Versatile Tillage Tools

While the time for fall tillage may still be months away, the time is now to begin thinking about your approach to tillage and how best to complete the task. Of course, a critical component of such work is the tools you’ll pull behind your tractor.

“Matching your equipment to your tillage goals is key,” says Larry Kuster. Yet, he says, “the Sunflower 4600 Series disc rippers and 4700 in-line rippers offer a versatility that allows producers to adjust the equipment to match changing soil conditions and tillage goals.

4700 Series In-Line Ripper

The 4700 Series is built on a solid frame with heavy-duty shanks designed to deeply penetrate heavily compacted soils. The 4700 Series features three shank configurations, parabolic or one of two minimum disturbance shanks.

When using the narrow ¾-inch minimum disturbance shank with the 8-inch minimum disturbance point, “you can see the soil heave, but there’s virtually no surface soil disturbance,” Kuster says, noting, too, that the range of depth of the shanks can be adjusted to penetrate the soil up to 20 inches.

Yet, he notes, these in-line rippers offer a versatile approach to tillage when equipped with the optional coulter blades that easily slice through tough crop residue. The versatility of the 4700 Series is further demonstrated with its ability to be transformed into a “slot-till” tool when the row-sealer and bed-buster options are selected.

Kuster also notes that the Sunflower 4730 comes in two folding frame configurations, allowing producers even more opportunity to tailor the tool to their operation. One configuration is for flat-folding transport of an eight-shank tool, while another features a three-section flexible, over-center folding frame with 12 shanks.

4600 Series Disc Ripper

To aggressively size and incorporate heavy crop residue, the 4600 Series features two ranks of individually mounted, 28-inch-diameter blades (either smooth- or serrated-edged depending on your preference) running ahead of a ripper section.

The 4600 Series disc rippers are available with five, seven, nine, 11 or 13 parabolic shanks to match the horsepower of most tractors, according to Kuster.

There are also different types of ripper points, so the tool can be matched to soil conditions and ensure complete soil fracturing.

“The key point is that the shanks are on 24-inch centers, which is important to get uniform lifting between the shanks,” says Kuster. The shanks lift the soil, shattering compaction as the discs size the crop residue and roll the soil to do the necessary work of incorporating crop residues.

Add your choice of finishing attachment to get the field finish you want. Choose from two spring-loaded H.D. coil tine attachments with increased aggressiveness to break clods, stir and level the soil, while evenly spreading the remaining residue. Or combine the H.D. coil tine harrow with a 13-inch-diameter reel with spring downforce or hydraulic-controlled reel that can be raised off the surface if soils become too wet, while allowing the coil tines to continue working.