An AgWeb.com Farm Equipment Special Dealing with heavy corn residue and tough corn stalks in today’s heartier hybrids has been a challenge for developers of new fall tillage tools to chew into the residue and take that first big step toward soil preparation. That’s why the Case IH ecolo-tiger 870 is getting so much attention.
“We talked to a lot of farmers, and they’re looking for a disk ripper that will size and mix residue for dependable flow, not just bury it, and is easy to operate,” says Rob Zemenchik, Case IH tillage marketing manager. “The ecolo-tiger 870 gets rid of compaction and soil clods while sizing tough crop residues for nutrient release in sync with crop demand. It provides a good environment for planting operations, yet maintains the benefits of a mulch.
According to the company’s new product announcement, the ecolo-tiger 870 comes with 24-inch individual disks or optional huge 26-inch cushion gang disks. Twelve-inch spacing between gang disks, with a split-the-middle gang position front to back, reduces stalk size for improved flow and better mixing.
Cutting, and not just burying the stalks means better seed-to-soil contact in the seedbed, and more readily available nutrients in the soil. “Following corn, it’s estimated that at today’s fertilizer prices there can be potentially $100 worth of nutrient value locked up in the crop residue. When the biological cycling of those nutrients in the soil solution matches early planting dates we can boost early-season crop vigor and capture that value,” Zemenchik says.
Sizing crop residue has become more of an issue with the adoption of Bt corn hybrids, Zemenchik says. “In part, it’s related to lignin, a glue-like polymer that acts like wire in the stalk. The newer Bt hybrids are shown to have a much higher percentage, 18 percent to 25 percent in test results, compared to the same hybrids without Bt, so you need aggressive disk components capable of cutting and mixing the tougher stalks.”
Zemenchik says, “Farmers have told us that they’re in the root business and soils must be free of root- limiting compaction for top yield potential. They’re looking for even, full-depth fracture of compaction on all shanks. With the ecolo-tiger 870 all shanks run at full depth. They’re spaced 24 inches on center and come with 2-inch or 7-inch tiger points to bust out deep wheel tracks. We’ve also redesigned the shank shape and trip mechanism for better mixing, flow, rock protection and wear life.”
At an operating speed of 7 mph the 7-shank model will till 12 acres an hour. The 9-shank, 11-shank, and 13-shank models will cover 15, 19 and 22 acres an hour, respectively, at 7 mph. Combined with Accuguide Autoguidance, these speeds offer new opportunities for efficiencies on labor, fuel and machinery.
