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Kit Boosts Performance Of Aerway Tillage System
"If you've got an Aerway system that doesn't work as well as you'd like, there's a reason. It's not built right," says Jim Martindale, an agricultural consultant with North American Agro who has worked on Aerway "aerators" since they were first imported into North America in 1984. He recently came out with a conversi
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Kit Boosts Performance Of Aerway Tillage System TILLAGE EUIPMENT Accessories 23-3-17 "If you've got an Aerway system that doesn't work as well as you'd like, there's a reason. It's not built right," says Jim Martindale, an agricultural consultant with North American Agro who has worked on Aerway "aerators" since they were first imported into North America in 1984. He recently came out with a conversion kit that he says makes them work as originally intended.
The Aerway tillage system was invented by New Zealand dairy farmer Peter Bannin as a pasture renovator. After it caught on quickly in North America, U.S. distributor Holland Hitch took out its own patents, apparently discontinuing payments to Bannin in New Zealand. According to Martindale, that's when the problems started. He says the Aerway systems built in North America since 1988 do not work like the original machine.
"The company reworked the machine so it would mix more surface residue into the ground but it required a lot more ballasting to work properly. The original machine sliced through the ground cleanly and smoothly, fracturing the soil and allowing moisture to penetrate, without mixing in residue," explains Martindale.
While consulting with Aerway owners across the U.S., Martindale discovered that the helix arrangement of the tines on the Aerway was not a mirror-image on either side of the machine. The result was that the machine would wander from side to side and it was difficult to keep the tines in the ground consistently.
After successfully reworking a few machines to reconfigure the twist of the tines, Martindale has put together a conversion kit that he says will make any existing Aerway system work like the original New Zealand machine if that's what the farmer wants. If he wants the machine to mix more surface residue in with the soil, he can simply switch the tines back but use Martindale's configuration so the machine pulls more evenly no matter which way it's set up.
The "Gen-Till" kit consists of a set of tapered shims that change the twist of the tines in relation to the axis. You can use them with existing tines or buy a complete new set of Gen-Till tines which North American Agro says it makes out of an improved material.
"Once converted, much less ballast is required and the horsepower requirement is reduced 25 to 30 percent. Tines wear longer once the machine is operating properly and fewer passes are needed to finish tillage before planting," says Martindale. "Hay producers and no-tillers are especially impressed with the benefits of a modified machine. It fractures the soil and allows moisture to penetrate without mixing in residue or chemicals. Farmers say it's like having a completely different machine after we're done."
Gen-Till shims sell for $12 per pair and you need one pair for each tine. You also need longer mounting bolts, which you can buy locally. If you still want the tines to lift the soil and mix in residue, you can simply reverse them.
A kit including both shims and Martindale's improved tines sells for $32 to $36 per row, depending on material used in the tines. (They're available in Rockwell C-scale 30, 40 or 50. The tines work-harden and are the same hardness throughout. Factory case-hardened tines are only C-scale 15 once the case hardening wears off, Martindale notes.)
North American Agro is also working on a new mounting system for tines which will eliminate most of the bolts required. A donut-shaped casting will clamp onto each side of the tines, providing a smooth rolling surface along the ground and making it quick and easy to change the tines as needed. "That will make it almost identical to the design of the original Aerway machine invented in New Zealand," he notes.
Do-it-yourself kits are available direct to both individuals and dealers.
For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Jim Martindale, North American Agro, 8865 North C.R. 600 W., Cipio, Indiana 47273 (ph 812 392-3060 or 812 579-6711).
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