Horsch Avatar delivers impressive results 28/10/18
For South-east Australian seeding contractor Adrian Gibbs, buying a Horsch Avatar direct seed drill with single disc coulter has brought impressive results. Adrian’s clients have told him the Avatar has given them the best germination results for lucerne they’ve ever seen.
He bought his six-metre Avatar with 6” row spacing in March 2018 from Swan Farm Machinery in Meningie. It was one of the first two Avatar machines Horsch distributors Muddy River Agricultural brought into Australia.
The Avatar SD has a compact design with a solid build and is engineered for maximum efficiency and manoeuvrability. It has 36 seed coulters with up to 250kg coulter pressure. The two-bar design improves operation in heavier harvest residues, reducing the incidence of blockings. The six-metre working width folds to 2.89m for transport.
Adrian said he chose the Avatar seed drill only after lots of research, talking to many people and looking at the build and operation of many different seeders.
“It’s my first experience with a Horsch machine and I’m rapt with it. People talk about German engineering and how the Horsch machines are precision-built for the job. Well, I sowed 2780 hectares without touching a bearing and that’s something to get excited about. I was changing a bearing a week with our previous disc seeder,” he said.
He sowed the 2780 hectares in very varied terrain including stiff clay soils, sandy loam, rocky flats and sandhills. With the depth control wheel located directly at the seed coulter and a strong frame eliminating sideways movement, the coulter was able to maintain correct sowing depth even in uneven soils. A press wheel then closed the seed furrow and covered the seed.
“Every job is different,” Adrian said. “We sometimes have three different soil types in one paddock. The Avatar handled it all with no trouble and gave consistently precise depth control. The ground following capability is excellent and I got really accurate seed placement. The result is very good, uniform germination and happy clients.”
Adrian uses a 5000-litre double hopper with a 60/40 partition to apply seed and fertiliser and also has the 200-litre micro-granular unit.
“It’s very useful to be able to add three products at once. I can do fertiliser, cereal and trace elements or small seed like clover all in one go,” he said.
“The Avatar is the best seeder I’ve used and the best I’ve seen. The coulter set-up does a very good job. My clients are very happy with the results and that’s good for business.”
For more information on the Avatar direct seed drill and other Horsch machinery, visit www.muddyriver.com.au or call your local Horsch dealer.
