Simba Great Plains: Spartan high-output seed drills
Published on May 12, 2011
At Cereals 2011 the company will show two models; the Spartan 6m which typically suits tractors of 170-260hp and the Spartan 9m that needs 270-415hp. Both will be under trial in the UK this autumn following Great Plains' recent purchase of Simba.
The Spartan drill achieves highly accurate seed placement via Great Plains' 07 opener. This uses a leading Turbo coulter disc to cultivate a 30-50mm wide strip of soil ahead of two 4mm x 380mm offset disc blades, mounted on triple-lip seal bearings, that slice through surface trash and penetrate hard ground very efficiently.
Seed is delivered via Great Plains' Clear-Shot seed tubes, which ensure it is placed in exactly the desired position in the soil displaced by the discs. A wide range of following press wheels is available to match individual farm soils and conditions.
Consistent drilling depth is maintained via hydraulic down pressure and parallel linkage on the row unit toolbar, which guarantees all openers stay in work and provides excellent contour following.
Hydraulic weight transfer from the seed cart to the drilling coulters and from the centre section of the drill to the wings ensures that all rows have the same amount of weight on them to maintain even penetration, even when working on undulating fields.
The Spartan drill offers a range of different row widths, with the Spartan 6 being able to drill at 150mm (40 rows) and 188mm (32 rows) centres, while the Spartan 9 can additionally drill at 250mm centres, and so offers 60, 48 or 36 rows.
The range also offers a range of hoppers for either seed-only or seed/fertiliser systems. The Spartan 6m can be supplied with a 5,280 litre seed-only hopper or two 2,885 litre hoppers - one for seed and the other for dry fertiliser.
The Spartan 9m has two 3,500 litre hoppers, which can be used for seed only, or one for seed and the other for dry fertiliser.
For more information visit: www.simba.co.uk.