German seed precision ticks boxes for busy contractor

With a small but mighty team, Trevor James Agricultural Contracting Ltd runs two of Irelands busiest seed drills. Based near Killanne, 12km from Enniscorthy in Co Wexford, Trevor is a second-generation contractor. The business was started by his father Harry, all the way back in 1958. Carrying out a wide range of contracting services, the tillage side of the business always provided the lion’s share of the work.

In his 46 years of contracting, Trevor said that the spring of 2024 has been the worst he has ever experienced. “In a normal spring, we would have in the region of 1,500 to 1,700 acres sowed by St Patrick’s day. This year, we had only 120-150 acres sowed by the 17th March. To add to this, the poor backend means there is a lot of corn that should have been sowed in the autumn, being sowed this spring. The poor weather up until recently put a huge strain on farmers and contractors, but I have to say, farmers we are working for are being very understanding. With the backload of spring sowing, we have some other contractors hired in helping us to get through work,” said Trevor.

Horsch

Located in an area well-known for producing malting barley, Trevor said that grain and fertiliser drills have always been the choice of farmers and contractors in the area.

Back in the 1990s, Trevor built his own grain and fertiliser drill using two Accord drills.

The majority of his work is within a six-mile radius, with some work extending up to 15 miles.

Running Kuhn, Accord, Farm Force and Lemken drills up until 2012, Trevor’s first move to Horsch was in the form of a 4m trailed Pronto drill.

This speeded up sowing, and the team explained that it was pretty much flawless.

In 2016, Trevor decided to upgrade the drill, but this time he went for another for a 6m unit. This is the same unit he runs today.

“For years, we’ve been running a one-pass alongside a trailed drill. It works very well. I run the one pass, and work on the tougher soil and the smaller jobs.

“I try and keep the big drill working in the bigger jobs.

“On good days, that 6m Pronto would sow 80-100 acres.

“On a good day with the one-pass, I’d sow around 40 acres.

“However, there’s plenty of days you might only sow 20 acres”, said Trevor.

For almost 30 years, Horsch have been imported into Ireland by Kelly’s of Borris. The company claims that there is now in the region of 200 Prontos working in Ireland.

They say that grain and fertiliser combined drills initially only accounted for 20% of sales, but this has now grown to 65-70% of sales.

Pronto trailed drill

The Pronto 6DC is a universal seed drill with a low horsepower requirement. The German manufacturer launched the drill in 2003, and has become very popular over the years.

The manufacturer quotes operational speeds of up to 20km/h, with precise seed placement.

A host of configurations are available, such as a split hopper, two metering devices, an additional and separate seeding unit and various packer units.

From front to back, two track eradicators per wheel are followed by two rows of angled discs. The 46cm serrated discs work best at high rotational speeds. The two rows of curved discs run at two different angles, with the second set designed to throw the clay back the other way to mix the soil. The discs are equipped with a sealed hub. Featuring hydraulic depth adjustment on the go from the cab, the disc elements are arranged in pairs. The discs are followed closely by a single row of hydraulically controlled levelling paddles.

The grain and fertiliser split hopper has a 5,000l capacity, with a 60:40 split. In real terms, that equates to about 1,250kg of barley seed and 2,750kg of fertiliser. The system is capable of metering both inputs separately. Both metering devices meter into one common distribution tower, meaning the seed and fertiliser are placed together in one slot through the seed coulters. In addition, two different seeds can be metered and sown separately, instead of opting for both grain and fertiliser.

The heavy tyre packer, arranged in one line, consolidates the seedbed ahead of the coulters. The TurboDisc double disc coulter system has been used and further developed by Horsch for more than 20 years. The press wheel-controlled coulter design allows for a quick following of the soil contours at high speeds. Horsch says that the small press wheel on the back helps control the depth of the sowing coulters, while the actual depth of the machine is controlled by spacer-stops on the hydraulic ram raising it in and out of work.

