Farms.com Home   News

Sunflower® 1436 Disc Harrow Has Aggressive New Weight For Optimum Field Preparation

Sunflower®, the leading tillage line from AGCO (NYSE:AGCO), Your Agriculture Company, unveils the 1436 Series disc harrow as the latest representative of the company’s successful 1400 Series tandem disc harrows. The 1436 brings industry-leading implement weight and weight per ground-engaging blade, along with an aggressive 20-degree overlapping front-disc angle and full-concavity disc blades, to handle heavy residue and turn it back to the microbial zone of the soil for quick decomposition. The result is a well-balanced tillage tool designed to meet the demands of today’s producers for optimum production and improved soil tilth and fertility. The 1436 offers producers optional blade spacing and three finishing-reel choices.

The 1436 brings industry-leading implement weight and weight per ground-engaging blade, along with an aggressive 20-degree overlapping front-disc angle and full-concavity disc blades, to handle heavy residue and turn it back to the microbial zone of the soil for quick decomposition.

On-the-go soil and residue mixing

"Residue management tillage has become one of the necessities of higher yields," explains Larry Kuster, senior marketing specialist for tillage. "Heavy residue, particularly corn residue, can negatively affect the following season’s crop in many ways. Heavy residue remaining in the spring insulates the soil to prevent it from warming quickly, and field trash also holds moisture in the planting zone, which can delay timely planting," he says. "Today’s high-yielding varieties are producing residue in volumes beyond the ability of planter attachments to deal with it sufficiently to ensure optimum crop emergence. The growing popularity of corn-on-corn farming demands that residue be sized and incorporated into the topsoil, where it can begin decomposition quickly with the aid of soilborne beneficial bacteria and fungi.

“The 1436 Series Sunflower disc has been designed specifically for this task,” continues Kuster. “The heavy frame, and increased weight per blade, the aggressive overlapping 20-degree front-disc gangs — which provide a smoothly worked surface the full width of the implement without additional center blades or shanks — and full-concavity disc blades provide a dependable system to slice through the thickest mat of BT corn residue to cut the stalks and mix them with the soil and start their decomposition. With ‘true cutting widths’ from 20 feet, 5 inches to 35 feet, 4 inches, the 1436 can match nearly any size farming operation.”

Heavy-duty features improve productivity and durability

Adjusting the tongue to match drawbar height is important to keep the tillage tool level and moving smoothly through the field, optimizing fuel use and minimizing wear on parts such as the drawbar, level lift assembly and other components that can receive unneeded down pressure if the tool is operated either nose down or tail down. A straight line of draft to the tool is the goal. Heavy-duty features improve productivity and durability

Sunflower engineers offset the front- and rear-disc gangs to allow the front gang to clear-cut the entire width of the soil profile, Kuster notes. “Most competitors use the heads-up or end-to-end setup that leaves an uncut ridge of soil. The 1436 eliminates this problem, and with its 20-degree front and 18-degree rear gang angles, provides producers with a level worked field with no ridges or valleys.”

The 1436 offers an optional dual cab-controlled spring-cushioned hydraulic fore-and-aft adjustment, as well as a mechanical adjustment standard.

The undercarriage of the 1436’s all-welded frame is designed to compliment the machine’s increased ground-holding weight with bigger walking-tandem mounted eight-bolt-hub wheels, as well as larger spindles and bearings throughout the 1436 model range (save for the 21-foot model, which does not have walking tandems on the wings). Gauge wheels on the 1436 are mounted with UHMW bearings for no-maintenance operation.

“UHMW bearings support the 1436’s lift system in all fold locations and lift pivot points,” says Kuster, explaining that the new lift system offers no twist-and-strain complications with its design, which allows easy folding to transport heights ranging from 9 feet, 4 inches to 16 feet, 1 inch, depending upon the model. “This lineup was designed especially to provide growers easy field-to-road transformation,” he adds.

