PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION OF THE GRAIN SEEDER
While the seeder is moving with the coulters lowered, the seeds and fertilizers contained in the boxes and bins flow by gravity into the receiving compartment of the sowing devices, from where they are grabbed by the rotating coils of grain and fertilizer mechanisms, directing them into the necks of the seed tubes.
From the seed tubes, the grain is delivered to the inter-disk space of the coulters and, through the structures guiding its movement, is placed on the bottom of the recess formed by the disks.
Following the placement of seeds and fertilizers, their incorporation into soil is carried out by the shelf mechanisms of the seeder.
Description of equipment
With intensive cultivation technology, to create a tramline, it is possible to overlap part of the cells. SKM and SZ grain-fertilizer seeders are equipped with additional removable units and can be used for a wide range of agricultural work:
- double-disc coulters and harrows - for row seeding;
- single-disc coulters - for overseeding and applying granular fertilizers without loosening the soil;
- two-line point openers and harrows - for crops with a planting depth of 30 mm (flax, legumes, certain types of grains);
- single-line point openers and harrows are designed for light soil types;
- double-disc double-row coulters and chain harrows - for sowing in narrow rows.
It is advisable to purchase grain-fertilizer seeders equipped with all the necessary removable mechanisms. Taking into account the agrotechnical conditions of the region and the characteristics of the composition and moisture of the soil.
Important. Removable equipment units from one manufacturer are not always universal and suitable for all grain and fertilizer seeders.
Sowing complexes
The production sector in agriculture is based on the intensive use of heavy machinery and high-quality equipment. Modern seeding technology is known for its versatility, high productivity and efficiency. With its help, mechanization processes become easier and faster. Manufacturers of agricultural equipment do not cease to improve the equipment supplied to the market, focusing on the growing and expanding needs of the industry.
Testing of new models of sowing equipment occurs constantly, and preference is increasingly given to automated units, the use of energy saving technologies and the modernization of the most advanced types of agricultural equipment.
Sowing complexes are among the modern equipment that is widely in demand in agriculture. These units are irreplaceable and are an important aspect of successful agricultural activities. With the help of a good model of a seeding complex, you can achieve significant cost reductions when growing grains and other types of crops.
Why are units such as a sowing complex so economical and beneficial for the agricultural industry? Firstly, because they are universal and replace many other types of sowing equipment. Naturally, fuel costs are reduced, and there is no longer a need for a large staff.
In one pass across the field, seeding complexes perform several operations at once, and thanks to this, operating time is significantly reduced.
Regardless of the model, the seeding complex is equipped with coulter arms, similar in appearance to arrows. They are the ones who prepare the soil for planting seeds by forming hollows in it. The depth of such pits for seeds can be adjusted by changing the height of the front wheels of the unit and reinstalling the adjusting elements on the hydraulic cylinders located at the rear.
The seeds are placed in the dispenser of the sowing complex, from where they pass into the pneumatic wire. Already there, the flow of seed material is regulated by special screws. Next, the built-in fan generates the required air flows, with the help of which the seeds fall into the distributor, and from it to the claw openers, which place the seeds into beds made in the soil.
When seeding of the material is completed, the strips are buried with a three-row harrow, and rollers help compact the soil at the seeding site. The undoubted advantage of seeding complexes is that they can work fully even on fields with very uneven terrain.
The best models of sowing complexes and prices
Sowing complexes constitute a separate category in the market of modern agricultural machinery. Manufacturers offer many models of such units, annually creating new lines of high-quality and functional equipment. It is interesting that foreign-made units predominate, but domestic manufacturers are not lagging behind. Along with such types of sowing complexes as Agrator, Kerner, Horsch, you can also see products created in the CIS countries (for example, Orion, Vector).
