It’s official – the heaviest speed disc on the market! – Since its launch in 2015, the Speedtiller Powerflex^® has enjoyed a solid reputation among tillage equipment buyers for its durability and quality of design. In response to burgeoning customer demand, we’ve launched our widest and heaviest model yet: a 15.5m-wide and 22.5 tonne Powerflex machine which (for some funny reason) inherited the name “Mammoth”.

Check out the 2 minute video below!

We had received a lot of feedback from customers wanting to work larger areas more quickly than they could using the 12.5m model. Farmers and contractors are wanting to work bigger and bigger areas, and time means money, so obviously they want to work as much country as possible in the least amount of time.

Being 3m wider, the Mammoth allows an operator to till paddocks more quickly with fewer laps – saving time and saving money.

What are the Features of the Mammoth?

The K-Line Ag Mammoth has a variety of advantages to help address current issues in many farming operations. Features include:

1. Wing down pressure
   • Superior weed control
2. Quick Adjust Lateral Disc Positioning
   • Max weed control
   • Full disturbance
   • No sub ridges
   • Disc wear compensation
3. Proven extreme duty disc arms & hubs
4. Extreme duty bearings on rollers
5. Roller shock protection
6. Highly engineered frame

Has it been tried and tested?

You bet it has! As with all K-Line Ag machinery, the Mammoth has been successfully run in several applications over the last 6 months. It passed with flying colours, so we’re super excited that it’s now officially on the market!

Maximise your yield potential!

Interested in maximising your yield potential? Get in touch with our sales team on 1800 194 131, to find out more about the Mammoth and how it can help your operation!

The newest addition to the ever expanding range of K-Line machines is the 8.25m (27.06’) Speedtiller Powerflex^®. This is the fifth size available in the Powerflex^® configuration. it is ideally suited for the high end front wheel assist, 300 horse power+ tractor range of 8.25m giving it a true 8m working width, excellent for 8 row cotton configuration.

Powerflex Advantages

Tried & Proven

It’s been successfully trialed and has passed in-field testing with flying colours. Click below to watch the video of the 8.25m Speedtiller Powerflex^®.

If Australians have learned anything from the weather of the last few years, it should be that moisture needs management. It is never a given, and rain come in many forms, from too little to too much. Ensuring soils are prepped and ready for rain events and moisture collection can mean the difference between a great crop, a good crop and in the worst case, no crop.

Combatting Compaction

Deep ripping can be particularly useful on sandy soils, especially in instances where soils have been subject to years of repetitive compaction. Compacted soils compress soil particles together^[1]. The act of compression decreases pore space – the area between soil particles that allows water and air to reach under the surface. Pore spaces are critical not only to the movement of moisture to plant roots, but also to the decomposition processes build soil richness and humus. Yield losses due to compaction in just Western Australia are estimated at nearly $800 million per year^[2], as determined by research by the Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia (DAFWA)

Deep ripping re-establishes pore space by breaking up compaction and providing pathways between the surface and sub-surface areas of the soil profile. Breaking up compaction to improve moisture retention is best accomplished by utilising a standard ripping point, which allows for deep separation of compacted soil particles, also called “shatter,” without disturbing valuable organic matter on the soil’s surface^[3].

Mixing Profiles

Another way for deep ripping to improve a soil’s moisture retention capacity is when it enhances mixture between differing soil layers. In heavily stratified duplex soils, where sandier soils are layered over deeper clay soils, moisture penetration can suffer^[4]. While moisture might run freely into the sandier top layer soils, it can be stopped short by moisture-resistant clay soils. This can keep moisture from reaching optimal root depths, stunting plant growth and impeding seed development.

Using a cast wing point while deep ripping can cut through soil stratification and invert soil profiles, mixing soil types for better water penetration and overall moisture retention.

Yield Improvement in Small Grains and Legumes

Deep ripping on grain paddocks with sandy soils has repeatedly been shown to improve yields, and much of this improvement can be traced back to moisture availability. By increasing the pore spaces between soil particles, deep ripping brings moisture into the soil while simultaneously providing space for roots to develop. Additional root space in wheat crops translates into increased tillering, and studies in Western Australia and Victoria have shown yield increases of 25-40% following deep ripping treatments in sandy soils. Similar increases have been shown in legumes like chickpeas^[5].

Root development produces additional yield by not only increasing seed development, but also by increasing standability. Pore spaces and good root systems help moisture and air move between soil levels and through to the plant. This movement keeps moisture from stagnating around under-developed root systems, preventing lodging and producing more harvestable stalks.

Opportunistic Ripping

Another chance for producers to improve moisture retention through ripping is less easily characterised, but still important. Opportunistic ripping is the process of following a significant out-of-season rain event with a deep ripping pass. Opportunistic ripping creates pathways for newly deposited surface moisture to reach the subsoil. Without ripping, this moisture would otherwise remain on the surface, eventually evaporating back into the air with minimal impact to long-term soil moisture quality for next season’s crops. ,p>The methodologies for application of deep ripping to a soil and moisture management plan are complex, but the ability of the process to significantly impact retained moisture are too valuable to overlook. Capitalizing on opportunistic moisture and increasing retained soil moisture over time are management practices that translate to improved yields and money in the bank.

The methodologies for application of deep ripping to a soil and moisture management plan are complex, but the ability of the process to significantly impact retained moisture are too valuable to overlook. Capitalizing on opportunistic moisture and increasing retained soil moisture over time are management practices that translate to improved yields and money in the bank.

Ask 1000 farmers a question about how to raise their crops, and you’ll probably get 1000 different answers. For some, “the way it’s always been done” is the answer; for others, it’s the latest study or newest method. For most, the answer lies somewhere in between.

While opinions vary on a number of ag-related topics, one common topic of discussion is tillage frequency and its implications for soil health. No-till systems have been steadily gaining ground across the world since the 1950s, shortly after Edward Faulkner’s “Plowman’s Folly” raised awareness of the harm of deep mouldboard ploughing on American prairie soils. Faulkner’s tenets have spread over the intervening years, but additional research, university studies, and machine innovations have tempered some of his original observations.

But no-till isn’t always the most beneficial, particularly in harder soil types or those that pack tightly, like clays and clay mixes. These soils can develop hard pans at the 100mm to 150mm range, creating a host of problems^[1]. The pans keep water from penetrating more deeply into the soil, where it can nourish developing root systems and be locked away for future use during dry periods. Pooling water on the top few inches of soil causes other problems as well, like acidification of soils from accumulated fertilizers and additives. Some of these additives, like lime, have limited wicking penetration abilities, and without tillage, can only penetrate 15-20mm/year their own and must be constantly re-applied to provide benefit to the crop.

To address these issues while causing the least possible disturbance to soils, farmers have turned to minimally-invasive deep ripping with specialty tools like the K-Line MaxxRipper^®, strategically planning their tillage every 4 or 5 years in an otherwise no-till system. Deep rippers provide 200mm + deep soil disruption without sacrificing the residues and humus richness a minimal-till or no-till approach develops^[2].

Benefits of deep ripping include:

There are some additional short-term considerations when contemplating a strategic deep ripping till of a no-till system, particularly in regards to weather forecasting and rain expectations. However, managing these considerations are a small thing compared to the potential benefits a deep ripper can provide with your no-till subsoils.