Drainage Equipment

Summary of Tye Paratill Model 118-610 (Evaluation Report - PDF File - 0.72 MB)

Quality of Work: Penetration was very good. The Paratill penetrated into all soil conditions.

The soil fracturing pattern was good. The depth of soil fracture was reduced in moist soil and previously tilled conditions.

Working in untilled conditions caused very little soil surface disturbance. The majority of the straw was left standing.

Trash clearance was very good. The 9 in (229 mm) working clearance from the leg mount to the soil surface at the maximum tillage depth allowed for trash to clear in all field conditions.

Operation in subsurface stony conditions was poor. Continuous replacement of the shear bolts made operation of the Paratill impractical in subsurface stony conditions. The manufacturer recommended that using a Paratill equipped with mechanical trip legs was more suitable for operation in subsurface stony conditions.

Ease of Operation and Adjustment: Ease of performing routine maintenance was very good, The grease fittings on the disk coulters were easily accessible.

Ease of hitching was good. One person could hitch up the unit in ten minutes. Ease of hitching was increased if the tractor was equipped with quick hitches.

Ease of transporting was very good. Transport width of 17.5 ft (5.3 m) and weight of 4110 lbs (1868 kg) required care to be used when transporting the unit.

Maneuverability of the Paratill was good. Cornering required the unit to be raised out of the ground.

Ease of levelling the frame was good providing the operator had assistance.

Ease of setting the tillage depth was good. Tillage depth was changed by adjusting the height of the depth control wheels and the three-point hitch hydraulics.

Ease of changing the reversible points and wear parts was very good.

Power Requirements: The overall tractor size required to operate the test unit at all tillage depths and shatter plate angles varied from 94 PTO hp (70 kW) to 246 PTO hp (183 kW).

Operator Safety: The paratill was safe to operate if normal safety precautions were observed. The weight of the Paratill required the operator to transport the unit at a safe operating speed.

Operator's Manual: The operator's manual was very good. A detailed parts list was also provided.

Mechanical History: Two welds failed on the disk coulters. The points were replaced after 336 ac (138 ha) or 56 ac (23 ha) per point. Replacement cost of the ductile point was U.S. $31.05. The shear bolt bushings were replaced at the end of the test.

Summary of Tebben Automatic Reset Deep Till (Evaluation Report - PDF File - 0.91 MB)

Quality of Work: Penetration was good. Shank tripping occurred in clay soils. The average trip force of a shank was 1640 lbs (7.3 kN).

The soil fracturing pattern was fair. There was no consistent soil fracture pattern with the shanks tripping.

Working in untilled soil conditions caused significant soil disturbance. Shank movement scattered the soil in some field conditions.

Trash clearance was good. In heavy trash conditions straw accumulated around the parabolic shanks.

Operation in subsurface stony conditions was very good. The leaf spring trip assembly prevented damage to the shanks.

Ease of Operation and Adjustment: Ease of performing routine maintenance was very good. All grease fittings were easily accessible.

Ease of hitching was good. One person could hitch or unhitch the unit in five minutes. The location of the jack was inconvenient.

Ease of transporting was very good. Removable transport locks for the cylinders were provided. Transport width of 11.2 ft (3.4 m) allowed for safe transporting of the unit.

Maneuverability of the unit was very good. Cornering required the unit to be raised out of the ground.

Ease of levelling the frame was very good providing the operator had assistance.

Ease of setting the depth was very good. Tillage depth was changed using the depth stop collars. A hydraulic jack was required to set the leaf spring camber.

Ease of rotating or changing the wear points was very good.

Power Requirements: The overall tractor size required to operate the test unit at the maximum tillage depth and speeds up to 3.0 mph (4.8 km/h) varied from 100 to 201 PTO hp (75 kW and 150 kW). Higher operating speeds decreased power requirements because of increased shank movement.

Operator Safety: The Tebben Deep Till was safe to operate if normal safety precautions were observed. A slow moving vehicle sign was not provided.

Operator's Manual: The operator's manual was very good. A detailed parts list was also provided.

