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New-Style Seedbed Roller Comes In Big Widths
Rolling small grain fields used to be common practice across the Midwest û and still is in many areas of North America û but you never used to see rollers on corn and soybean fields. That's been changing over the past few years as the benefits of smooth seedbeds û better germination, easier on equipment, and more effi
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New-Style Seedbed Roller Comes In Big Widths MISCELLANEOUS EQUIPMENT Miscellaneous 34-1-35 Rolling small grain fields used to be common practice across the Midwest û and still is in many areas of North America û but you never used to see rollers on corn and soybean fields. That's been changing over the past few years as the benefits of smooth seedbeds û better germination, easier on equipment, and more efficient harvesting û have become clear.
The problem is that the field rollers on the market haven't been updated in decades, according to Environmental Tillage Systems (ETS), the company founded by farm inventor Mark Bauer, who created the Soil Warrior tillage system and the new Seed Warrior planter. ETS recently introduced a new high-speed roller system with rugged 13-in. dia., 3/8-in. thick steel rollers mounted on air springs that let the machine travel at speeds up to 20 mph, depending on field conditions.
Rollers come in lengths of 5 ft. 4 in., or 7 ft. Each roller mounts on an independent bolster with parallel linkage and a pneumatic spring.
Rollers can be mounted on any 7 by 7-in. toolbar as long as it meets strength specifications. However, the company recommends mounting the rollers on an ETS "Cart" which has a rugged frame, 3 3/8-in. spindles with a 10-bolt heavy-duty hub, and 385/65R22.5 or 425/65R22.5 truck tires. The folding toolbar can be configured for 28 or 42-ft. widths, with each size folding to 14 ft. for road transport.
"Unlike large diameter rollers that can drag soil and provide uneven firming as bridging occurs in irregular areas of a field, the ETS Roller System has shorter and smaller rollers that flex and articulate and follow all types of terrain," says Brian Berdan at ETS.
"Each roller section moves independently and is mounted on 1 -in. case-hardened pivot pins with up to 18 in. of vertical travel. Uniform down pressure is sent to each roller linkage through a pneumatic spring, with pressure adjustable from the tractor cab. Rollers automatically adjust to the contour of the field without over-compressing a high spot in the roller width," Berdan adds.
The combination of air springs, bolster design and the smaller rollers is what makes high speeds possible. "Each roller is held down independently," Berdan says, "so high-speed operation is really smooth. Plus, operators can also make tight headland turns without lifting the machine. That saves time, allows a farmer to cover more acres, and minimizes fuel and labor costs."
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Environmental Tillage Systems (ETS), 85 Prairie Avenue, Faribault, Minnesota (ph 507 332-2231; www.soilwarrior.com).
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