Two drills in one machine — the 4AG SmartDrill is turning heads in the pasture renewal game
New Zealand has a global reputation for being the best in the business at turning sunshine and rain into high-quality protein. Our competitive edge is built on our ability to grow grass, and more importantly, our ability to harvest it with four legs instead of a diesel engine.
If you’ve spent any time behind the wheel in a New Zealand autumn, you know that the ‘window of opportunity’ for drilling usually looks more like a porthole – small, blurry, and likely to slam shut just as you’re getting the grease gun out (lucky there are only eight nipples).
To keep that competitive edge sharp, pasture renewal is a critical component – except with the added pressure that if you don’t get it right, the plethora of pesky weeds will be more than happy to move into the vacant real estate. Enter my good friends: the 4AG SmartDrill.
One Machine, Two Identities
I love a good buy-one, get-one-free campaign. In a perfect world the shed would be full of specialised implements, but back in the real world, the bank manager usually has a different opinion on that level of spending.
This is where the SmartDrill really hits its stride. It effectively bridges the gap for the farmer who needs the versatility of both machines but only has the budget (or the shed space) for one.
The Direct Drill: With scalloped discs and plenty of frame weight, it has the ‘bite’ to go straight into sprayed-out pasture or hard, uncultivated ground. It slices the slot and places the seed with the authority of a dedicated direct drill.
The Roller Drill Results: Thanks to the Guttler roller on the back, and the way the APV air seeder distributes seed from the back of the boot in a ‘fan’ shape, it performs exceptionally well on cultivated ground. It creates that firm finish that roller drills are famous for, ensuring the seed isn’t buried too deep in the soft dirt, nor creating the bow wave in really powdery going that some roller drills are guilty of.
Essentially, you’re getting the penetration of a disc drill and the finishing quality of a roller drill in a single pass. For a mid-sized operation, that’s not just a convenience, it’s a massive saving in capital expenditure without the need to compromise on results.
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication
Right: The 400mm notched discs
When you first lay eyes on the SmartDrill, it doesn’t look like something NASA designed to land on Mars. And frankly, that’s exactly why it works. 4AG has leaned into the philosophy that ‘simple is smart’ and that ‘NZ DNA’ where they are intimately involved in the design and refinement process, despite being built overseas.
The chassis is built with the kind of ‘Kiwi-tough’ backbone we’ve come to expect from the 4 AG line up; heavy enough to penetrate the baked-out summer ground but clever enough to follow the contours of a rolling paddock thanks to the 1.2m length from the front of the leading discs to the Guttler roller.
Row Spacing: 125mm (5 inches): The SmartDrill is designed to close the canopy fast. In the battle for light and nutrients, a narrow row spacing is your best defence against weed ingress.
Disc System: The scalloped 400mm discs are the business end of the machine. They are mounted on a 3-degree angle to slice through and chop heavy trash (think old summer grass or crop residue), they bite into hard ground creating that all-important tilth and place the seed precisely where it needs to be.
The Guttler Roller: This is the secret sauce. Instead of a standard flat, tyre or Cambridge roller, the Guttler rings provide excellent soil-to-seed contact while leaving a tilth that resists crusting. The 540mm rings where every second one is fixed to the 100mm shaft while the alternate rings have an oversized bore allowing them to ‘trundle’ in a floating action. This has a self-cleaning effect, and aids contouring ability.
Two options: The SmartDrill comes in either a 3m rigid, or the 4m machine, which folds to 2.8m for transport.
Depth control: No matter which width option tickles your fancy, both have the depth control from the hydraulic rear roller where adjustment is made via 2mm ram shims. This means no matter the conditions, all important seed depth is spot on.
Integrating the APV Air Seeder
While the SmartDrill handles the heavy lifting, the addition of the APV Pneumatic seeder turns this rig into a multi-tasking powerhouse.
One of the biggest headaches with traditional boxes is wind and hills. If you’re trying to sow clover or brassicas on a breezy day in the Manawatū, half your profit ends up in the neighbour’s hedge. The APV unit solves this by using this consistent flow of air to carry the seed directly to the disc coulters for guess what – consistent seeding results.
Radar Precision: Forget drive wheels, this monitor uses radar ground speed. It’s ‘set and forget’ – it knows exactly how fast you’re going, so the seed rate stays bang on whether you’re crawling up a sidling or flat out on the river flats.
ISOBUS compatibility: If you have an ISOBUS compatible machine, it’s the same price as the monitor and radar option for in cab connectivity – how good.
Simplicity is the key: You’ve got a hydraulic fan and a radar or ISOBUS metering system that plays nice together. Calibration is a breeze and you can make on-the-fly adjustments to the rates from the seat. Seeding on/off is via a sensor in the transport wheel lift ram. Once the wheels are raised, it starts, and when the wheels are lowered, the seeder shuts off.
Versatility: You can use it for grass, small seeds, plus add an optional unit for broadcasting slug bait, clover, or whatever your local seed merchant has talked you into thanks to the various cartridges on the APV distribution system.
The choice is yours – 3m or 4m: Both offer the large 500L hopper capacity as standard but 300L and 800L are optional. The 3m has 24 openers and is a 24 run while the folding 4m is 32 run. (Psstt: the worst kept secret from 4AG is they will likely offer a 5m model for Autumn 2027!)
Verdict
Right: The hydraulic fan controller
In New Zealand, we don’t have the luxury of massive subsidies; we have to be efficient. The SmartDrill allows farmers to take control of their own timing. If there’s rain coming, the drill is there. You don’t wait for a contractor; you rip into it.
By maintaining a dense, high-performing sward, you’re not just feeding cows, you’re reducing your chemical bill by outcompeting weeds and ensuring that every millimetre of rainfall is converted into dry matter. The 4AG SmartDrill with an APV is a hard combination to beat. It’s built for the way we farm – straightforward, reliable, and focused on the results in the vat.
