Taege Series 360 Seed Drill
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Taege Engineering has a reputation as a builder of reliable and strong drills. We trial the new Taege series 360-seed drill.
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Taege Series 360 Seed Drill
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- Easy calibration
- Good contouring
- Accurate metering
- Large hoppers
The latest model series 360-seed drill test from Taege is able to be used for seeding into cultivated soil or for direct drilling
Openers
The new Taege drill is fitted with a heavy S tyne spaced at 120mm, which gives good coverage. The narrow tungsten tip is placed behind the coil of the tyne, which allows it to penetrate hard soil and gives very good contour following for this type of opener.
During the test I sought out areas of the paddock where we had both a hump and a hollow between the drill wheels and was very impressed with the contour following ability and depth control of this tyne.
Depth is controlled by spacers on the lift rams and a turnbuckle on the drawbar for leveling the drill to accommodate different tractor drawbar heights.
With the tynes mounted over three rows giving a wide stagger and almost twice the clearance under the coil over the old tyne, it should handle most situations.
Changing tips is very easy, with just a single bolt securing the tip. How long the tips last will depend on the type of country you operate in, but Taege reports that some users get in excess of 1000ha.
Hopper
These have approx 600-litre capacity, so make for plenty of drilling between fills. They are fitted with large lids on gas struts and are easy to access. The finish is powder coating, with stainless as an option for the fert hopper.
Inside are dividers to stop the seed moving sideways on sloping ground, which can then be removed for the small seed inserts to be fitted. The small seed inserts allow the likes of brassicas and clovers to be sown at low rates per hectare.
Metering system
Gravity-feed double sponge system fitted with computerised electric drive. The sponges handle all types of seed, from the likes of maize or peas right down to brassicas. The small seed inserts fit with no seed damage as the sponges are soft enough to allow the larger seeds through.
Several improvements have been made on this model, with a return to a wheel-mounted sensor removing the problems encountered on the previous model’s "wheel on wheel" drive. This sensor provides a more accurate signal to the computer and removes the annoying tendency of the wheel continuing to turn when lifting the drill out of the ground on headlands if drilling up and down, putting seed on top of the ground.
Taege has cleverly fitted the sensor into the hub so that it is well protected, and because of the weight of the drill there is no slippage resulting in accurate seeding.
Removal of the sponges is made very easy by unclipping four retaining clips and applying pressure against the spring-loaded drive coupling.
Calibration
Ease of calibration is one of the features of this drill. The collector tray is slid clear of the sponges, allowing the calibration tray to be positioned. The computer is then set to calibrate and signals the metering unit to run a preset time. Seed collected is weighed and the weight entered into the computer, followed by the seeding rate in kgs/ha and you are ready to drill.
The computer can store up to 25 preset rates per hopper and has the ability to have two alternate rates per calibration loaded.
Also on the screen are indicators for both hoppers to show they are operating, the rate you have set and ground speed.
The display is back lit for night-time work.
Harrows
The test drill was fitted with a set of Taege drill harrows. These replace the traditional chain harrows and left an even level finish in the stubble paddock without rolling the trash as can happen with chain harrows.
When tested in a grass paddock they did a good job of covering behind the drill with the advantage of being mounted on the drill, which allows you to back up if you need to without the hassle of lifting the chain harrows onto the drill for road travel.
The test drill also had a galvanised chassis, so if fitted with the stainless hopper as well, the drill is well protected against corrosion from fertiliser.
An interesting feature of the drill is that if you wish to broadcast seed it is a simple matter of sliding the collector tray clear and fitting a deflector plate with the harrows then covering the seed.
Also fitted was a rear drawbar.
To read in-depth farm machinery reviews, see the latest issue of Farm Trader magazine, on sale now.
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