New Shearer ‘Mach 4 prototype’ put through its paces at Brookton

A new John Shearer “Mach 4 prototype” seeding bar is being put through its paces at Brookton by sheep and cropping farmers Murray and Ian Hall.

Working in conjunction with H. Rushton & Co, Brookton, the Halls have been trying to find a strong bar that can operate using a one-system approach to handle vastly differing conditions in soil types and landscapes.

H. Rushton & Co dealer principal Damien Rushton said the new 16.7m (55ft) double fold seeder bar had eight sections and 25cm (10-inch) spacings suitable for dual shoot, dual liquid (SE14 and Flexi N).

He said the bar had a tyne opener with load sensing press wheel, hydraulic tyne breakout with control from seat, tyne shank retracts for transport clearance, and stubble build-up clearance.

The press wheel (70mm) oscillates 30 degrees side to side to allow seeding around bends.

“The centre press wheel has a load cell so the Topcon precision guidance system can adjust pressure down on the tynes dependent on soil types, whether it adjusts lighter or heavier,” Mr Rushton said.

“Seed placement has adjustability through the seed tube, a 50mm closer, and also the press wheel has adjustment to get perfect placement of seed.

“The hydraulics have been designed to a minimum requirement from the tractor through a manifold and switch box system.”

Murray Hall said the “over-manufactured” rig was unique and had been in the works for a couple of years.

“It is not something that can be bought off the shelf yet,” he said.

He said in the initial discussions with John Shearer he also requested the rear piping be upgraded from plastic to stainless steel for longevity and better durability.

“The previous bar we used had a lot of cracking in the structure due to the amount of turning we do and the heavy obstacle country we have,” Mr Hall said.

“John Shearer designed the rig and we tweaked it.

“It has all chrome pins for durability and maintenance, as well as new tech bushes.

“The shape of the C shank also allows it to go into the heavy stubbles without a problem.”

Mr Hall said the rig arrived from South Australia last year but it had to be sent back for some alterations, which proved to be a good decision.

It arrived just in time for seeding this year and has already been bogged twice due to recent Heavy rains.

All up the Case IH quad track tractor, John Shearer seeding bar and Morris air seeder weighs 60 tonnes when fully loaded. It can also pull an additional liquid tank at the rear if required, with a separate control system incorporated in the Topcon control.

Mr Hall said after initial stalls in the program he had finally hit the straps with seeding of canola almost completed for the year — but there’s been some early starts and late finishes to catch up.

Using a Morris Topcon precision guidance system, the seeding bar can deliver 2kg of canola per hectare at a rate of 10ha per hour, travelling at a maximum speed of 7.5km/h.

The bar is designed to rip the soil, inject liquid and granular fertiliser, place the seed at a 15mm depth, cover it over and press it down in a one pass system with added seed liquids if required — often on variable rate control.

With the swivel wheels it can also do this while manoeuvring around obstacles such as trees or boulders, which are in abundance on Mr Hall’s farms.

“A typical bar will slide across furrows, wasting seed in between the rows, as it goes around a turn,” he said.

“It can damage tynes and the bar itself over time.

“This system is designed to reduce the wear and tear on the bar while reducing wastage and achieving maximum results.”

This season Mr Hall will plant about 4000ha in canola, oats, lupins, wheat and barley.

The seeding rig is pulled behind a Case IH STX-450 quad track, which he said was able to handle the undulating landscape far better than a wheeled tractor with less compaction.

“If we had a wheeled tractor we’d be spinning the tyres with the load we are pulling on this sloping terrain,” he said.

“The quad track just grips better and follows the guidance system programmed in.”

The new seeding rig is being trialled for its ability to handle different soil types, which range from heavy clay to sandy, plus heavy stubbles to tight cloddy clover pastures across multiple farms in the area.