On the business end of the 1436, C-Flex® mounted gang assemblies provide rock protection and are offset to center the standard between the blades for optimum material flow through the machine. “Blade spacings are 8 ¾ inches or 9 ½ inches with 24-inch full-concavity boron blades, with a rollable boron blade option available,” Kuster says. “Sunflower’s trunnion bearings provide positive alignment, eliminate wear between the bearing and housing, and ensure positive lubrication with triple-lip seals that cannot be damaged by over-greasing. As the C-Flex bearing standards move, gang bearings have to constantly realign, and the heavy-duty trunnion bearing allows them to do so,” he points out.

Behind the 1436, operators have the option of three finishing reels to finish the soil in the wake of discing. Explains Kuster: “Growers can choose either 11- or 14-inch-diameter flat-bar reels for aggressive clod and residue crushing, or the 14-inch-diameter chevron-rod type preferred for soil compression.”

The heavy-duty A-frame tongue on the 1436 eliminates twisting stress during field operations common on implements with single-tube tongues, and comes with two mounting positions to match tractor drawbar heights. A single-lip Class V hitch features a safety tow chain, a tongue jack, electrical and hose docking, and storage for the operator’s manual.

Sunflower is known around the world as a producer and marketer of top-quality products with exceptional customer support. Quality and service are what today’s professional producers expect from their equipment and what Sunflower provides.

Source:sunflowermfg.com.


Trending Video

The FCDC and AgSmart Bring Plant Breeding to a Wider Audience

Video: The FCDC and AgSmart Bring Plant Breeding to a Wider Audience

In the vast prairies of Alberta, Olds College’s Field Crop Development Centre (FCDC) stands as a beacon of innovation and research in the agricultural world. The institution has become a key player in advancing agricultural technologies and practices. The FCDC’s commitment to applied research has driven them to seek effective means of disseminating their findings and creating a positive impact on the farming community.

One such avenue that aligns with their mission is AgSmart, an event dedicated to showcasing cutting-edge agricultural technologies. The coming together of the FCDC’s annual Field Day and Ag Smart has proved to be a natural fit, fostering a synergy that benefits both parties and propels the agriculture industry forward. The FCDC Field Day took part in conjunction with AgSmart for the first time this week on Aug. 1-2 in Olds, Alta. FCDC Program Director Kofi Agblor and Olds College VP of Development Todd Ormann sat down for an interview with Marc Zienkiewicz to discuss the significance of the two events taking part together and what the future holds.

The Intersection of Research and Technology The essence of the FCDC lies in its dedication to plant breeding and new seed varieties, particularly barley and triticale. While conducting research is essential, it becomes meaningful when its benefits are shared with the wider community. This is where AgSmart steps in, providing a key venue for the FCDC to showcase their research. This union between research and technology creates a holistic and enriching experience for farmers, ranchers, and industry professionals, the pair said.

Seeds as Technology For the FCDC, the partnership with AgSmart goes beyond mere event collaboration. It is about creating an environment that bridges the gap between seeds and smart technology, Ormann said. The college believes that for technology to truly revolutionize agriculture, it must begin with a strong foundation — high-quality seeds. As the saying goes, “it all starts with a seed.” To demonstrate this critical aspect, the collaboration aims to showcase the seed value chain as an integral part of the smartphone.

The Birth of a Powerful Alliance The idea of joining forces emerged when staff realized the potential synergy between AgSmart and the FCDC Field Day. With just a few days separating the two events, a proposal was put forward to merge them. The marketing and communications teams from both sides worked seamlessly to ensure the essence of both events remained intact, creating a powerful alliance that leverages the strengths of each, Agblor said.

Driving Advancements in Breeding For Agblor, the partnership with AgSmart has tremendous potential to drive advancements in breeding and other technology. With technologies like drones and imaging becoming integral to phenotyping, breeding is no longer confined to vast fields to assess thousands of plants manually. Instead, it benefits from the data-rich insights brought about by smart technologies. These advancements make breeding more efficient, precise, and instrumental in shaping the future of agriculture.

Overcoming Challenges Together While the partnership between Olds College and Ag Smart has been a resounding success, there are challenges on the horizon. Securing stable funding for long-term breeding initiatives is crucial to sustain progress. The college is committed to navigating these challenges and investing in agriculture’s future sustainably, Agblor said.