Flexi-Coil 80ft drill delivers

After sowing with Flexi-Coil's new 80ft (24m) 5500 air drill this season, New South Wales grower Chris Condon claims he has seen a 33 per cent boost in planting productivity on his broadacre farm.

Together with his mother, Jan, Condon runs an 8000ha farm near Griffith. This season he drilled 4000ha with the new Flexi-Coil 5500 air drill in combination with Flexi-Coil's recently launched 60 series air cart.

He sowed the remaining 2000ha of the cropping programme with his existing Flexi-Coil ST820 precision cultivator.

"We have had the ST820 for five years and we have been very happy with it," he says.

"But we are in the market for a new machine to expand our operation and create greater efficiencies. I've looked at every brand that's on the market.

"We trialled the 5500 air drill in April-May and did about 70 per cent of our wheat, barley and oat programme with it."

The new 5500 drill is a step up from Condon's older 60ft ST820, and according to Flexi-Coil it gives him the ability to cover a third more ground in the same time frame.

The 80ft model is the largest air drill that Flexi-Coil has manufactured. Previously, the company's seeding units were only available in 60ft and 70ft working widths.

"The 80ft air drill was really impressive and productive," Condon says.

"We were averaging about 22-23ha per hour, compared to about 18ha with our old machine, so we noticed a big difference. We need to be in 40ft or 12m increments, so it works in well.

"There are a lot of 80ft machines on the market but this is the only one that is not a parallelogram," says Condon.

"This is a straight tyne machine. We like it better as it has really good trash clearance, which is a big thing."

The 5500 consists of two front ranks, which follow the contours of the land at a depth set by the nearby castor assemblies; and two rear ranks, which follow the ground on which the press wheels run. This allows it to achieve exact and repeatable sowing depth, says Flexi-Coil.

"I was impressed with the way it contours across the ground. It did a good job and was easy to level to start with," Condon says.

"Once you have it levelled, it follows the contours well. We had good germination with it and our crops are all up and going. Everything looks good."

Some of the features of the 80ft 5500 drill include a single-point depth setting that provides simple depth control across the entire machine; as well as Flexi-Coil's patented variable packing pressure system.

The packing pressure system allows weight to be transferred between the front and rear sections and, according to Flexi-Coil, adjusts packing pressure by as much as 30 per cent as field conditions change.

Flexi-Coil claims its newest drill is the only 80ft air drill on the market to fold down to the size of an articulated tractor with front and rear dual wheels, hence making it easy to transport.

Its transport width is 5.3m wide and 4m high, deeming it ideal for moving on Australian roads.

"It has a narrow folded width for travel when you're going from farm to farm and it's lower than the height of your tractor," Condon says.

"Having the weight spread evenly across 12 wheels on the ground for travelling is also better than on wing-up style, where all weight is carried on the centre section."

After the successful trial, Condon says he hopes to buy the 5500 air drill.

"We're really impressed with it," he says.

"It will suit our operation well and it's a good solid, simple drill that should last the distance.

"We plant about 6000ha at the moment, and for the first year we will be happy to get things in a lot more efficiently and on time.

"We're in a marginal area here. We get a drier finish with our cropping, so we have to get our varieties in on time, when they need to be in. That's another reason to go to a wider bar."

Flexi-Coil says its 80ft 5500 air drill, together with its 60 series air cart, make for a powerful combination.

The air cart range includes seven models with capacities up to 33,000 litres, and is ideal for broadacre farmers growing cereals, legumes and oilseeds.

Flexi-Coil is now taking forward orders for the 2017 season.

Interested customers can see the latest Flexi-Coil machines on display at the following field days:

Find out more about Flexi-Coil's new air drill and its range of machines at www.flexicoil.com.au.