One-Way Disk Harrows

Summary of Massey Ferguson 360 Wide Level Disk Harrow (Evaluation Report - PDF File - 1.33 MB)

Overall functional performance of the Massey Ferguson 360 wide level disk harrow was good. Penetration was very good when seeding into summerfallow or moist stubble and fair when seeding into dry compacted stubble. Ability to cut through surface trash was good in firm soils and fair in soft soils. Heavy surface trash prevented proper penetration in all fields and lead to plugging in soft, moist fields.

Seed placement and seed coverage were good. In stony fields, rocks occasionally lodged between disks. The disk gangs rode freely over buried rocks and obstructions with little damage. The optional disk scrapers reduced the amount of soil clinging to the disks, but did not prevent plugging in wet clay soils. Stability was good except when operating on steep hills. Stability was slightly affected by changes in ground speed, soil hardness and tillage depth.

The accuracy of the seed metering system was very good in barley, wheat and oats and fair in rapeseed. The seeding rate for rapeseed varied considerably with changes in seed properties and seed treatments. The variation in seeding rates among seed runs was very low in wheat, oats and barley, but was quite high in rapeseed. Seeding rates were not affected by field roughness, field slope, ground speed or depth of grain in the seed box.

Overall performance of the fertilizer attachment was fair. Variation of the application rates among runs was acceptable and the application rate was not affected by field roughness, ground speed or level of fertilizer in the fertilizer box. Application rate was significantly affected by field slope and increased 190% when seeding down a 15° slope.

Both the seed and fertilizer rates were difficult to adjust. The seed and fertilizer boxes were convenient to refill and clean, but moisture entered the boxes in heavy rains. Daily lubrication took from 20 to 25 minutes. All lubrication points were readily accessible.

The Massey Ferguson 360 could be placed into full transport position in fifteen minutes and into semi-transport position in five minutes. Overall width in full transport position was suitable for safe transport on all secondary roads whereas the overall width in semi-transport position was much wider, making passing difficult on most secondary roads. The MF 360 towed well at speeds up to 32 km/hr (20 mph). The MF 360 should not be transported at road speeds with full grain and fertilizer boxes, as the rear and centre furrow wheel loads exceeded the Tire and Rim Association's maximum ratings by 72% and 114% respectively. No tire overload occurred when transporting with empty boxes.

Average draft for the 9.2 m (30 ft) wide test machine, in primary tillage, at 8 km/h (5 mph), varied from 20.2 kN (4450 lb) at 50 mm (2 in) depth to 32.2 kN (7100 lb) at 90 mm (3.5 in) depth.

In primary tillage, at 8.0 km/h (5 mph) and 75 mm (3 in) depth, a tractor with 97 kW (130 hp) maximum power takeoff rating will have sufficient power reserve to operate the 9.2 m (30 ft) wide Massey Ferguson 360.

The operator's manual was complete, well written and well illustrated. The Massey Ferguson 360 was safe to operate if normal safety procedures were followed.

No serious mechanical problems occurred during functional testing.

Summary of International Harvester 310 Diskall (Evaluation Report - PDF File - 1.41 MB)

Overall functional performance of the International Harvester 310 diskall was good. Penetration was very good when seeding into summerfallow or moist stubble and good when seeding into dry compacted stubble. Ability to cut through surface trash was good in firm soils and fair in soft soils. Heavy surface trash prevented proper penetration in most fields and lead to plugging in soft, moist fields.

Seed placement and seed coverage were good. In stony fields, rocks occasionally lodged between the disks. The gangs rode freely over buried rocks and obstructions with minimal damage. The optional disk scrapers reduced the amount of soil clinging to the disks, but did not prevent plugging in wet clay soils. Stability was very good in rolling hills provided the rear cast iron furrow wheel was used. Stability was slightly affected by changes in ground speed, soil hardness and tillage depth.

The accuracy of the seed metering system was very good in wheat, oats and barley and good in rapeseed. The variation in seeding rates among seed runs was very low in wheat, oats, barley, and was acceptable in rapeseed. Seeding rates were not affected by field roughness, field slope, ground speed or depth of grain in the seed box.

Overall performance of the fertilizer attachment was very good. Variation of the application rates among runs was very low and the application rate was not affected by field roughness, field slope, ground speed or level of fertilizer in the fertilizer box.

Both the seed and fertilizer rates were easy to adjust. The seed and fertilizer boxes were convenient to refill and clean, but moisture entered the boxes in heavy rains. Daily lubrication took at least 30 minutes. All except four lubrication points were readily accessible.

The International Harvester 310 could be placed into full transport position in 10 minutes and into semi-transport position in 3 minutes. Overall width in full or semi-transport was suitable for safe transport on all secondary roads. The IH 310 towed well at speeds up to 25 km/h (16 mph). The IH 310 should not be transported at road speeds with full grain and fertilizer boxes as all tires exceeded the Tire and Rim Association's maximum ratings by 32% to 67%. Only the rear furrow wheel was slightly overloaded when transporting with empty boxes.

Average draft for the 9.8 m (32 ft) wide test machine in primary tillage, at 8 km/h (5 mph) varied from 21.5 kN (4747 lb) at 50 mm (2 in) depth to 34.3 kN (7573 lb) at 90 mm (3.5 in) depth.

In primary tillage, at 8 km/h (5 mph) and 75 mm (3 in) depth, a tractor with 103 kW (139 hp) maximum power takeoff rating will have sufficient power reserve to operate the 9.8 m (32 ft) wide International Harvester 310.

The operator's manual was adequately written and illustrated, but did not include a description of several important machine adjustments. The International Harvester 310 was safe to operate if normal safety procedures were followed.

Several mechanical problems occurred during functional testing.

