McConnel manufactures a range of aerators and subsoilers. Alongside its standard grassland subsoiler, the firm offer the grassland Shakaerator.
The inclusion of the patented PTO-powered vibration unit means there is a lower power requirement. The firm says as little as 100hp is enough power to pull the larger 3m five-leg unit.
Working widths range from 2m to 3m, with the option of having different leg configurations within each frame.
McConnel’s 2m, 2.5m and 3m machines can accommodate a maximum of three, four and five legs respectively. A range of shin and point types are available, as well as mechanical shear bolt, hydraulic and gas strut reset protection.
Behind the legs is a 24in (600mm) roller with flat, ridged or shark tooth options available. Although packer rollers are manually adjustable as standard, the option of a hydraulic packer roller is available. Spring-loaded discs designed for grassland cut ground ahead of the following low-disturbance legs. The full-spec 2.5m Shakaerator is priced at €19,000 plus VAT.
Known as the Field Lift, Limerick-based Samco also manufactures a grassland subsoiler. The firm’s grassland subsoiler is a three-leg machine with 800mm spacings and features a 500mm rubber roller.
The auto-reset function works through accumulators which protect the legs when they come into contact with stones.
Samco says its legs are mounted on pins to allow pivoting left and right when they make contact with foreign objects. A depth gauge helps the driver to maintain a constant working depth across the field.
Reduced wear
Samco says the pulling pin is 70mm thick with brass bushings to reduce wear on the tip. Hydraulic release can be set from the cab, depending on conditions and the tractor in hand. The unit features one-piece wearing tips (8in wide for grassland). The discs on the grassland machine pivot from 50mm high-tensile shafts housed in a double glider G top hat sleeved bush. Samco recommends a tractor of 130hp plus to pull the machine. The unit is priced at €12,950 plus VAT.
Erth Engineering offers three-, four- and five-leg variations of its Panbuster subsoiler, with leg spacings from 600mm to 900mm. The unit can be specified with working widths from 2.4m to 3m, while transport width varies from 2.35m to 3m.
The firm says horsepower requirements starts at 80hp. Erth offers several variations, with the Panbuster X being the most popular offering.
It is fitted with hydraulic auto reset, while the hydraulic pressures can be set from the cab. The company claims to have developed a special grassland leg for the range that reduces draft requirement and maximises lift.
It is equipped with a hydraulic roller which acts as a depth control monitor with an indicator. This allows depth to be changed on the move. The Panbuster comes with load-sensing spring-loaded discs. The machines come either galvanised or shot-blasted and painted with two-pack paint. Prices for the entry level unit start at €6,500 plus VAT.
Cavan-based engineering firm Mastek offers four- and five-leg grassland subsoilers. Known as the Soilmate, these units feature a hydraulic auto-reset system. The hydraulic reset feature is designed to raise to a height of 15in.
Depth control is determined by the hydraulically adjustable 18in rear packer flat roller. Adjustable discs cut the surface ahead of each leg. The shins and toes are both replaceable. The machine is designed to work between 8.5in and 14in below the surface.
The smallest four-leg machine has an unladen weight of 1,350kg and has a minimum power requirement of 105hp. The firm’s largest five-leg 1,585kg machine requires in the region of 170hp. The machines are shot-blasted and painted with two-pack paint as standard.
Mastek also offers the machine as a Combi Injector. This can be piped up to an umbilical system and used to inject slurry into the ground. It is mainly used on maize stubble, etc. Prices for the four-leg machine start at €12,500 plus VAT.