Mechanical History: One leaf spring camber was re-set. The points were rotated after wear of 50 ac (20 ha) per point side. Replacement cost of one point with nuts and bolts was $46.75. One parabolic shank was bent during the test.

Summary of Kello-Bilt Series 5000 Subsoiler (Evaluation Report - PDF File - 0.84 MB)

Quality of Work: Penetration was good. In heavy clay soils the points rode on the soil hardpan.

The soil fracturing pattern was good. The depth and uniformity of soil fracture was reduced in moist soil, previously tilled conditions and shallow tillage depths.

Working in untilled soil conditions caused significant soil disturbance. The four outside shanks made furrows, leaving large lumps of soil on the surface.

Trash clearance was very good. The 32.5 in (826 mm) lateral leg spacing allowed for large amounts of trash to clear.

Operation in subsurface stony conditions was good. The spring-cushioned hitch did not provide shock protection.

Ease of Operation and Adjustment: Ease of performing routine maintenance was very good. A service schedule was not provided.

Ease of hitching was very good. One person could hitch or unhitch the unit in ten minutes. Hitching required the hydraulic lines to be connected first. The shanks were lowered to the ground before the unit was unhitched.

Ease of transporting was very good. Transport locks for the cylinders were provided. A transport width of 14.8 ft (4.5 m) allowed for safe transporting of the unit.

Maneuverability of the subsoiler was very good. Cornering required the unit to be raised out of the ground.

Ease of levelling the frame was very good providing the operator had assistance.

Ease of setting the tillage depth was good. Tillage depth was changed by adjusting the threaded rod on the gauge wheels. At deeper depths there was poor access to the lower locking nut.

Ease of changing the wear points was very good.

Power Requirements: The overall tractor size required to operate the test unit at tillage depths up to 22.0 in (559 mm) and speeds up to 2.5 mph (4.0 km/h) varied from 177 to 246 pto hp (132 to 183 kW). Increased depths or speeds required an increase in power-take-off horsepower.

Operator Safety: The Kello-Bilt subsoiler was safe to operate if normal safety precautions were observed. A slow moving vehicle sign was not provided.

Operator's Manual: An operator's manual was not provided with the test unit.

Mechanical History: Seven shear bolts were replaced. The points were replaced after wear of 150.0 ac (61 ha) per point. Replacement cost of one point was $55.00. The adjustable t-bar and hydraulic hoses were damaged during the test.

Summary of Aer Way Aerator (Evaluation Report - PDF File - 0.52 MB)

The Aer Way is a ground driven aerator with tined rollers. The Alberta Farm Machinery Research Centre used the Aer Way aerator for two seasons. The unit was tested for suitability in the Southern Alberta farming and ranching area.

Ballast was added to the weight box for adequate penetration of the tines during the test. Ballast ranged from 380 to 440 Ib/ft (565 to 655 kg/m). Penetration of the 8 in (203 mm) tines ranged from 4.5 to 7 in (114 to 178 mm) in alfalfa fields and 3 to 6 in (76 to 152 mm) in pasture fields.

Soil disturbance was minimal at the 0° roller setting. Soil disturbance increased as the roller angle was increased.

The unit was raised out of the ground when sharp turns were made to prevent possible damage to the rollers. The roller angle was adjustable with five different positions from 0 to 10°. The 2.5° roller position could not be secured by the front retaining pins on the test unit. The retaining pins were placed down through the weight box. To retain easy access to the pins the positioning of the ballast was important.

Power-take-off horsepower requirements in untilled soil conditions with 440 Ib/ft (655 kg/m) of ballast at 6 mph (9.7 km/h) ranged from 11.2 pto hp/ft (28 kW/m) at a 0 degree roller angle to 12.8 pto hp/ft (31.5 kW/m) at a roller angle of 10°.

A slow moving vehicle (SMV) sign was not provided by the manufacturer. A safety tow chain and the accommodations for securing the chain were not provided.

The test unit was originally equipped with optional hard-faced welded tine rollers. After eight hours of operation, one tine broke off each roller. The manufacturer claimed the rollers were defective and replaced the rollers with bolt-on tine rollers. No damage occurred to the new rollers.