AGCO launched three new series of Sunflower tillage tools this month to help farmers manage the increase in crop residue. The all-new Sunflower 4600 Series Disc Rippers consists of four models that round out the company’s primary, fall tillage lines. The 4600 Series can disc, rip, and level the ground all in one pass. Working widths range from model SF4610-07 at 14-feet to the 26-ft. SF4630-13 model — the largest flexible frame disc ripper in the industry, according to Tom Draper, Sunflower seeding and tillage product manager. Suggested list price: $92,390 for 22-ft. SF4630-11 with 11 auto-reset parabolic shanks on 24-in. spacing, three row H.D. coil, and tine finishing attachment.

Also new are the Sunflower 1700 Series Offset Disc Harrow and the Sunflower 1800 Series Tandem Disc Harrow. Both are designed for primary tillage applications where ripping is not required. Draper says the disc harrows are the heaviest in the industry, weighing in at 900 to 1,000 lbs/ft. Up to 30-in. blades penetrate up to 10 in. deep to incorporate residue into the soil. “These tools provide good residue management in those high yielding corn fields where corn-on-corn applications require an extra heavy dose of tillage to manage the residue,” Draper says. Suggested list price:  $40,157 for SF1710-18 offset disc, 17-ft. 11-in. working width,  28-in.x15/16 blades, notched front/plain rear on 11-in. spacing; $100,199 for SF1830-30 H.D. tandem disc, 30-ft. working width, 28-in.x5/16 in. plain blades on 11-in. spacing.

For more information on any of the three new tillage series, see your local Sunflower equipment dealer or visit www.sunflowermfg.com