Tailor-Made Strip-Till Toolbars

Tailor-made Strip-Till Toolbars PLANTING EQUIPMENT Modifications 17-6-40 The idea of strip-tilling fertilizer in the fall and then planting into the cleared strips the following spring is catching on fast. Other farmers strip-till in the spring while applying liquid nitrogen and then plant into the cleared strips soon after. Until now, farmers who've tried the idea have made their own fall strip-till rigs. Now at least three companies are selling equipment to do the job. DMI DMI builds both pull-type and mounted strip-till rigs that can be equipped to apply either dry fertilizer or anhydrous in the fall. All units are equipped with markers so you can lay out evenly-spaced rows to plant into the following spring. To apply dry fertilizer, a Concorde air unit is towed behind. Components include a 20-in. coulter, followed by a knife with beavertail sealer on bottom, and double disc sealers (to seal in anhydrous). The double disc sealers leave a mound of soil that warms up early in the spring. Residue mixed into the soil helps prevent erosion. A pull-type 12-row model sells for $14,200. A 12-row mounted model sells for $11,400. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, DMI, Inc., Rt. 150 E., Box 65, Goodfield, Ill. 61742 (ph 309 965-2233). Dawn Equipment Dawn Equipment Co. recently introduced an add-on strip-till attachment that lets you turn any fertilizer applicator into a strip-till machine using the company's popular row-clearing Trashwheel for row crop planters. The system includes a DMI coulter followed by the spring-loaded Trashwheels, a DMI knife, and new "Trashhandler" closing wheels. Lets you make year-round use of planter Trashwheels. Or, you can purchase new units , allowing one person to strip-till and another to plant at the same time. "The spiked closing wheels are used in place of conventional solid closing discs. They crumble the soil for better sealing than discs and generally leave no cut edge to erode," says Jim Bassett. "You can clear and work strips of soil while applying anhydrous in the fall, then plant into the strips in the spring. Or you can strip till 28% liquid nitrogen in the spring and then plant into the tilled strips shortly after." Sells for $220 per row. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Dawn Equipment Co., Box 497, Sycamore, Ill. 60178 (ph 815 899-3296). Progressive Farm Products Progressive Farm Products, Bloomington, Ill., equips its strip-till toolbar with 20-in. coulters followed by anhydrous knives and disc sealers. Anhydrous or liquid fertilizer can be deep banded directly behind the knives. An "in-between" spray caddy with a rear 3-pt. hitch can be used to pull the toolbar. A hitch on back of the toolbar is used to pull an anhydrous tank. The toolbar is equipped with markers. Spring downpressure keeps the coulters cutting through heavy residue. A 12-row applicator sells for $13,500. Contact FARM SHOW Followup, Rich Follmer, Progressive Farm Products, Inc., RR 1, I-39, Exit 2, Hudson, Ill. 61748 (ph 309 454-1564).

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