Summary of John Deere 1900 Seeding Tiller (Evaluation Report - PDF File - 1.38 MB)

Overall functional performance of the John Deere 1900 seeding tiller was good. Penetration was very good when seeding into summerfallow or moist stubble and fair when seeding into dry compacted stubble. Ability to cut through surface trash was good in firm soils and fair in soft soils. Heavy surface trash prevented proper penetration in all fields and lead to plugging in soft, moist fields.

Seed placement and seed coverage were good. In stony fields, rocks occasionally lodged between disks. The gangs rode smoothly over buried rocks and obstructions. The optional disk scrapers reduced the amount of soil clinging to the disks, but did not prevent plugging in wet clay soils. Stability was very good in rolling hills provided the six optional rear frame weights were used and the rear land wheel locked. Stability was slightly affected by changes in ground speed, soil hardness and tillage depth.

The accuracy of the seed metering system was very good in wheat, oats and barley and good in rapeseed. The variation in seeding rates among seed runs was very low in wheat, oats and barley, and was acceptable in rapeseed. Seeding rates were not affected by field roughness, field slope, ground speed or depth of grain in the seed box.

Overall performance of the fertilizer attachment was good. Variation of the application rates among runs was very low and the application rate was not affected by field roughness, ground speed or level of fertilizer in the fertilizer box. However, the application rate decreased significantly when seeding down slopes greater than 10°.

Both the seed and fertilizer rates were easy to adjust. The seed and fertilizer boxes were convenient to refill, but difficult to clean. The boxes were adequately sealed to prevent moisture from entering in heavy rains. Daily lubrication took from 5 to 10 minutes. All lubrication points were readily accessible.

The John Deere 1900 could be placed into full transport position in 20 minutes and into semi-transport position in 10 minutes. Overall width in full or semi-transport was suitable for safe transport on all secondary roads. The JD 1900 towed well at speeds up to 32 km/h (20 mph). The JD 1900 should not be transported at road speeds with full grain and fertilizer boxes, as the front and centre furrow wheel and front land wheel exceeded the Tire and Rim Association's maximum ratings by 14%, 80% and 14% respectively. With the boxes empty, only the centre furrow wheel was slightly overloaded.

Average draft for the 9.2 m (30 ft) wide test machine, in primary tillage, at 8 km/h (5 mph) varied from 20.2 kN (4450 lb) at 50 mm (2 in) depth to 32.2 kN (7100 lb) at 90 mm (3.5 in) depth.

In primary tillage, at 8 km/h (5 mph) and 75 mm (3 in) depth, a tractor with 97 kW (130 hp) maximum power takeoff rating will have sufficient power reserve to operate the 9.2 m (30 ft) wide John Deere 1900.

The operator's manual was very well written and illustrated. Several pressure grease fittings and recommended chain servicing were not included in the lubrication section. The John Deere 1900 was safe to operate if normal safety procedures were followed.

Several mechanical problems occurred during functional testing.

Summary of Co-op Implements 1001 Disker (Evaluation Report - PDF File - 1.05 MB)

Overall functional performance of the CI 1001 disker was good. Penetration was very good when seeding into summerfallow or moist stubble and poor when seeding into dry compacted stubble. Ability to cut through surface trash was good in firm soils and fair in soft soils. Heavy surface trash prevented proper penetration in all fields and lead to plugging in soft, moist fields.

Seed placement and seed coverage were good. In stony fields, rocks seldom lodged between the disks. The gangs rode smoothly over buried rocks and obstructions. Stability was very good in rolling hills provided the five optional rear frame weights and the centre furrow wheel lock were used. Stability was slightly affected by changes in ground speed, soil hardness and tillage depth.

The accuracy of the seed metering system was very good in wheat, oats and barley and good in rapeseed. The variation in seeding rates among seed runs was very low in wheat, oats and barley and low in rapeseed. Seeding rates were not affected by field roughness, field slope, ground speed, or depth of grain in the seed box.

Overall performance of the fertilizer attachment was very good. Variation of the application rates among runs was very low and the application rate was not affected by field roughness, field slope, ground speed or level of fertilizer in the fertilizer box.

The fertilizer rates were easy to adjust. Care was required to accurately adjust the seeding rates. The seed and fertilizer boxes were convenient to refill and clean. Moisture entered the seed cups and fertilizer boxes in driving rains. Daily lubrication took approximately 30 minutes. All lubrication points were fairly accessible.

The CI 1001 could be placed into full transport by two persons in 30 minutes and into semi-transport by one person in 5 minutes. Overall width in full or semi-transport was suitable for safe transport on all secondary roads. The CI 1001 towed well at speeds up to 30 km/h (19 mph) in semi-transport. It should not be transported at road speeds with full grain and fertilizer boxes as all tires, except the front land wheel, exceeded the Tire and Rim Association's maximum ratings by 23% to 114%. Only the centre furrow wheel was slightly overloaded when transporting with empty boxes.

Average draft for the 9.2 m (30 ft) wide test machine, in primary tillage, at 8 km/h (5 mph) varied from 20.2 kN (4450 lb) at 50 mm (2 in) depth to 32.2 kN (7100 lb) at 90 mm (3.5 in) depth.

In primary tillage, at 8 km/h (5 mph) and 75 mm (3 in) depth, a tractor with 97 kW (130 hp) maximum power take-off rating will have sufficient power reserve to operate the 9.2 m (30 ft) wide CI 1001.

The operator's manual was well written and illustrated. Several pressure grease fittings, recommended chain servicing and proper adjustment of the gang lift rods were not included in the manual. The CI 1001 was safe to operate if normal safety procedures were followed.

Several mechanical problems occurred during functional testing.