DRIVING IMPRESSION: Spreading slurry or digestate into a standing row crop is a specialist task. Holmer has developed its own strip-till hoe for such applications and calls the implement the SecatFlex SL. We find out how the SecatFlex works.
Holmer has been making self-propelled slurry tankers for some time now, its Terra Variant ranging from the ‘small’ 435 with hydrostatic drive and 16m³
tank to the 650 with power-split transmission and 21m³ Zunhammer technology. For such a specialist machine to pay its keep, it needs to have plenty of work to do. While it can be busy applying slurry ahead of maize sowing, there is no glut of work until it comes time to incorporate digestate in stubbles, especially if you haven’t any grassland in the roster.
Extending workload
The SecatFlex SL is an in-house development, with the eight-row unit tipping the scales at around 2.1 tonnes. The ten-row implement weighs in at 2.3 tonnes. This weight hints at the amount of steel in the large frame with its robust three-point headstock that can absorb much higher draft forces than a hoe simply designed for solely mechanical weed control.
At the heart of the hoe are the cultivating units. These are clamped to the box section toolbar at 75cm centres and have a parallel linkage. Each hoeing unit has three spring tines that are staggered longitudinally and fitted with 25cm goosefoot points. The two outer tines on each unit have an outlet at the back for placing the slurry into the furrow where it is covered with soil by the third point. Side guards (which also have a parallel linkage) prevent smaller maize plants being covered with soil.
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