Simon Percival - TS Drill

As a self-confessed power-harrow drill fanatic, Simon Percival reckons few drilling systems have the ability to match, let alone equal, a correctly set combination over a wide variety of field conditions.

“With a plough or cultivator preparing ground, the power harrow combination becomes a great all-rounder,” he says. “Seedbed quality is superb and it’s a weather-proof system that comfortably handles our 600ha drilling workload.”

But the opportunity to take on a further 404ha of contract farming on a stubble-to-stubble basis for the north Yorkshire contractor introduced him to the TS drill - the 4m drill was one of several items of equipment that came with the contract farming agreement.

“I was impressed with the simplicity and the efficiency of the drill, but less so with the final appearance of the seedbed,” he says. “But the system offered huge potential to deliver lower establishment costs for customers, when compared to our 3m power harrow drill outfit.”

Convinced of the TS drill’s principle, he looked to the new TS Evo version, and chose front levelling board and rear press wheel options to deliver the quality of finish so many of his customers sought.

“I opted for a wider, 4.8m version to gain a little more output too,” he says. “And I’m very impressed with the results provided by this new drill.”

With two drilling systems in place at the general contracting business that D&A Percival and Son operates from Northfield Farm at Patrick Brompton, it has been easy for Simon Percival to compare and contrast.

And both are used on identical New Holland T6080 tractors, making comparisons that much easier.

“The TS follows a 6m power harrow, and knocks out an effortless 8 acres/hour, while the power harrow drill combination manages 4-5 acres/hour following the plough, or cultivator,” he says. “And where the combination needs two tanks of diesel in a day, the TS uses just three quarters of a tank of diesel.”

He says the two systems no longer differ when it comes to seedbed quality, which he believes is a result of the TS drill’s front levelling board and rear press wheel options.

 “We’ve been able to successfully establish cereal crops with the TS in extremely tough areas where we have previously struggled to get any form of sensible germination from the power harrow combination,” he says.

“The TS drill puts seed into a fine tilth below any clods, which boosts germination by a huge margin,” he adds. “Despite the dry spring conditions, our crops look fantastic.”

“And once customers can see what is possible, and how much they can save on establishment costs, I expect the TS to take on the lion’s share of our drilling contracts,” he says. “Though there will always be customers who will stick with the power harrow drill system, which will work better after maize and also when following ploughed grass.”

Of the two drilling outfits, Simon Percival also prefers the TS drill’s electric drive seed metering system.

“It is just so accurate, that I would never consider a mechanical system again,” he adds. “After drilling a 70 acre field with rape, I had just 0.05kg of seed left over.”

 (June 11)