Robert Lenton - CTS Evo

When looking for a suitable stubble cultivator to take the place of his 7-furrow plough for primary cultivations, Cambridgeshire grower Robert Lenton opted for the CTS Evo.

“I like the way the CTS Evo gradually works soil through its different cultivation elements,” he says. “Most machines make a big hit upfront, and then spend the rest of their time trying to hammer out a seedbed.”

“With its front discs, followed by tines and then subsoiling legs with leveling tines and Cracker Packer rear roller, the CTS Evo is much more progressive than anything else on the market.”

From Depden Farm, Godmanchester, Mr Lenton farms a total of 700ha comprising a rotation of winter-sown oilseed rape, wheat, barley and beans.

His intention was to streamline the cultivation and crop establishment process from the traditional plough, press twice, drill and roll regime that has proved popular on the heavy land farm.

A demonstration from Lodgeway Tractors saw the CTS remain on farm, in readiness for last autumn’s cultivation program. Since then, the plough has been put to one side for rotational ploughing purposes, allowing the cultivator to deliver a seedbed in just one pass.

“With the discs, tines and legs properly set, one pass with the CTS Evo is easily good enough to drill into,” he says. “It leaves the surface so level, that my neighbours commented on the quality of finish it creates.”

“We put all our rape in last season using the CTS fitted with a Techneat Terracast seeder, then used the machine to prepare almost 500ha of cereal seedbeds,” he says. “And it does move all the soil across the full working width.”

Launched at last year’s Cereals event, the CTS Evo series can now be specified with front mixing discs, as used on the lighter-duty CTC cultivator range.

The optional front discs can be straight-profiled or scalloped mixing discs and are followed by two rows of stubble tines that create a vigorous mixing and soil boiling effect.

For those who prefer not to choose the front disc option, the machine can be equipped with an additional row of tines.

The levelling discs from the original version have been replaced by levelling tines which are now located behind the CTS’ deep loosening legs and ahead of the rear packer roll.

Power for Mr Lenton’s 3m CTS Evo comes from a Challenger 755 equipped with auto-steering guidance, which he says is comfortably on top of the task.

“We have increased our productivity and saved a significant amount of fuel too,” he says. “Compared to our previous cultivation system, I expect we’ve saved between 6-7,000 litres of diesel over 500ha.”

“And the auto steering allows us to make gentle headland turns, knowing that we can easily and accurately match up on 3m working widths anywhere in the field.”

“We now produce much better quality seedbeds while using less diesel and in much less time,” he says. “It really is without competition.”

 (June 2011)