The plough is set to be with us for a long while yet, and manufacturers are by no means giving up on the development of this ancient tool, despite the calls for its banishment.

Pottinger is no exception and as part of its recent launch event in Austria, it introduced a new on-land option for its Servo 4000 top end model.

This is not a completely new plough, but the modification is an addition which brings a far greater versatility to the original item, and it should appeal to those customers who are looking to minimise soil damage, while still being able to achieve total soil inversion.

Spinning the plough — Turning the plough on the headlands is several seconds quicker when it is in on-land mode

Ploughing in furrow has the advantage of greater grip, especially in wetter conditions, but if it can be avoided, then on-land ploughing has many benefits.

Caring for the soil

The first of these is soil preservation. All the ground pressure exerted by the tractor is on the soil surface, on ground which will be turned over and cultivated, therefore, compaction can be more readily avoided.

On the other hand, with in-furrow ploughing the wheels, can cause compaction from the depth of the furrow bottom downwards, in soil that will not be tilled, leaving deeper compaction from the ploughing pass.

On-land ploughing also allows for the user of wider tyres or even tracks, and is better for the operators lower back, as they are not sitting at an angle all day while trying to keep their torso upright.

Wheels next to furrow — The plough was set to allow the wheels to run 20cm from the furrow edge

It has taken a while for Pottinger to bring such a plough to the market as most of its competitors already offer the facility.

However, the Pottinger unit is designed to become a fully functional on-land plough, rather than just a variable width unit set at its maximum angle.

Although ploughing from the land might be advantageous, the tractor has to be steered precisely alongside the furrow, rather than be guided by it, which is where satellite tractor guidance becomes a great aid to the operation, and this was being made full use of on the day.

Lightweight ploughs

For the more modest tillage operator, Pottinger has brought a new series of smaller ploughs, known as the Servo 2000 series, suitable for tractors of up to 130hp.

Servo 2000 series ploughs — Little difference between slatted and standard mould boards on these two servo 2000 ploughs

With the Servo 2000 P, Pottinger presents its first lightweight reversible plough with hydraulic furrow width adjustment, and there is the choice for either hydraulic or mechanical break back protection across the range.

The Servo 2000 ploughs are available with three to four furrows, as well as various underbeam clearances and point-to-point spacings.

Servo three furrow plough. — Mounted on a 100hp tractor the set up was making easy work of the almost perfect soil conditions

The company claims that with its Servomatic control centre and four point linkage, the plough is quick and easy to set up and so can be adjusted for different tractors with minimal effort.

Fellow Austrian

Pulling the three furrow model with slatted boards was a 117hp Lintrac 100 from Austrian manufacturer Lindner, a rare site in Ireland, but a well-respected brand in its home market.

Lintrac 100 with plough — The ultra manoeuvrable Lintrac 100 from fellow Austrian company, Lindner

These tractors are not the cheapest on the market, but they do come with rear wheel steering, a ZF CVT and, rarely for a tractor nowadays, a Perkins diesel – once a major supplier to the tractor industry.

Staying with the theme that small is beautiful, Pottinger also brought to the launch day, a new Fox 3000 D compact disc harrow set combined with Vitasem M 3000 DD drill.

With a 3m working width and a low power requirement, the Fox 3000 D combination is a fuel efficient tool for seeding

The disc diameter is 410mm and the company claims that the disc angle and inclination has been optimised to the soil is intensively loosened, mixed and levelled while requiring just 80 horse power to pull it.

The overall design is one of compactness, bringing the weight close to the rear of the tractor, allowing smaller, and therefore lighter, tractors to be used.

Tractor size

However, when a seed drill, such as the Vitasem, is piggy backed on to the rear a larger frame tug will be required to handle the extra weight.

On the day, the combination was mounted on a Valtra N155 with a 1,500kg front end weight, giving it good stability and ensuring there was plenty of power available, while not creating a high fuel demand.

Valtra with seed drill — Matched to a 152hp Valtra N series the seeding combination was working well on the alluvial soils

The whole set up worked well on the easily managed soil where a power harrow was not necessary, which it often is on the heavier and wetter soils of Ireland,

Yet, these events can be as much about suggesting how the machinery might be used as they are showing off the latest implements, and Pottinger were selling this economical to operate combination well.

6m power harrow

The power harrow itself has not been neglected for the company has added another model to its Lion range, the V 6040 which, as the name suggests, is a 6m unit folding to 2.55m for transport.

Lion power harrows folding — Pottinger has added a 6m model to the Lion power harrow line up, the powered cooling fan prevents the gearbox from overheating

The overall concept is to produce a short machine with a centre of gravity close to the rear of the tractor, which may be up to 320hp for all the models in the range.

They can be run at either 540 or 1,000 RPM and there are a variety of gear sets available for altering the actual rotor speed to suit soil conditions.

Gearbox on power harrow — Rotor speed can be adjusted by changing gear sets in the two lateral gear boxes

There are a number of rear rollers to choose from and it may also be fitted with an Aerosem FDD drill, fed from a front tank, to create a one pass seeding tool.

Overall, the impression given by Pottinger was that despite the downturn in sales life must go on, and the company is not holding back from the development of new machinery.

It is growing in strength here in Ireland and with the energy and commitment to serving the farmer on display at Krems that is only likely to continue.

Caring for the soil

Lightweight ploughs

Fellow Austrian

Tractor size

6m power harrow

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On-land plough and power harrows from Pottinger