Due to the lack of funds, it is much more difficult for small farms to find the best grain seeder for their conditions.
Alexander Vasilchenko
The requirements for grain seeders are becoming stricter every year. Farmers are trying to get more precision from these machines, which is gradually reaching the level of tilled seeders. However, the search for the right machine is complicated by the desire to find the best value for money. This is especially true for farmers with a small land bank, when the financial side of the issue is of great importance. We talked to the chief agronomist of Gor-Agro LLC, Sergey Shevchuk, who shared his own experience in solving this issue.
Gor-Agro has up to 2000 hectares under cultivation, where all major crops are grown. When it came time to upgrade the grain seeder, they considered several different options, both domestic and foreign manufacturers. After a thorough study of their work, they decided to opt for the offer from TECH-K and purchased a KUHN Espro 6000 seed drill According to Sergey Shevchuk, they visited their neighbors and saw how this seeder works, listened to feedback from real users, and this became a decisive factor. In addition, the dealer offered to pay in installments rather than all at once, which was also a positive aspect.
The unit was immediately put into operation, and it has been working without any complaints for 3 years. It is used to sow winter wheat, barley, soybeans and rapeseed. The annual workload is 850-900 hectares, depending on the crop structure. The productivity of the sowing complex is on average 50 hectares per 8-hour working day, provided that the materials are loaded from big bags. The unit works equally well with different crops and accurately maintains the seeding rate from 2.3-2.5 kg/ha of rape to 250-280 kg/ha of wheat. It is quite easy to set the rate, and the computer maintains it throughout the entire period of work with specific seeds.
The sowing complex is aggregated with a 260 hp Case IH tractor. The farm has fairly flat fields, the terrain is also flat, so there are no moments when the tractor cannot pull the unit. The working speed is about 8 km/h, and this is quite enough for the normal operation of the disk section, which performs pre-sowing soil preparation.
Fuel consumption depends on the conditions in the field and the load of the machine itself. For example, when sowing grain crops and several tons of seed are loaded into the hopper, the resistance increases and fuel consumption increases. When sowing rape, fuel consumption is reduced. On average, we get 8-10 liters per hectare, which is quite an acceptable result considering the work of the disk section.
At first, the machine was serviced by the dealer within the warranty period. Then we started doing it ourselves. So far, it has not come to serious repairs. We had to replace several bearings on the working bodies of the disk section and on the coulters. We also replaced a few clamps on the seed lines. Wear and tear of the working bodies, cleaners and other parts is still acceptable. According to the chief agronomist of the company, the machine has not required any special attention at all, and working with it evokes only positive emotions. In addition, the quality of sowing that it demonstrates is at the highest level. The seeds are evenly distributed in the rows, and the depth of seed placement is the same across the entire working width. Accordingly, the seedlings appear at the same time, which has a positive effect on the yield.
Source: AgroTimes
