The vertical tillage tool provides farmers with a true working width of 47 feet, 11 inches. The new split-wing 1436SW models provide 600 pounds-per-foot of residue-cutting weight for tough residue management operations.

6650-48 vertical tillage tool
"(We are) excited to offer the 6650-48 vertical tillage tool to today's conservation-minded farmers," says Larry Kuster, AGCO senior marketing specialist for tillage. "It provides a significant boost in productivity by harnessing the potential of high-horsepower tractors with the ability to cover more than 38 acres an hour."

Sunflower Saber Blades, combined with a proven staggered offset gang design in a large-width, five-section, 6 by 6 inch frame, empower the vertical tillage tool to provide superior performance in the field, all while folding to transport dimensions of 18 feet, 2 inches wide and 13 feet, 11 inches high.

The blade design and 18-degree offset gang angle of the company’s vertical tillage tools provide optimum performance in cutting and sizing crop residue. The residue left behind by these tools creates a surface that is resistant to wind and water erosion.

"Vertical tillage, while necessary in the fall, is also an excellent management practice in the spring," Kuster explains. "It helps open cold, wet soils to warming and drying sunlight to encourage optimum conditions for planting. Our vertical tillage tools offer consistent soil conditioning across entire working widths to provide farmers with consistent emergence and healthy crop stands."

The tool’s frame features thicker-wall 6 by 6 inch tubing (three-eighths of an inch thick in high-stress areas) for a stronger, heavier frame and is cross-braced and gusseted for added strength and maintenance-free service.

A hydraulic cylinder locks the hinge in the in-field working position. This permits the hinge to pivot only on the lower pivot point located close to the disc gang, which provides for a greater range of negative flex of the wing so the tool can closely follow changes in terrain.

This vertical tillage tool rides on a patented walking triple design, which uses two walking-beam pivot points to create a series of walking tandem wheels.

"The wheels work as a team, sharing the burden of obstacles as a pair," adds Kuster. "When encountering an obstacle, the lead tire couples with the second tire to complete the first walking tandem. As the tool progresses over the obstacle, the second tire becomes the lead tire for the second walking tandem. As the tire is elevated, a weight transfer removes the first tire from the sequence, and pivoting is then shared between the second and third tires."

As with the 6631vertical tillage tool family, the 6650-48 is engineered for long life and minimal service with high-strength, 1 3/4-inch round stress-proof gang shafts; triple-sealed, greasable trunnion-style gang bearings; offset C-Flex bearing standards; and a maintenance-free lift system with a 5 1/2-inch lift axle on all hydraulic lifts. The walking triples feature greasable tapered roller bearings, and heavy-duty gauge wheels pivot on service-free ultra-high molecular weight (UHMW) material that provides lifetime lubrication.

A long, narrow tongue permits tight turns and good field maneuverability. Convertible category four and five hitches enable this vertical tillage tool to match any high-horsepower tractor.

New split-wing 1436SW disc harrows

Sunflower adds two larger models to the 1436 series of tandem disc harrows: the 1436-33SW and the 1436-38SW.

The tools have true working widths of 33 feet, 3 inches and 38 feet, respectively, and feature 20-degree gang angles with full-concavity blades to provide producers with ample residue-cutting ability to manage the toughest Bt corn residue and heavy stalks of modern hybrids.

"These new harrows leverage the power of high-horsepower tractors to work more acres," continues Kuster, "all while they mix residue and topsoil to provide an ideal environment for microbial decomposition of the stalks. With today's tough stalks, increased compaction in many fields and herbicide-resistant weeds, a high-performing tillage tool is more important than ever. The split-wing 1436SW series disc has been designed specifically to tackle these challenges."

The new models' heavy frames are designed for structural integrity in the toughest field conditions and bring up to 600 pounds per working-width foot to the task of opening and mixing the soil. Both front and rear gangs on these machines are offset to allow the front gang to clear-cut the entire width of the soil profile. The 1436SW series offset rear gang creates a feathering effect that prevents ridge or valley profiles in the wake of the machine. Both sets of gangs ride on C-Flex bearing standards to absorb shock encountered when striking obstacles such as rocks and stumps.

Each heavily braced wing frame is designed to match the cutting width of the tool. This allows engineers to place wheels and wing lift mechanisms near the outer limits of the cutting area, ensuring maximum control of the wing and maintenance of a level working orientation to the field.

The 1436-33SW boasts a transport width of 15 feet, 6 six inches and a folded height of 13 feet, while the 1436-38SW folds to 17 feet, 11 inches wide and 13 feet high.

The new machines also feature Sunflower engineering such as a maintenance-free lift system that rides on UHMW plastic bearings, UHMW wing hinge bearings, heavy-duty gauge wheels that pivot on UHMW bearings, single-point depth control mounted on the front for simple adjustments and a hydraulic depth lock.

Farmers also have their choice of three types of finishing reels to run behind the new harrows to mix soil, mash clods and break up root wads, available in 11-inch and 14-inch-diameter flat-bar design for aggressive clod crushing or the 14-inch-diameter chevron type preferred for soil compression.

For more information on either tandem disc harrows, visit the Sunflower website.

—From AGCO Corporation news release

PHOTOS
TOP: The 6650-48 is the new vertical tillage tool with a true working width of 47 feet, 11 inches, helping farmers cover more than 38 acres an hour.

BOTTOM: The split-wing 1436SW disc harrows have true cutting widths up to 38 feet and provide up to 600 pounds per foot of cutting-and-slicing weight for tough residue management situations. Photos provided by AGCO Corporation.