7. The furrow press

It is important to retain soil moisture, especially when ploughing in dry conditions during the autumn. Rolling as soon as possible after ploughing is one solution to this problem. The furrow press, a narrow version of a Cambridge roll with one or two sets of widely spaced rings, is an alternative method of consolidating freshly ploughed land.

A furrow press can be attached to a plough or a hydraulic linkage in front of the tractor. Rear presses are pulled from a special drawbar bolted to the plough. Working widths which vary from about 1-3 m are suitable for three- to seven-furrow ploughs, and the width of some models can be increased or decreased to a certain extent. Furrow presses can be used with an even larger plough by attaching two or three units at intervals along the frame. Trailed furrow presses either have a three-point linkage hitch for transport purposes or can be lifted above the plough with a hydraulic ram and carried in that position.

In operation, a rear-attached furrow press is automatically detached when the plough is lifted at the headland. The furrow press has a double pick-up arm which provides a method of connecting it to a revers­ible plough in both directions of travel. After turning on the headland, the plough is lowered into work and a towing hook on the plough engages with the furrow press pick-up arm. Care is needed when lowering the plough to ensure that the press is coupled successfully.

Furrow presses can also be used on a front linkage or suspended from a heavy duty arm which pivots on a frame attached to the front of the tractor (Fig. 30). Front-mounted furrow presses - some have an automatic steer­ing mechanism - are often used in conjunction with rear-mounted power harrow and drill combinations.

The arm-mounted front press is moved from the left- or right-hand side of the tractor with a hydraulic ram and is held centrally in front of the tractor for transport purposes.

Plate 30. A hydraulic ram swings this front-mounted furrow press across to the other side of the tractor when it returns across the field.

8. Toolbars

These can be mounted at the front, underneath or behind a tractor. A wide range of imple­ments, including ridging bodies, cultivator tines, hoe blades, etc. can be fitted to suit various rowcrop widths. The tractor wheels must also be set to suit the row widths.

Inter-row hoes may be fitted on a front-, mid-or rear-mounted toolbar. Front hoes are very sensitive to slight movements of the steering wheel but give good visibility of the row. Mid-mounted hoes are less sensitive to steering changes but visibility of work is not good.

'L' shaped or side hoe blades are used to cut weeds close to the rows and 'A' hoes remove weeds between the rows. Some inter-row hoes have plant protection shields to prevent soil being thrown over the plants when they are small.

Traditionally, rear-mounted steerage hoes with a second operator to steer the hoe were in common use but, except for organic crop pro­duction, steerage hoes are now rarely used.

Fig. 31. A rear-mounted inter-row hoe with shields to protect the young plants.

Rear-mounted inter-row hoes (Fig. 31)with frames up to 9 m wide, sometimes with a seat for a second person to guide the hoe blades when working in closely spaced rows, are still made. The number of independently mounted hoe units, often with zero-pressure tyres, will depend on row spacing and frame width. Inter-row hoes, some wide enough to hoe eighteen rows of sugar beet at a time, are also made for use on a three-point linkage at the front of a tractor. Wide front- and rear-mounted toolbars are hydraulically folded for transport. Electronics are also used to guide rowcrop equipment at high speed using a video camera and an automatic hydraulic side-shift mechanism on the toolbar.

Inter-row hoeing and cultivating are an important part of organic crop production both for cereals and vegetables. Organic cereals are usually drilled in widely spaced rows and either inter-row hoed or cultivated with spring tines on a front- or rear-mounted tool frame (Fig. 32).

Rowcrop work in potatoes and vegetables grown in beds using ridging bodies, cultivator tines or weeders is another important use of tractor toolbars.

Fig. 32. Inter-row cultivation of a crop of organic wheat grown in widely spaced rows. The toolbar is equipped with an electronic guidance systems.