App eases drill calibration
A free smartphone-based app makes it much easier to calibrate current Giltrap Duncan electric drive and mechanical drive drills but works equally well on older model Duncan Renovator and Enviro drills.
They bought the machine last year to replace a Duncan Renovator MK3 drill, they had run for seven years. The key reason to upgrade was to get more work done at the same till and row spacing.
Having drilled 700ha in the past year, Patrick and his brother have planted cereals, oats and barley direct-drilled and into cultivated ground, and have drilled summer and winter brassicas and grass pasture mixes, also in direct-drilled and cultivated ground.
Results have been good in both ground types; the only issue was some poor germination in drier country, blamed on the exceptionally dry autumn and no reflection on the drill.
The Duncan Renovator AS5300 is a 5.3m tine drill that folds down to 3.1m for transport and should prove to be ideal for contractors and large farming operations.
It is designed for work in direct-drilled or worked ground. A 2000L capacity split hopper for both seed and fertiliser allows the optimum set-up for changing situations.
Patrick says several aspects of the drill make it more productive and user friendly, not least its greater clearance than the Mk3, which allows it to deal with trash more easily.
Output is also helped by a simple calibration set-up and easy change between seed types.
The business has retained the older machine for the very steep areas.
Despite its 5m width the machine follows the ground contours well, Patrick says. He likes the strength and manufactured quality of the AS5300, including its 25mm coil tines and Duncan T boot with tungsten tile on the leading edges.
www.duncanag.co.nz
