Farmers looking to prepare for seeding using lower horsepower requirements can look no further than the Bednar Swifterdisc XO 8000F.
Rene Van Geerenstein, with Pentagon Farm Centre, introduced Bednar’s 8000F at Agri-Trade 2022, explaining its main purposes is as a secondary tillage unit. He says it’s not used to break ground, but instead is intended to make quick work of seedbed prep.
Bednar Swifterdisc 8000F differs from other machines as it is a hybrid between vertical till and traditional high speed disc with large blade arm angle, Van Geerenstein says. With no blade angle in the arms and 10 degree convex to the blades, the 8000F leaves 30 per cent to 40 per cent of plant material on the surface for snow catch and to avoid soil erosion.
With a working width of eight metres (about 26 feet), the horsepower requirements of the unit are lower than larger models, as the 8000F requires between 160 and 240 horsepower, while larger models need 400 to 550 horsepower. Van Geerenstein says horsepower needs will vary depending on soil type.
He says growers typically do two or three passes with the 8000F to prep the soil for seeding, and that it is suited for a range of soil types. The goal, he says, is to allow moisture to seep deeper into the soil and give seedlings softer soil to work roots into.
Check out the full conversation between Van Geerenstein and RealAgriculture’s Kara Oosterhuis, below
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