The Geacut 600, a new 6m-wide high-speed trailed cultivation implement from Spaldings, can be used to manage cover crop vegetation prior to drilling. Operating at speeds of up to 30km/hr, it is also claimed to be effective on OSR and maize stubbles, and for controlling slugs.
The full-width replaceable steel blades fitted to the three serrated rollers cut into crop residues and the soil surface. One of the secrets behind the Geacut’s high working speed capability is the way each of the rollers is connected to its frame by a patent-pending assembly incorporating rubber ‘doughnuts’ acting as shock absorbers.
“This feature allows enough movement between the frame and bearing to significantly reduce shock stress getting through,” said Spaldings product development manager Paul Denton. “It’s a clever engineering solution that enables the implement to operate at much higher speeds than usual without shaking the bearing assembly to bits.”
A tubular steel drawbar becomes the backbone of the implement, with the centre roller and transport wheels mounted at the back, behind the two wing rollers. These are attached to the chassis by angled pivots so that the wings fold forwards and upwards to a vertical position for transport.
The Geacut 600 weighs 5.2t, which is sufficient to penetrate light to medium soils. For heavier land and where a large amount of surface vegetation is involved, water ballast can be added to each roller to increase the implement’s weight to just over 7.0t.
The Geacut is made by Sacho Land Systems, which is a sister company to TMC Cancela, the manufacturer of heavy-duty duty rotary and flail mowers distributed by Spaldings. A tractor of at least 150hp is recommended to operate the Geacut, which is priced at £28,000.