The table below provides an overview of the most famous and popular models of modern sowing complexes.
| Model name | Characteristics |
| Great Plains | The design of this sowing complex was developed by English and American engineers. The basis of the unit is a Great Plains Centurion 600 disc seeder with cultivator functions. It is ideal for both minimum and conventional tillage in the field. Works under different operating conditions, on different types of soil. Its coulters are equipped with 2 powerful discs offset by 8 mm relative to each other. This device allows the unit to form an optimal furrow for planting seeds. The openers have reinforced levers, which provide pressure on the ground up to 160 kg, and the paws easily penetrate deep into it. The volume of the seed hopper reaches 4100 l. Only seed or seeds mixed with fertilizers can be immersed in it. The machine helps to plant any seeds, including legumes. The seeding complex works effectively in combination with a tractor, the power of which varies between 150-400 hp. |
| Kuhn | The Kuhn CSC 6000 model seeding complex has a volume of up to 2000 liters and is equipped with a TF 1500 front-type hopper. The unit has a built-in system that helps cool the oil. Manufacturers also equipped this model with a folding frame, a vertically positioned cutter and a SEEDFLEX seeding section. All elements of the latter individually exert a pressure on the ground of up to 45 kg. This ensures uniform seeding depth even when the working speed is too high. The front hopper of the unit is located in such a way that the operator of agricultural machinery has a good view at a low loading height. In some modifications of the presented model, the bunker is equipped with a soil compactor located at the front, or a supporting frame capable of withstanding up to 1200 kg of loads. |
| Horsch | This category includes the universal modifications Pronto 6 DC and Pronto 12 NT. They will cost approximately 185 thousand euros. Horsch seed drills are suitable for planting seeds directly or in mulched and well-plowed soil. Sowing occurs at high speed, and the quality of seed placement is maintained at a high level. The fulfillment of all these conditions becomes possible thanks to the equipment of the units with compaction systems that ideally level the soil after the passage of sowing equipment. The working width of the machine varies between 3-12 m. The unit is compatible with tractors with a power of at least 110 hp. As for the capacity of the seed hopper, it can reach 12 thousand liters. |
| Kverneland | The standard Kverneland Accord U-Drill universal model has a working width of no more than 6 m and is equipped with a seed container with a volume of 4350 liters. The manufacturer of this machine emphasized that at an operating speed of 10-18 km/h, the sowing accuracy should be as high as possible. Kverneland Accord U-Drill equipment is equipped with disc harrows installed in 2 rows, as well as wheels with a diameter of 457 mm. The depth of seed placement (as well as the pressure of the coulters) is regulated by the operator from the tractor cabin. |
| Maschio Gaspardo | The Gaspardo Corona 600 sowing complex is represented by a modular device that gives the unit universal properties. With the help of such a machine, a farmer can plant seeds of grain crops and other types of agricultural vegetation. The seed tank in this machine has a volume of 3500 liters, the working width of the equipment is 6 m. The device operates at a speed of 10-15 km/h, demonstrating productivity within the range of 6-9 ha/h. Compatible with tractors operating with a power of 300 hp or more. |
SEEDER DESIGN
The main general structural elements of mechanized sowing complexes are:
- Frame frame equipped with devices for fastening or coupling the seeder with the tractor being aggregated;
- Several containers for seeds, sown crops - jars or boxes;
- Seeding devices designed for uniform supply of seeds from containers to seed lines;
- Openers that form depressions on the soil surface for placing seeds, in most models consisting of two disks that converge with each other in front and push the soil apart;
- Working elements covering seeds placed in furrows and leveling the soil surface.
In multifunctional seeders, along with containers for seeds, bunkers are organized for storing mineral fertilizers.
Containers for seeds of some models are equipped with tedders that destroy the arches of seed grains, operating from the drive of a tractor tractor or its own wheels through gear or chain drives.
On scattering type seeders, a scattering board is installed behind the working elements to ensure uniform distribution of seed material on the soil surface.
In Russian agricultural production, seeders are also used in combination with other soil-cultivating devices - plows, cultivators and ploughs. This combination allows sowing to be carried out simultaneously with other agricultural operations - plowing, loosening, and rolling the soil, as well as destroying weeds and applying fertilizers.
Design features
The design of the seeder includes the following features of components and parts that allow it to carry out sowing work with high quality and productivity:
- Copying coulters with differential depth adjustment.
- Rollers that compress the soil immediately after the seeds are buried.
- The presence of a hydraulic drive increases operating efficiency.
- The system for feeding seed into the soil is vacuum type.
- Capacious bunkers with a volume of up to 1800 liters, allowing you to sow large areas without refueling.
- A special attachment that makes it easier to attach the device to the mounted elements of the tractor.
