Exapta solutions, a division of Pinnacle Crop Tech. Inc., has introduced its Hagny HCS furrow closing system designed for no-till.

Soil Diversity

According to Matt Hagny, a no-tiller and crop consultant from Salina, Kan., this patent-pending concept completes the job by slicing and crumbling the sidewall, not squeezing, while producing a desirable seedling environment. This environment is conducive across a wide range of soil moisture conditions in low-disturbance no-till, including cohesive clays, Hagny explains.

The Hagny HCS closing system holds spoked wheels at a high camber value (50 degrees from vertical) with the spoke tips meeting the midline of the furrow, causing the spokes to shear completely through the sidewall and push the fragmented soil into the furrow as the wheel rotates. Seed placement, Hagny says, is not disrupted. The furrow is consistently covered with loose material for more uniform, rapid emergence and the sidewall is shattered for better crown root development.

Features

On no-till planters, the Hagny HCS system replaces the original closing wheel frame with a new mounting block and two independent arms, each holding a spoked wheel in a staggered pattern.

Arms can be spaced in or out to compensate for spoke wear or misaligned row units. A downpressure spring on each arm reduces hopping of the wheel and keeps it positively engaged in the soil, Hagny says. Since the Hagny HCS system does no significant firming of the soil, it must be used in conjunction with a seed firmer or seed-lock wheel.

Hagny HCS is available…