Seeder-Cultivator From Wil-Rich

Seeder-Cultivator From Wil-Rich CULTIVATORS Cultivators (58C) 3-1-6 First U.S. manufacturer on the market with an air seeder for small grains and other crops is Wil-Rich Mfg., Wahpeton, N. Dak. The company's first-of-its-kind Seeder-Cultivator, with pneumatic seed and granular fertilizer distribution, is now in production for sale this spring. "We plan to produce about 100 units during this first production run," Sherman Quanbeck, inventor, told FARM SHOW. The unit, which is 41 ft., 5 in. wide and folds hydraulically into a neat package for road transport, was tested extensively from Kansas to Northern Alberta, Canada, last year. "These on-farm tests produced very positive results. Yields in all cases were equal to, or better than, conventional press drills and no-till drills. We think it's the small grain seeder of the future, especially for operators with larger acreages. What's more, we think the basic machine can be easily adapted to soybeans, alfalfa and many other crops. It offers tremendous advantages over conventional drills in machine cost, mobility between fields, and maintenance," Quanbeck points out. The new Seeder-Cultivator will handle most any type of seed, or granulated material such as fertilizer or chemicals. The material can be put into the ground behind each cultivator shovel. Or, by adjusting the seed injectors, it can be spread on top of the ground to be incorporated by the rear-mounted harrow. The unit can be used as a conventional disk drill or hoe drill on prepared seedbeds, or as a reducedtillage machine where soil erosion is a problem. It can also be used as a no-till machine since each cultivator shovel can penetrate stubble ground, and the wide rank, high-clearance field cultivator can operate in a large amount of trash, Quanbeck points out. The unit can also be used to spread and incorporate granular fertilizer and chemicals. Different shovels, from 2 in. spikes to 7 in. sweeps, can be used. The 2 in. spikes, for example, can be used in no-till or reduced-till operations. The 4 in, and 7 in. sweeps can be used where tillage and weed control is desired. "A key feature of this new way to seed small grains is that precise depth control can be maintained," explains Quanbeck. The large capacity tanks are divided into seed and fertilizer compartments. If desired, the entire tank can be used for seed. This involves changing a lower panel. An optional drill-fill auger which mounts on the cultivator can be used to fill the seed and granular fertilizer tanks. It eliminates the need for separate drill-flow augers in the truck since the truck hoist can dump directly into the auger hopper, explains Quanbeck. The large air blower can be operated from the tractor pto, or by a separate gasoline engine for tractors which do not have pto's. "The versatility of being able to use this new seeder in reduced tillage or no-till operations will become increasingly important as the cost of fuel goes up and farmers become more and more concerned with field erosion," Quanbeck points out. For more details, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Wil-Rich, Inc., Box 1013 Wahpeton, N.D. 58075 (ph 701 642-2621).

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