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Tilling at a higher speed

North Dakota grower talks about his change to new tillage equipment after 59 years

3 Min Read
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Jerry Overton, farms just north of Minot, ND and is close to the Canadian bounder.

“This far north, I’m a wheat, canola and flax guy.  I love flax.  Lots of soybeans up here too but I don’t raise any.  Flax is my choice.  I make 30+ bushel flax.  Market hasn’t flattened out …its sill hanging 10 bucks.  But then I should know what I’m doing with flax…I’ve been at it for 59 years!

Very little fall tillage up here.  We just run the anhydrous knives with very little soil movement.  We’re not ripping and moving much soil…this way there’s virtually zero wind erosion from these strong winter winds.  We go about 2 ½ -3 inches deep with the anhydrous; Then Spring time and we run the KWIK-TILL 10 mph and we’re ready to rumble. I had a 300-acre field of flax.  Didn’t touch the ground until the spring when we spread UREA.  Then we worked it really light with my KWIK-TILL disc; seeded it to wheat and had just wonderful results.

A couple years back I tried this new rig.  I had been using a 38’ tillage tool…a good machine but I was limited to 5 mph.  If you hit a rock with one the whole damn disc jumps out of the ground.  With this new machine, I can go 8 to 10 mph; even up to 15.  And no problem if you hit a rock…because each disc is individual and has a 9-inch rise.  It’s just an unbelievable piece of equipment.  I don’t have any negatives. With this unit, you don’t have to take the disc apart if you run out a bearing.  Each disc has its own bearings…that is simply smart engineering.

I’m using a 40-foot KWIK-TILL.  I have a JD 9560 power unit which revs up to 615 hp.  I’ve also got an 8410 JD front-wheel assist.  In the spring we run only 1 ½-inch to 2-inches deep for seed bed prep.  I saw my neighbor running a 45-foot unit with front-wheel assist tractor.  So that’s when I decided to hook up my 8410 and it rolls really nice.

I’ve got smooth blades; not the notched blades.  For seed bed prep, I’m running only 1 1/2-inch deep.  Last fall I went into some slew ground so I was running 4-5 inches deep and it did a nice job.  You’ve got to have speed…for me at least 8 mph to leave that seed bed smooth and ready for the planter.  If you don’t move enough dirt, you’re not doing a good job of getting that seedbed ready.

Last spring, the 1st year with our KWIK-Till, we spread fertilizer; then worked the field with the unit.  It was absolutely a beautiful seedbed. Last fall my neighbors bought a 35-ft. unit and worked a soybean stubble field.  I’ve never seen a prettier field.  You could have seeded that field only ½-inch deep and it would have been perfect.

So for me nothing but good things to say about my tillage unit.  It’s an amazing machine. I’m seeing a bunch of KWIK-TILL units up here. Guys tell me they’d never got back to any other brand; nor would I. With the KWIK-TILL that seedbed is just perfectly level.  You feel good about the job you just did.

To learn more about the KWIK-TILL or to find a local dealer, please visit NorwoodSales.com

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