PRACTICAL TEST: Chopping and redistribution: Is the Cultro TC knife roller combined with three rows of harrow tines a sensible solution for stubble management?
We have seen a flurry of knife rollers come on the market in recent years as a handy means of mechanically breaking down cover crops and, in areas where corn borer beetle is an issue, smashing the maize stubble stalks in which these beetles can hibernate over winter. Yet such tools could also be a solution for farmers wanting to chit seeds and perform a shallow incorporation pass while retaining as much moisture as possible.
Working at speeds of up to 20km/hr or more, the Cultro TC from Horsch can cover a lot of ground quickly. Our 5.0m wide test machine was able to scoot across 8-10ha per hour without any big issues. And such acre eating doesn’t demand a lot of fuel: our admittedly oversized Fendt 939 was using just 3-4 litres per hectare on flat ground.
Horsch produces the mounted Cultro in work widths of 3.0m all the way up to 9.0m, and there are also semi-mounted variants up to 18m. These all come as either just a tandem knife roller, but there is a choice of following tools, too, such as the three rows of harrowing tines on our test machine or a rear roller — flex springs, solid or U-profile rings.
In theory, you can swap or remove all the various rear tool options, but in practice this would mean a few hours spannering so it’s not a practical option. It is also possible to mount the Cultro on a front linkage once the following harrow has been removed. Indeed, our test model was originally configured for front mounting, which is why the shut-off valve for the transport lock was located on the right — inconvenient when the machine is mounted on the rear.
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