With 40 seed coulters, it offers a 15cm row spacing and an individual downward pressure of up to 125kg/coulter via rubber torsion. The double disc seed coulter features a maintenance-free bearing. A carbide coated scraper keeps the space between the discs clean and helps to prevent clogging in sticky conditions. The wide press wheel helps create optimum seed-soil contact. A little plastic finger called a uniformer runs after coulters, which is designed to smooth and press the seed into the furrow created by the discs before the coulters’ press wheels close up the furrow and the levelling harrow fingers level the ground. Jim Jordon runs the 6m drill for Trevor, on a Claas Axion 850, which is rated at 264hp. On the first day of last week’s dry spell, the tractor was working away with the drill on a sloping hill, with a constant pull.

3KR one-pass

Trevor bought his first Horsch 3m one-pass in 2018, and upgraded for a new model again in 2022. Sowing four acres an hour in favourable conditions, Trevor operates the 3m one-pass himself. The Express KR combines the same proven Horsch seeding technology used on the Pronto combined with the PTO-driven Kredo power harrow. The 3m 10 rotor Kredo power harrow bed that’s on Trevor’s one pass is actually built by Kuhn, for Horsch.

It comes with quick-change tines and can be equipped with drag or TerraGrip tines. Tines with carbide coating are available. The adjustment of the power harrow working depth and the levelling bar are easily accessible.

Three packer versions are available for the Express KR. Trevor opted for the larger tooth packer roller with a large 64 cm diameter.

Its load-carrying capacity even on light soils is quite high. It’s also available with a 50cm trapeze ring packer roller and a 54cm FarmFlex packer, the latter which is a solid rubber roller.

The Express KR is available with a single or double hopper. Similar to the Pronto, the double hopper version allows two components to be metered into the same seed flow and placed together in the seed bed.

With the 3m machine, Trevor also opted for the option of grain and fertiliser.

It holds 1t of fertiliser and 500kg of seed. The adjustment of the seeding unit is made hydraulically and is set with the well-known coloured Alu-Clips.

The design of the Express KR disposes of a frame, so the adjustment of the power harrow does not affect the sowing depth.

The Turbo Disc seed coulters can be lifted completely hydraulically so you can work solo with just the power harrow.

Horsch says that the seeding unit can be uncoupled from the power harrow through just four points, allowing the power harrow to be used by itself.

Both the Pronto and one-pass are fitted with the optional seed flow sensors, where infrared light detects the seed passing through each outlet.

If a blockage occurs on a pipe, then the operator is informed. All of the pipes are numbered, so you just walk to the back of the machine and deal with that blocked one.

Keeping things simple

Trevor likes to keep things simple, and up to now opted not to go for GPS guidance or section control on either drill. He also doesn’t run IsoBus, but instead runs the Horsch in-cab terminals. Both the 3KR and the Pronto use the same terminals. When last changing, he felt that maybe some of the technology wasn’t fully there yet, but he has a new tractor ordered with autosteer, and is considering upgrading his drill for a new one, with section shut-off.

“I’m very happy with the Horsch drills. I drive the 3m 3KR and it’s a very reliable drill. With the exception of drilling beans in tricky conditions, the coulters never block. At 4t empty, it’s a heavy drill. When you add 1,500kg of seed and fertiliser, it becomes very heavy. I run it on an 800 series Claas Axion, and you’d want nothing less underneath it for stability and comfort. The 10-rotor bed is built by Kuhn for Horsch, and in fairness I find it economical to run. I’m buying replacement tines at €15/each, while I have other power harrows in the yard which replacement tine are costing €27/ each. What’s more, I’m getting similar acres from both sets of tines. Calibration is awkward, but its very accurate once you get it calibrated. I think the heavy packer roller is key to making the Horsch stand out as one of the best one-passes on the market. It creates a firm seedbed as good as running a furrow press on the front of the tractor. I’m sowing in the region of 1,200 acres annually with the 3m machine and its been bulletproof. I’m lucky to have several Kellys of Borris service technicians living close by, and they are excellent to solve any issues. All in all, we are very happy with the build quality and the reliability of the Horsch seed drills”, concluded Trevor.

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