested six styles with varying quantities and depths of waves. "We wanted to make sure [growers] are happy with the cutout, action and movements of the soil," he says. Great Plains tested the blades on two 30-foot machines in two distinct locations, each more than 8,000 acres. Hake says the blades retained their profile even after that extended workout.

The Terra-Max will be offered with Great Plains' optional Implement Command system. Implement Command allows producers to set, adjust and monitor the unit from the tractor cab.

Of note found on Terra-Max are the radial transport tires. Great Plains mounted the tires -- a size larger than otherwise called for -- to better support the travel demands of the tool as it is pulled at higher speeds and greater distances between fields.

PL PLANTER LINE GROWS

Launched in 2018, Great Plains PL Series planters entered the market boasting even emergence and increased crop yields. Its newest model in the PL Series line is PL5200.

The PL5200 is a 40-foot mounted stack-fold planter. It accommodates a wide variety of crops in single- and twin-row planting. The switch among row spacing takes about an hour, Great Plains says.

Central to PL Series planters is the 5000 Series Row Unit. The 5000 Series Air-Pro Meter uses a positive-air system that "dead drops" seed into the Great Plains-patented Clear-Shot Seed Tube to achieve uniform spacing. The meter is designed for a variety of crops, such as corn, soybeans, sunflowers, cotton and smaller seeds, such as milo, canola and hemp.

The PL5200 is available in both large-capacity bulk-fill hoppers or individual row hoppers. Producers can choose from a traditional three-section mechanical ground drive, a three-section variable-rate-ready hydraulic drive or electric individual-row control (IRC) drive.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

> Great Plains: greatplainsag.com

[PF_1020]

(c) Copyright 2020 DTN, LLC. All rights reserved.