Field tested: Poettinger 5000T Terradisc

POETTINGER 5000T TERRADISC

A review by farmers for farmers

       
ed tollenaar             jeff van loon            dave vandewalle
MONKTON, ON              DUBLIN, ON                  DUBLIN, ON

the poettinger 5000T TERRADISC falls into the category of mulch tilling. “The machine is used to size the material, to work that residue into the top few inches of the soil,” explains Dennis Martin from Poettinger Canada Inc. “So you have decomposition of the residue over the winter and in the spring you have more organic matter and a nice fertile seed bed for planting.”

“I was impressed how the Poettinger unit tilled the ground and I think it would have a lot of uses,” says Ed Tollenaar, a cash crop farmer in Monkton. “It would be a good machine for someone wanting to do a minimum till.”

PHOTO: CHECKING THE DEPTH

leaving residue
Poettinger designed the TERRADISC in recognition of the trend towards minimal tillage. The versatile tool can also be used for seed bed preparation. “Normally in mulch tillage you want to leave 30 to 80 percent of the residue on the surface,” recommends Martin.

“It’s leaving a nice amount of trash on top,” notes Jeff Van Loon, who grows corn, soybeans and edible beans south of Dublin, Ontario. “At first I thought it was leaving too much of the stubble still standing straight up, so we adjusted the angle so that it was cutting more to the ground and that made it quite a bit better.”

“It’s done a nice job, nice and even. But it does need a little more monitoring to make sure it is set properly,” says Dave Vandewalle, a cash crop farmer near Dublin. “We made a couple of adjustments to make sure the front end of the unit was adjusted, we had to set it a little deeper, and we did play with the overall location of the front and back,” he explains.

And if not set up properly, Tollenaar says, “it would not make it to a level seed, or level base depth.” Van Loon agrees, “I felt like it was a little bit up and down, ridged more than I’d like.”

making adjustments
According to Martin, no tool is required to adjust the depth and angle of the disk. But the farmers have a difference of opinion when it comes to how easy it is to make adjustments.

“The adjustments were very easy to make, it’s nicely set up that way”
says Tollenaar.

photo: tilling wheat stubble

However, Van Loon encountered a few problems when trying to alter the set-up. “It’s not as easy as I’d hoped,” he says. “You actually have to set the implement down, back the equipment up to take some of the pressure off it; we had to get in and out two or three times. Then you have to physically move a plate on there that you had to shake to get it to move.”

The machine is easy to hook up to a tractor using a quick hitch or a drop bar on the side of the machine. And it’s easy to maintain. “There are very few grease fittings on the machine; usually just on the pivot points and the hydraulic holding the wings,” notes Martin, “and the bearings are all accessible on the discs of the cutter unit.”

“The machine is very user friendly,” notes Vandewalle. “I think it is a very well-built machine.”

Watch a video version of this review online at ontariograinfarmer.ca. In the next instalment of Field Tested, we review the Case IH?7120 Combine.  Look for it in March. •

Watch a video version of this review here:

Watch a video version of this review online at ontariograinfarmer.ca. In the next instalment of Field Tested, we review the Case IH 7120 Combine.  Look for it in March. •

spec sheet

• Working width 16.4′ / 5.0 m
• Number of discs 40
• Height of frame 31.5″ / 800 mm
• Inter disc gang distance 31.5″ / 800 mm
• Transport width 9.84′ / 3.0 m
• Precision adjustment: depending on the type of soil, working depth and speed, the two rows of discs can be moved centrally in 5 stages.
• Maintenance-free bearings
• Large discs (20″ / 510 mm diameter) available in either scalloped or plain versions.
• Standard tires 500/45 17, Optional 560/45 22.5 for softer conditions.
• Trailed machines can be supplied with air brakes or hydraulic brakes to enhance safety while travelling at the maximum permissible speed of 40 kph.
• A turning angle of up to 95° is possible with tractor widths of 13.12′ / 4.20 m.

Equipment provided by:
Poettinger Canada Inc.
www.poettinger.ca/us/ •