The Simba Great Plains In-Line subsoiler will be trialled in the UK this autumn.
Simba Great Plains' In-Line subsoilers are designed to shatter the compaction left by repeated field operations, restructure the soil and restore the natural movement of nutrients and moisture, and facilitate healthy plant root development.
    Selected Great Plains machines are being made more widely available in the UK and Western Europe following the company's purchase of Simba in 2010. The In-Line subsoiler will be operating here this autumn, with pricing and availability to be confirmed. A 3m, five-leg model that requires 180-240hp depending on soil type and conditionst will be on show at Cereals 2011 .
    The Great Plains subsoilers allow users to alter the width of the gap between the legs from 76cm right down to 60cm, with narrower spacings being used on shallower soils.
    "As a rule of thumb, the gap between the legs should be twice the intended working depth, which ensures that the entire soil profile is moved and the compacted layer efficiently broken up and restructured," Simba's David Holmes said.
    The machine's tines run behind straight disc coulters that chop surface trash and prevent it collecting around the tine. Purchasers having a choice of two styles of tine, both of which can work to a maximum depth of 440mm.
    Purchasers can choose between 19mm spring steel No-Till tines or 32mm straight-leg tines, with protection being via either a heavy-duty sprung re-set mounting, or an economical shear bolt mounting.
    When equipped with the 250mm No-Till point, the 19mm tine performs a highly efficient sub-surface soil restructuring operation, while causing minimal surface disturbance and leaving the majority of trash on the surface, so that tilth is retained there and the seedbed is not damaged by unweathered soil being lifted into it from deeper in the soil profile.
    The 32mm tine can be fitted with either 50mm or 175mm points, and causes more surface disturbance, which makes it more suitable for applications where sub-soiling is being completed ahead of further cultivations.
    Working depth of the legs can be managed very accurately and quickly using a quick screw adjustment on the straddle-axle gauge wheels. An optional slot closing cage roller can be specified which runs directly behind the leg to firm and press the seed-bed.

For more information visit: www.simba.co.uk.