Sunflower®, the leading tillage line from AGCO, unveils the 1436 Series disc harrow as the latest representative of the company’s successful 1400 Series tandem disc harrows. The 1436 brings industry-leading implement weight and weight per ground-engaging blade, along with an aggressive 20-degree overlapping front-disc angle and full-concavity disc blades, to handle heavy residue and turn it back to the microbial zone of the soil for quick decomposition. The result is a well-balanced tillage tool designed to meet the demands of today’s producers for optimum production and improved soil tilth and fertility. The 1436 offers producers optional blade spacing and three finishing-reel choices.

The 1436 brings industry-leading implement weight and weight per ground-engaging blade, along with an aggressive 20-degree overlapping front-disc angle and full-concavity disc blades, to handle heavy residue and turn it back to the microbial zone of the soil for quick decomposition.

On-the-go soil and residue mixing

“Residue management tillage has become one of the necessities of higher yields,” explains Larry Kuster, senior marketing specialist for tillage. “Heavy residue, particularly corn residue, can negatively affect the following season’s crop in many ways. Heavy residue remaining in the spring insulates the soil to prevent it from warming quickly, and field trash also holds moisture in the planting zone, which can delay timely planting,” he says. “Today’s high-yielding varieties are producing residue in volumes beyond the ability of planter attachments to deal with it sufficiently to ensure optimum crop emergence. The growing popularity of corn-on-corn farming demands that residue be sized and incorporated into the topsoil, where it can begin decomposition quickly with the aid of soilborne beneficial bacteria and fungi.

“The 1436 Series Sunflower disc has been designed specifically for this task,” continues Kuster. “The heavy frame, and increased weight per blade, the aggressive overlapping 20-degree front-disc gangs — which provide a smoothly worked surface the full width of the implement without additional center blades or shanks — and full-concavity disc blades provide a dependable system to slice through the thickest mat of BT corn residue to cut the stalks and mix them with the soil and start their decomposition. With ‘true cutting widths’ from 20 feet, 5 inches to 35 feet, 4 inches, the 1436 can match nearly any size farming operation.”

Heavy-duty features improve productivity and durability

Adjusting the tongue to match drawbar height is important to keep the tillage tool level and moving smoothly through the field, optimizing fuel use and minimizing wear on parts such as the drawbar, level lift assembly and other components that can receive unneeded down pressure if the tool is operated either nose down or tail down. A straight line of draft to the tool is the goal. Heavy-duty features improve productivity and durability

Sunflower engineers offset the front- and rear-disc gangs to allow the front gang to clear-cut the entire width of the soil profile, Kuster notes. “Most competitors use the heads-up or end-to-end setup that leaves an uncut ridge of soil. The 1436 eliminates this problem, and with its 20-degree front and 18-degree rear gang angles, provides producers with a level worked field with no ridges or valleys.”

The 1436 offers an optional dual cab-controlled spring-cushioned hydraulic fore-and-aft adjustment, as well as a mechanical adjustment standard.

The undercarriage of the 1436’s all-welded frame is designed to compliment the machine’s increased ground-holding weight with bigger walking-tandem mounted eight-bolt-hub wheels, as well as larger spindles and bearings throughout the 1436 model range (save for the 21-foot model, which does not have walking tandems on the wings). Gauge wheels on the 1436 are mounted with UHMW bearings for no-maintenance operation.

“UHMW bearings support the 1436’s lift system in all fold locations and lift pivot points,” says Kuster, explaining that the new lift system offers no twist-and-strain complications with its design, which allows easy folding to transport heights ranging from 9 feet, 4 inches to 16 feet, 1 inch, depending upon the model. “This lineup was designed especially to provide growers easy field-to-road transformation,” he adds.

On the business end of the 1436, C-Flex® mounted gang assemblies provide rock protection and are offset to center the standard between the blades for optimum material flow through the machine. “Blade spacings are 8 ¾ inches or 9 ½ inches with 24-inch full-concavity boron blades, with a rollable boron blade option available,” Kuster says. “Sunflower’s trunnion bearings provide positive alignment, eliminate wear between the bearing and housing, and ensure positive lubrication with triple-lip seals that cannot be damaged by over-greasing. As the C-Flex bearing standards move, gang bearings have to constantly realign, and the heavy-duty trunnion bearing allows them to do so,” he points out.

Behind the 1436, operators have the option of three finishing reels to finish the soil in the wake of discing. Explains Kuster: “Growers can choose either 11- or 14-inch-diameter flat-bar reels for aggressive clod and residue crushing, or the 14-inch-diameter chevron-rod type preferred for soil compression.”

The heavy-duty A-frame tongue on the 1436 eliminates twisting stress during field operations common on implements with single-tube tongues, and comes with two mounting positions to match tractor drawbar heights. A single-lip Class V hitch features a safety tow chain, a tongue jack, electrical and hose docking, and storage for the operator’s manual.

Sunflower is known around the world as a producer and marketer of top-quality products with exceptional customer support. Quality and service are what today’s professional producers expect from their equipment and what Sunflower provides.

(Source: sunflowermfg.com)