Reduces compaction | The Sumo can go as deep as 22 inches
BRANDON — The debate over whether frost breaks up hardpan is cooling down as more farmers take their penetrometers and spades to the field.
The consensus is that the common belief that frost breaks up the compacted layer is not true. As a result, more producers realize they need some sort of deep ripper or subsoiler to break up the hardpan.
If the compacted layer is fractured, water drains away from the surface so deep-rooted plants have a better environment in which to grow, said Stewart Peckitt, who travelled from Britain to Brandon’s Manitoba Ag Days to introduce the British-built Sumo subsoiler.
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“Talking to farmers here at Ag Days, it seems a lot of the forward thinking guys are forming their own opinions about that old frost-compaction theory,” said Peckitt.
“Rather than just listening to what the experts say, these guys are going out and digging holes to see for themselves where the roots travel.
“They’re telling us that the roots go down to a certain level and then grow out laterally in search of nutrients and water. And that is compaction.”
Peckitt said the Sumo subsoiler works as shallow as 10 inches and as deep as 22 inches. It’s important for farmers to accurately determine the depth of the hard layer before deciding how deep to set the machine.
“You can have compaction at different levels all across your farm or even within a single field,” he said.
“You absolutely need that information before you go into the field with a ripper.”
He said a penetrometer is quicker, but a spade does a better job of giving exact depth information.
Running deeper than necessary wastes fuel and mixes too much soil, while running above the layer accomplishes nothing.
“If you have what we call sour soil beneath your fertile soil, you don’t want to mix the layers. Keep the layers segregated. Most North American built rippers have a forward slope and a parabolic tine that mixes the soil horizons. We designed a shovel and leg that prevents the vertical mixing of soil structures. It lifts and breaks the hardpan without mixing.”
The Sumo has a radically forward mounted point that creates a wedge to crack the soil profile ahead of it.
In doing so, it opens a slot for the leg to run in, reducing the amount of energy required to pull it through the field. The legs are controlled by nitrogen filled accumulators with adjustable trip outs.
The recommended trip out force is 750 p.s.i., but Peckitt recommends going as high as 1,500 p.s.i in heavy clay soil. Trip outs can go well below 750 p.s.i. in light soil.
Depth control comes from a pair of wide steel wheels at the front of the frame. The gauge wheels are manually adjustable.
Probably the most unusual engineering feature is the central backbone frame. Running front to rear down the middle of the machine, this rigid spine carries the entire stress load. All working tools attach to it.
The backbone is strong enough that Sumo put a hitch at the back so the operator can pull a drill or other applicator.
Farm implements in Britain are designed to fold up into a transport width of 2.9 metres to travel on the country’s narrow twisty rural roads, said Peckitt.
“To meet that criteria, most implements are designed around a complex central tri-frame chassis that tolerates extreme pressures.”
Another aspect of the Sumo that shows the European influence is the heavy, solid packer roller running the full width of the machine at the back.
Peckitt said the roller doesn’t contribute to compaction.
“It only firms up the top three or four inches. If you take a spade and dig, you see that the soil below is nice and loose as deep as you want to dig,” he said.
“The packer breaks up the soil clods on the surface and levels the field. It’s ready for one pass seeding next spring.”
All Sumo subsoilers have a 2.9 metre transport width, with full hydraulic folding and 650 millimetre leg spacing.
The seven-leg unit has a working width of 4.7 metres and requires 350 horsepower. No firm price is available yet.
The nine-leg unit has a working width of 5.9 metres, requires 450 h.p. and carries a Canadian list price of $75,000.
Hepson Equipment in Brandon is the sole North American importer of the Sumo subsoiler. Contact Hepson co-owner Sid Patterson at 204-727-1050 or visit www.hepson.ca.
