This article appears in the December 2020 issue of Potato Grower.
Even if your fields are covered in snow right now, we all know that a potato grower’s work never truly ends. Like it or not, planting season will be upon us soon, and you’ll be out in the fields getting them ready for the 2021 crop. Our planting and tillage equipment buyers’ guide should point you in the right direction for the best equipment for your operation.
Kuhn North America
(608) 897-2131
Excelerator XT 8010 Vertical Tillage System
While retaining a 1- to 5-degree vertical tillage gang angle range for true VT performance, the Kuhn Krause Excelerator XT 8010 vertical tillage system features an additional XTended range of 6 to 8 degrees. The added capability to increase gang angle will assist the operator in removing shallow-rooted weed growth or filling light ruts created from previous harvest traffic or sprayer passes.
Individual gang angles adjust using a standard mechanical screw adjustment; an optional hydraulic on-the-go adjustment feature is also available. The hydraulic option includes an in-cab selector that allows the operator to move front and rear gangs simultaneously, retain the same gang angles front to rear, or adjust the front and rear gangs independently, varying the front and rear gang angles.
Designed to operate at 8 to 10 miles per hour throughout the gang angle range, the new Excelerator XT 8010 provides producers with a versatile and productive high-speed vertical tillage tool that is proficient in either fall or spring tillage applications. Currently available in 30-, 34- and 40-foot sizes, the KUHN Krause Excelerator XT continues to offer features and benefits recognized by today’s top producers.
Ag-Vantage, Inc.
(208) 670-1041
Culti-Diker
Ag-Vantage’s Culti-Dikers are water conservation tools that create water-retaining pockets to prevent soil erosion, thus providing increased crop yields. The pockets formed can hold ½ to 3 gallons of water, depending on model. Culti-Dikers can be mounted to row crop planters in between the planter units or behind, depending on each grower’s specific requirements. Culti-Dikers are available in several different models and sizes to meet individual needs.
Culti-Dikers have been mounted onto planters, cultivators, grain drills and tool bars for the past 15 years. A proven water conservation tool when used in sugarbeets, corn, beans, potatoes, grains and other crops.
Horsch
(701) 532-1000
Joker RX Series
Horsch’s fourth-generation Joker high-speed compact disc named the Joker RX Series, represents the next evolution of the already popular Joker RT.
Along with the 20-inch concave notched blade that has come standard on previous Joker models, the new RX Series offers the ability to switch to 4-inch wave-width Vortex blades, which allow it to achieve thorough horizontal fractures at working depths from the surface down to 4 to 5 inches. Switching blades is a simple process, using just five bolts to secure each blade to the hub.
The Joker RX comes standard with manual depth adjustment. An optional TouchDepth feature allows operators to electronically adjust the depth of the implement via mobile app.
Two new finishing systems are available on the Joker RX. The RingFlex system, which is an evolution of the original RollFlex system, provides ultimate performance in soil conditioning and consolidation. The second option is the OptiRoll system, which offers optimum cleaning in high-moisture conditions.
Joker RX models are available in 5-foot increments from 20 to 40 feet wide.
Safe-T-Pull, Inc.
(701) 284-6100
Crop Shuttle
The Crop Shuttle is the largest, fastest and most versatile crop cart on the market. It is fully customizable, giving growers up to 46 tons of capacity and discharge speeds up to 25 tons per minute. The Crop Shuttle is extremely versatile, allowing its use in multiple crops such as sugarbeets, potatoes, carrots, onions, red beets, cucumber, and even corn silage.
The Crop Shuttle is designed with no PTO needed to power the hydraulics. The patented design has minimal moving parts and changing angles, meaning less buildup of debris while using less hydraulic power. The hopper rises into the air while unloading, creating the incline needed without a separate conveyor slowing down discharge and damaging crop.
The Crop Shuttle’s new self-loading conveyor provides a fully self-contained unit that will unload seed trucks and meet planters in the field, saving precious time and allowing a planter to be filled in less than 60 seconds.
Spudnik Equipment Company
(208) 785- 0480
Spudnik 9412 Cultivator
Spudnik cultivators are the ideal addition to every operation. Producing uniform hills, increasing water retention in the soil, and controlling weed growth, these implements are built to last and withstand everyday wear and tear. Cultivators are built in four-, six-, eight- and 12-row configurations.
Lockwood Mfg.
(800) 247-7335
Air Cup S-Series Planter
Lockwood Mfg. has a full lineup of planters including the industry-leading Air Cup Series for planting accuracy and consistency. GPS steering is known for being hard on kingpins; new for all 2020 rear-steering models is a ball joint system, with no kingpins and bushings. This eliminates the need to grease joints, eradicates binding, and reduces high-wear items and maintenance. By removing kingpins and bushings, S-Series planters are smoother to operate while turning going forward or backing up. Replacing the spindle, bushings, washers, spacer and grease zerks is now only a ball joint and two nuts.
