Soil-Busting Doesn't Mix Soil

Soil-Busting Doesn t Mix Soil CHISEL PLOWS A new subsoiler from Australia is breaking up compacted zones in Canadian prairies The unique design of the AgrowPlow distributed by R A West International results in taller crops and higher yields in dry years and better movement of snow melt and rain into lower soil profiles “Traditional subsoilers have an elliptical shank that goes as deep as 3 ft and brings clay and deeper soils to the surface ” explains Dustin Farr R A West International “The AgrowPlow has a straighter shank is more vertical and penetrates only 20 in It doesn’t mix the soil layers or profiles and leaves the microbial life largely undisturbed at different levels ” What the AgrowPlow does is to fracture the soil between the shanks not just down the path of the shank It does this by closer spacing of the shanks “Traditional subsoiler shanks have 24 to 30-in spacing between them ” says Farr “The AgrowPlow has shanks at 26-in spacing on each of two toolbars but staggered for 13-in spacing across the pass ” Farr explains that when you get more than 7 to 8 in to either side of the shank fracturing stops in hard-to-break-up soils Instead wavering appears in the lower profile “If you are going to spend the money on time and fuel don’t you want to do it right the first time?” he asks The AgrowPlow comes in a wide variety of models depending on application from vineyard and specialty crops to large fields Straight-edged coulters cut sod and residue ahead of the shanks Vineyard plows have 2 or 3 shanks From there shank numbers increase by two with options of 5 7 11 13 15 17 and 19 shanks Toolbars vary in size also with the 11 through 19 shank sets mounted on a heavier frame Toolbar working width also varies with the number of shanks with 19 shanks on a 21 1/2-ft toolbar AgrowPlow is also available in a special 27-shank 29-ft working width The AP3-95 is designed for broadacre fields It has floating wings to provide accurate ground following up to + or - 10° variations in the field The size of the tractor to be used and the type of soil to be subsoiled may determine the number of shanks to be pulled After demonstrating an AgrowPlow across much of western Canada Farr estimates horsepower needs at 20 to 25 hp per shank The soil profile can change within 100 ft he recalls I ve used as little as 15 hp and as much as 35 hp per shank AgrowPlows come in 5 different shank options from the 20-in Econo Shank Assembly to the 24-in Hydraulic Trip Assembly Farr says the AgrowPlow is a deceivingly heavy machine built with high-quality steel While smaller plows start as low as $10 000 the cost can range near $50 000 on the larger models Pricing depends on the number and type of shank Contact: FARM SHOW Followup R A West International Box 419 Vulcan Alta Canada T0L 2BO ph 403 485-1998; toll free 888 972-9378; www agrowplow com

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