Bet on tried and tested and buy the Softer disk harrow as we did! In the picturesque landscape of Vysočina we manage approximately 100 ha of fertile soil. With conventional technology we grow mainly cereals and rape. Last year we have changed a tractor from 120 hp version to 200 hp version.
This year we made ourselves a joy by buying the half mounted disk harrow Softer for quick and effective loosening. The Softer with 6 meter working width is an ideal combination with 200 hp tractor in our conditions. Despite the fact that in heavy soil and hilly terrain the working speed sometimes decreased to 8 km/h the quality of work remained excellent. On regular basis I have personally done the loosening at cruise control set speed of 13 km/h with 8 cm of working depth (maximal working depth is 12 cm). During configuration I ticked the box of optional copy wheels.
These wheels help to maintain exact working depth and stability of the machine even at high working speeds. Farmet produces Softers with two different diameters of disks 510 or 560 mm. For our machine I have selected the smaller diameter of 510 mm mainly because of greater permeability and better soil penetrating properties. Faster rotation with smaller disks also provides better leveling and mixing effect. All softers have circumferential blades on disks, maintenance free bearings and forged tines independently mounted in rubber segments as standard. Rear roller reconsolidates crumbles and then levels the soil. During its selection we must consider soil and climate conditions as well as intended use of the machine. For me the obvious choice was the new type of V-ring roller of 550 mm in diameter. It is a very multipurpose roller of which’s qualities I have convinced myself on our fields where the heavy clay soils outbalance lighter sandy soils.
This year’s season tested the machine performance very thoroughly. The Softer succeeded flawlessly in hard and in soft soil conditions as well as during the wet and rainy autumn where the machine found its use in pre sowing cultivation. Not only I but also other members of our small agricultural empire were surprised by the easy and intuitive controls of the Softer. I spent substantially more time with air condition settings and radio tuning of the tractor than with overall settings of the machine. Most of us have in mind the picture of how the stubbles looked like after this year’s harvest. I have a feeling that most of our combine harvesters spent more time with reversing maneuvering around and digging themselves out of waterlogged ponds which were plenty of in the fields at that time. As a result of that there were many deep tracks and lying down unharvested spots. The Softer managed to fix both of these things, disarmed us with its leveling effect of the tracks and mixing of unharvested crops back to the soil. We used the short frame of the machine combined with its agility and lightweight on our small and ragged fields. The only thing I am sorry about is that we don’t have more hectares of fields where I would be able to spend more time with the softer.
Ing. Václav Mytyska
