Multi Farming Systems already holds a world seeding record for seeding 2,237 acres in 24 hours, and that was with the little guy: the 120 foot seeder.
Multi Farming Systems builds complete machines up to 160 feet wide. This one is fed by a single Simplicity cart.
Company representative Kris Trevilyan said producers have run the seeders at 15 km-h, but that seeding speed is limited by application rates.
"When we get really wide, none of the air carts can service the whole thing, so what farmers do is they put two carts on," she said.
"First because one cart only has to service half the machine so they dont have to push so many products out over such a great distance."
Pushing from two air carts is not new to North America farmers: many uses two in tandem. However, running two air carts, as well as frame hydraulics, does require modern tractors equipped with high capacity hydraulics.
"We say to people, allocate about four horsepower per tine (shank) when you are working the soil a normal four centimetres (1.5 inches) deep," she said.
"If you want to go really deep, some people are going down to nine inches and ridiculous depths; allocate about six h.p. per tine."
Australian dry land planting can use the corduroy style seed bed with high ridges and deep furrows to help channel moisture toward the row. Using no less than 12 inch row spacing and two inch openers reduces the draw on the tractor, even when they have to dig deep to find moisture.
"Its a specialist no-till planter and it can sow the seed at whatever depth you choose to sow it, but still only putting about a match box worth of soil over the seed," Trevilyan said.
"If a farmer wants to go quite deep, the deepest I am aware of is about nine inches. You dont want that much soil over the top of the seed, so it actually throws the soil out so its creating a water harvesting trench."
The press wheel acts as a depth gauge for the shank and application tube assembly to ensure consistent placement of seed and fertilizer. Multiple application chutes can be added to the assembly. The seeder can be fitted with a variety of sizes of packers, chisel points and sweeps.
A disc coulter can be mounted in front of the shanks to cut through weeds and crop residue, such as melon vines on Australian fields that can ball up and plug seeders.
Source : http://www.producer.com/