AQUEEL 2 OFFERS CONSOLIDATION AND CONSERVATION
Aqueel 2 extends Simba's consolidation range
Simba International Ltd’s Aqueel 2 is the company’s newest conservation roller, and can consolidated cultivated seedbeds to their full depth, while also impressing divots that reduce both water and wind erosion risk into the surface.
The roller is made from re-cycled car tyres, which have been re-capped so they are all of exactly the same size and finish. As a result, they leave an absolutely consistent, level and well-consolidated surface between the divots.
This finish also enables the roller to run cleaner, so it can be sooner after cultivations or rainfall than competitor machines, ensuring that both the consolidation needed to aid crop germination and growth and the protection against both water and wind erosion are achieved in timely fashion.
As an additional environmental benefit, Simba points out that re-capping the tyres means the company can now re-use tyres that previously it would have rejected, and which would have to be disposed of by other means.
“The re-capped tyres are slightly stiffer than those used on the predecessor CCR, but the finish is far more resistant to soil build-up, so its self-cleaning properties are greatly enhanced”, says Philip Wright, technical consultant to Simba.
“Effective rolling and consolidation is important to achieve optimum seed to soil contact, and also to facilitate effective movement of water through the soil – whether that be downward to assist drainage or upward to support plant growth.
“The Aqueel 2 has already proved itself to be more effective than a traditional Cambridge roll thanks to the action of the conical dibbers. These create some sideways soil displacement, which assists the consolidation effect provided by the roller’s body to reach the full seedbed depth.
“The dibbers are mounted on a block inside the tyre body, and when they contact the ground the main body of the tyre is compressed slightly, so while the dibber makes the central divot in the soil, the supporting body effectively creates a saucer around it, so a significant part of the soil surface is protected against erosion.
“Although the Aqueel 2 applies less weight to the soil surface than a traditional Cambridge roll (350kgs/metre vs 450kgs/m - 500kgs/m), it uses that weight more effectively and consolidates to full seedbed depth. A Cambridge Roll, in contrast, works from the surface down and so – on the kind of lighter soils where it is likely to be used – risks sealing the surface and causing capping”.
The Aqueel 2 will be available in ten separate working widths. The first to be launched will be 6.5m, 7.4m and 8.3m models, which come in three sections and fold to 2.5m wide, 1.75m high and 5m long for transport. The 6.5m model costs £9,287; the 7.4m version £10,200 and the 8.3m model £10,998.
Another seven widths of roller will be launched soon, these coming in two sections. These will be available at 3.8m; 4.2m; 4.6m; 5.5m; 6.6m; 7.6m and 8.23m, with prices due to be confirmed shortly.
