Zero Till & Lower Disturbance

For those who want to minimise soil disturbance, the Claydon “LD” lower disturbance set-up is available for all Opti-Till drills. The LD kit will drill directly into stubbles, cover crops, pastures and heavy residues.  It can be specified on new machines or ordered as a retrofit.  Instead of buying a new drill, buy a new Claydon LD kit.

The first component of the LD kit is the twin tine, consisting of two 15mm wide points with a unique double leaf design which increases lateral strength for seed depth accuracy. The small amount of tilth created ensures good soil to seed contact. Fertiliser can be placed down the back of the seeding tines, down the front fertiliser tine or surface applied between the two tines. The twin tines seed in row spacings approximately 7.5cm either side of the centre of the leading tine.

Double discs reduce soil disturbance by cutting through heavy residues and the surface of the soil before the tines create the seeding channel. Using a tine to follow the discs reduces the risks of hairpinning.

The discs are 381mm in diameter and can be adjusted from 25mm down to 70mm, the best setting being the same depth as the seeding tine. Removable disc cleaners are fitted as standard to keep the discs running cleaner for longer.  Choose between flat discs for minimal soil movement or fluted Spiradisks for a little more tilth.

It’s quick and easy to change over from the standard Claydon direct drill set-up to the LD option.   Undo the three bolts holding the A share in place and bolt on the new LD twin tine.  Pull out the pin securing the standard leading tine and slot in the LD double discs.

There will be times when low disturbance and zero till are not suitable or possible, for instance when conditions are very wet or very dry.  Simply swap back to the standard Claydon leading tine set-up and you will be ready to drill again.  Depending on the tilth and set-up you require, the twin tine kit can also be run with the Claydon leading front tine, the fertiliser front tine and the single front cutting disc.

Call our advisors who will be able to help you find the set-up which best suits your requirements.  The versatility of the Claydon drill means it really is a case of one drill to do it all.

The LD set-up is particularly suited when drilling into cover crop and high residue situations.  Single discs can also be used as shown in the footage from County Durham in the UK where our customer has noticed significant improvements in soil structure and less soil erosion since he has used the Claydon System and grown cover crops.

The single disc is used drilling wheat into this grass ley in central UK, with the same field pictured both before drilling and after emergence.

The standard leading tine can also be used to drill into cover crops, as seen in these fields near Dusseldorf, Germany.  The drilling took place in autumn with the follow up crop photo shortly before Christmas.