Sunco Farm Equipment
(800) 676-2146
www.suncofarmequipment.com
Sunco Prop
The Sunco Prop, introduced in the 1990s with its unique design to make angled reservoirs between crop rows, completely revolutionized reservoir tillage. Being an individual row unit, the Sunco Prop can easily be mounted on any number of row units and on a variety of rippers and cultivators. The angled dikes with angled reservoirs eliminate water erosion and runoff, allowing rain and irrigation water with valuable nutrients to soak in where it falls. Instead of expensive water damage, propping gives growers the benefit of higher yields and more profits.
Another significant benefit of the Sunco Prop’s angled dike is reduced or eliminated tractor and implement bounce when driving down the rows at harvest. Considering all the advantages and benefits, the Sunco Prop just makes sense on every farm.
All Star Manufacturing & Design
(801) 225-4199
Potato Seed Cutters
Over 60 years ago, Eskel Peterson built the first Better Built potato seed cutter. Three generations later, his grandsons Allen and Alex now own and operate All Star Manufacturing. Officially taking over in 2012, Allen and Alex both continue the tradition of building the best potato seed cutters for their customers.
All Star’s patented sizer, with on-the-go quick-adjust sizing and Better Built tapered aligning rollers, allows for more accuracy when sizing potatoes, while a better pocket to center the potatoes results in less waste and a more accurately cut seed.
Pairing All Star’s potato seed cutter with its liquid/powder potato seed treater can take the guesswork out of mixing slurry to best treat cut potato seed.
Harriston Industries
(701) 248-3286
Clamp Planter
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Harriston’s clamp planter is available in configurations from two to 12 rows. Positive seed clamping provides great seed placement with minimal skips and grabs seed pieces without penetration, helping prevent the spread of disease. With this technology, planting speed is greatly increased. The seed spacing and bowl height adjustments can be made with ease from the cab of the tractor. These planters have a low seed drop height for more exact seed spacing. They are manufactured in the U.S. and provide exceptional quality, reliability and accuracy.
Milestone
(208) 785-4285
www.milestone-equipment.com
shanem@milestone-equipment.com
Potato Seed Cutter
Uncompromising attention to detail and over 50 years of hard-earned experience has allowed Milestone to produce the most capable, highest-capacity potato-cutting system available. Milestone potato seed cutters effectively cut both long and round varieties without the need for costly retooling. Numerous innovations, including the patented Milestone Star, hydraulic sizer quick adjust, and Milestone cutting system, ensure a consistent, uniform and blocky seed piece—the key to optimal planter performance and vibrant plant growth. Several easy-to-use adjustments can be made while the machine is operating to help ensure the desired seed profile.
Milestone’s new 84-D potato seed cutter, the newest addition to the company’s cutter lineup, represents the ultimate example of capacity, technology and raw performance.
Parma Company
(208) 722-5116
www.parmacompany.com
Parma High-Speed Disc
The High-Speed Disc is specifically designed to enable various results of primary tillage disking. Front 600/50-22.5 flotation tires in combination with the rear roller provide precise depth control for high-speed/shallow or slower-speed/deep disking. Front and rear rows of individual, 24-inch notched disc blades spaced at 10 inches are independently mounted on maintenance-free disc hub bearings and torsion spring-cushioned shanks. The distinct working action of each disc helps maintain a thorough and even disking result across the working width at the selected speeds. The separately controlled rear transport axle with 15-inch tires and the front tongue create a unique dual-action float or raise mechanism for complete lifting control at all times.
Parma’s High-Speed Disc is presently available in rigid widths of 14 to 21 feet and a wide variety of rear roller configurations including Crowfoot, packer rings, welded basket or pipe roller. Horsepower requirements for optimum high-speed performance are 15 to 20 horsepower per foot.
Brillion Farm Equipment
(855) 320-0373
3631 Pulvi-Mulcher
The 3631 Series Pulvi-Mulcher from Brillion Farm Equipment features three-section folding units available in 25- and 30-foot working widths. These units are equipped with heavy-duty S-tine shanks with additional clearance for improved residue through the machine. Eight-inch roller axles with heavy-duty bearings improve reliability and reduce downtime. Standard equipment includes wing hydraulic down pressure and a two-row coil tine harrow in front of the rear roller. The 3631 Series is offered with 24-inch notched ductile iron wheels on the front and rear rollers to provide even more clod-crushing power with its heavy weight.
Great Plains Mfg.
(800) 270-9302
Velocity Hybrid Tillage
Great Plains has developed a hybrid tillage solution called the Velocity. The Velocity combines some of the positive aspects of vertical tillage, while maintaining similar features of a conventional disk, resulting in a new classification in the Great Plains product line called hybrid tillage.
The Velocity is designed to bury more residue than a true vertical tillage tool, but with shallow-concavity SpeedBlades on 7½-inch spacings. The patented SpeedBlades aggressively power through heavy residue and thoroughly mix the soil without ridging.
The Velocity is engineered to run at faster speeds than a conventional disk harrow, and its hydraulic fore/aft leveling simplifies field adjustments to create a smooth finish in a variety of soil conditions. The hydraulic soil conditioner features heavy-duty 16-inch diameter reels with 1-inch rods that can withstand rocks while busting clods, leaving behind an ideal seedbed.