2022 - Volume #46, Issue #4, Page #15
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Mach Till Best Buy
“In the fall, its corrugated disks cut the stalks and mix them into the soil about 3 in. deep, leaving 20 to 30 percent of exposed residue on the surface. That amount can be changed depending on how deep the disks are running. Corrugated rollers behind the disks press the residue flat and leave the surface quite smooth without any ruts or exposed root balls. In the spring, for corn on beans, we make a single pass with the Mach Till on the soybean stubble, running it about 2 1/2 in. deep.
“We let the field gray off for a day and then plant it without any further tillage. About 10 to 15 percent of the soy residue remains on the surface for an ideal seedbed.
“For beans on corn ground, we run the Mach Till about 2 1/2 in. deep to mix corn residue with the soil and leave about 15 to 20 percent cover on the surface. Any exposed root balls are pressed flat to the surface by the rollers leaving the field very smooth.
“Trash wheels on the planter move away any residue and provide an excellent seedbed for growing beans. We pull the Mach Till with a 440-hp. tractor operating at speeds of 7 to 9 mph, which does an excellent job. The higher speed is important to thoroughly mix residue with the soil. This implement has replaced a conventional disk and a field cultivator with a rolling basket. We still run a chisel plow over field ends or approaches to break up any deep compaction.
“The Mach Till or Degelman Pro Till are heavy implements, built strong to penetrate even dry soils. We like the scalloped disks because they don’t leave a flat surface under the worked soil. Before buying the Mach Till we hired corn stalk vertical tillage with a rippled coulter machine done in the fall and spring. That machine worked well but, in our opinion, the Mach Till fractures, lifts and mixes soil and residue better and produces a nicer seedbed.”
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