Strength behind Twister | Operators in heavy clay areas can adjust the normal zero disc angle up to nine degrees
Farmers learned long ago that tillage equipment designed for light soil often ended up on the scrap metal pile after it hits heavy clay soil.
Over the decades, that fact fostered a unique manufacturing niche running parallel to the mainstream that specialized in robust equipment for heavy clay soil.
These designers focused on farmers in the heavy clay regions of the Red River Valley, Regina Plains and Peace River.
Mandako Agri Marketing of Plum Coulee, Man., is one of those companies, and its Twister Vertical Tillage machine is one of its latest tools aimed at farmers who have to cope with heavy clay. Mandako claims it’s the heaviest vertical till machine on the market.
The strict definition of “vertical tillage” refers to a disc that runs at a zero degree angle to straight forward and only tickles the surface to a maximum depth of three inches, thus leaving distinct straight lines on the surface.
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However, Lou Peters of Mandako said that strict interpretation of vertical tillage does not fit the needs of producers on heavy clay.
He said a tillage machine must always be engineered to meet the needs of the end user. With that guiding thought, the company designed the Twister to do things that other vertical tillage machines cannot.
Vertical till discs normally run at zero degrees, but when the Twister gets into heavy residue or rough ground, the operator can remotely change the disc angle up to nine degrees from straight ahead.
Peters said that with all that frame stress, the Twister frame does not twist, even though operators typically run at 10 m.p.h.
“All framing is half inch thick rectangular tubing, so speed is not a problem,” he said.
“There’s never a need to add weight because we’ve built the weight into the frame, where it does some good. Instead of just carrying the weight, it’s part of the frame. It’s added strength, not just added load.”
Operators can select any disc angle from zero to nine degrees. In the fall, they typically run the aggressive nine degree angle to destroy as much of the residue as possible.
“Guys normally run at the recommended depth of two to three inches. That does a good job of chopping the B.t. corn roots and turning the stalks,” he said.
“I’d say half or more of the residue is covered in the fall. Soil contact helps the bacteria break it down. In the spring, you just need one pass with the discs running at zero to have a nice seed bed. The most popular setup seems to be a rolling basket with a tine harrow.”
Each arm is independent of the others, which eliminates problems with ganged systems that don’t provide even pressure. Each arm normally carries two wavy discs and is spring loaded. Static pressure is 650 pounds per sq. inch. Under full load, the pressure is 1,400 p.s.i.
Producers can order concave discs, serrated edge blades and rotary harrow finishers supplied by Phillips, formerly Phoenix.
Peters said his company has sold more than 130 units in the two years since Twister has been on the market. The list price is $2,200 per foot, and the machine is available in sizes from 12 feet up to 40 feet, he added.
For more information, contact Peters at 204-829-3348 or visit www.mandakoagri.com.
