VIDEO: Bourgault debuts new broadacre drill
Canadian manufacturer Bourgault has officially launched its 24m 3420 PHD Paralink hoe drill in Australia, with a 30m model to follow next seasonA group of 58 dealers from New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia witnessed the official unveiling and demonstration of the very first Bourgault 3420 PHD Paralink seeder in the country in late June.
The 24m drill was put through its paces in a 50ha paddock of corn stubble at Howlong (NSW).
Pulled by a John Deere 9470RT tractor on tracks, the drill sowed 100kg/ha of barley, 100kg/ha of mono ammonium phosphate (MAP) and 100kg/ha of urea through Mid Row Banders (MRB) at 7km/h and a seeding depth of 45mm.
The tow-behind air seeder was a Bourgault 7550 featuring a four-tank metering system.
The 3420 was set on a 12-inch (30cm) row spacing with Mid Row Banders on every second row (60cm row spacing), fitted with a three-quarter inch Bourgault tillage tool’s tip on the standard Bourgault boot.
On the rear were 4.5-inch round semi-pneumatic press wheels.
Narrow transport width
The key feature of the 3420 PHD Paralink is the folding mechanism, which gives the machine a 5.4m transport width that is ideal for narrow roads in some Australian states.
The narrow transport profile called for a whole new frame which is coupled with an in-cab depth control system, uniform press wheel pressure and the TreadLite flotation system to provide consistent down pressure.
For the grower, this means reduced double seeding and soil compaction, more even crop maturity, low machine maintenance and increased acreage per pass.
The machine was debuted to the North American market in Saskatchewan, Canada, in 2015, with three 30m units and five 24m wide units out sowing crops in the last two seasons.
Bourgault R&D Design Engineer, Warren Becker, says tillage machinery size in North America is continuing to increase, with a high demand for 86ft (25.8m) wide drills.
"We were hoping to get out in front of the market, even before some of the tractors were available, to achieve efficiency for the farmer," he says.
"When we got into the design, we realised that we weren't going to be able to use a traditional fold method to achieve 100ft (30m), and safely transport it.
"That is what led to the TransFold design."
TransFold splits the drill in the middle and folds each side rearward.
Fourteen wheels are positioned under the 30m drill during transport, with the back four sets of transport wheels controlled in-cab via the X30 Apollo monitor.
Becker expects the 30m-wide model to be available in Australia for the 2018 autumn sowing.
"The feedback from the Australian dealers has been very promising and it sounds like there is more of an appetite in Australia than there is in North America," he says.
"The big driver is much tighter transport restrictions in Australia than North America."
Becker says the 3420's point of difference is it transports at 5.4m wide but still covers 24 or 30m in one pass.
"In traditional folding units, a farmer may be restricted to a 40 or 50ft drill for transport whereas now this drill can be easily transported and covers twice the acreage," he says.
"It takes about three minutes to fold up and three-and-a-half minutes to unfold for both the 24 and 30m drills.
"It's all done in-cab through the X30 controller.
"One of the biggest differences from a traditional drill is the rear wheels are in-frame which shortens the wheelbase and spreads the weight more evenly between the back and front wheels."
Becker says the shorter wheelbase results in improved contouring in the paddock.
The 3420 is available in Quick Depth Adjust (QDA), an indexed pin depth adjustment, or an XTC (eXtra Terrain Contouring) configuration (1:1 contour ratio).
"These units have the option of being fitted with either a one-to-one or two-to-one parallelogram opener," Becker says.
"A one-to-one opener means if the press wheel, which is gauging the depth of seed placement, moves down 2.5cm, so does the seed opener.
"For the two-to-one opener, if the press wheel goes into a 2.5cm hole, the seed opener only moves down half an inch (12.7mm), allowing a more consistent or smooth belt seeding and seed gap.
"Even if you buy an XTC 3420, it still comes with the QDA because we still want to raise the frame for clearance for the tyres to rotate underneath."
TreadLite floatation system
Another key feature of the 3420 is the TreadLite system, which aids floatation without sacrificing contour depth – two rear wheels contour independently of the frame and each other so contour depth is not adversely affected.
This down-pressure is factory set, based on drill configuration and ensures an optimal load balance between the front, in-frame and TreadLite wheels.
Becker says the system comprises two 21.5 x 16.1SL rear tyres mounted on individual arms and are controlled with hydraulic pressure.
"They float up and down, contouring over dips and bumps, taking a constant amount of weight off the back of the drill," he says.
"On a 24m unit we have 16 tyres on the ground while the 30m drill has 24 tyres on the ground (when sowing).
"When it folds up, the 24m transports with 10 tyres and the 30m with 14."
Options
An option for this year is PackMaster, which is designed to achieve uniform press wheel pressure while seeding by hydraulically responding to paddock conditions.
"PackMaster was developed to allow the pressure to the openers and the packing force on top of the seed to be controlled, so soils are not over-packed," Becker says.
"Over-packing can lead to poor or no germination. We use a load cell on one of the packer spindles to measure the packing force, and the opener pressure is varied by the X30 controller to account for that.
"This [demonstration] paddock is corn irrigated by a centre pivot with volunteer wheat in the corners.
"We are transitioning from hard to soft ground, with the PackMaster accounting for that by lowering the opener pressure."
LiftMaster was added as an option in 2016 and provides automatic lifting and lowering of the openers at the headlands reducing operator fatigue.
Other options include Mid Row Banders, designed to enhance timely and even germination, and preserve stubble during dry sowing conditions.
Mid Row Banders are popular among North American growers, with around 70 per cent of new drills equipped with the system.
Becker says Mid Row Banders allow for the safe application of large amounts of fertiliser mid-row between the two openers.
Easy operation and maintenance
Teflon-lined composite bushings on chrome pins mean operators spend less time on maintenance.
"Other than a few extra grease points, it is the same as a 3320 Bourgault unit – it doesn’t require any additional maintenance above a traditional folding unit," Becker says.
The X30 Apollo has a 12.1-inch (30.7cm) touch screen with up to eight air seeder functions, and the ability to create and save custom screens for particular sowing operations.
The X30 controls the drill and tank operation, and incorporates TopCon steering.
"It is required for the folding of the 3420 and, when equipped, it runs the tank, seed rate controller, sectional control, LiftMaster, and PackMaster, and it has a virtual terminal to run ISO aftermarket or add-on products," Becker says.
"In the new models for the sowing season in 2018, we have come out with the X35 which has the same functions but a higher processing speed.
"We have integrated a new extend app which allows the operator to connect a tablet or smart phone for tank calibration, and check section timing without going back to the cab."
Tractor power requirement
Minimum tractor size depends on soil type, row spacing, mid row banding and tank size.
"The John Deere 9470 [used in the demonstration] seemed to have plenty of horsepower and could have gone faster than the 7km/h with this unit," Becker says.
"In North America, we have had 10-inch (25cm) spaced 30m units pulled with a John Deere 9560 while I've seen 80ft units pulled with a 620hp tractor, depending on the hills and soil types."
The 3420 PHD Paralink drill is priced from $385,000 plus GST.
Specifications
Model 3420-80 3420-100
Working widths
10’’ spacing 24.4m 30.5m
12’’ spacing 24.4m 30.5m
Transport width 5.6m 5.6m
Transport length 18m 21m
(Hitch pin to rear tow hitch pin)
Transport height 5m 5m
Contour frame depth 3.25m 3.25m
Press Wheel options 122mm pneumatic/114mm V-style semi-pneumatic
114mm semi-pneumatic & 137mm semi-pnuematic
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