A third Gaspardo Direct Seeding Drill fo Sims Contractors

12/01/2018

Robert Sims of Sims Contractors Ltd, Otaki, on the Kapiti Coast, has recently taken delivery of his 3rd Gaspardo drill. The improved Gigante Pressure is a heavy-duty direct seeding drill, built to work in extreme conditions.

After only a short trial, Robert has high hopes of another hardwearing machine that will stand up to the challenges of Kapiti’s long narrow strip of coastal ground, where it’s not unusual to find 3 or 4 soil types in one paddock.

He said, “It’s the results we get that bring us back. No matter what sort of seed or what sort of ground, we always seem to get a reasonable strike.”

The new Gaspardo Gigante has several new design features that Robert feels will show it to be an improved and resilient machine.

The hopper has a new rotated and lowered position. “It is definitely an advantage for loading and for achieving a lower centre of gravity. Previously, the bins were side by side and when running small seed with fertiliser the weight distribution could be very uneven, leading to stability problems. Now that the fertiliser and seed bins are one in front of the other, the weight is centralised. Stability is greatly improved.”

When comparing with his old machine Robert notes, “The row units and in particular the pins and bushes have been enlarged and strengthened. Larger bearings have been substituted on the arms and press wheels. These are heavy wearing points and are responsible for pivoting the whole disc arm in order to go over undulations. It contours really well owing to the amount of movement possible in the arm. I expect these improvements to add up to a longer working life.”

Robert believes the new central greasing system to be a great benefit. With one easy to access greasing point on each side of the machine, Robert said, “It’s far more likely that good maintenance will occur if greasing has become a simpler operation. As this is a daily task it is a big improvement.”

The fan at the front of the machine has been enlarged to create improved air pressure for the hopper and the air-seeding unit. Robert is expecting it to give the opportunity to run at lower rpm yet maintain a good flow rate.

The Gigante is now ISOBUS compatible. Robert said, “Running through the tractor’s ISOBUS system means we can use the tractor monitor. It functions really well.

The E-Drive system is now a standard feature and eletronically controls the seed and fertiliser distribution using ground speed or GPS.

“It makes calibration easy,” Robert said. “We currently run through ground speed as we find it a bit sharper to use.”

Lastly, the Gigante has been put onto bigger wheels. “We used to wear wheels out quite frequently. Now I expect less wear, less compaction on arable paddocks, improved traction on soft ground and a better performance on the roads. The addition of hydraulic accumulators on the transport wheels makes a big difference,” he said.

Stephen Alford of Power Farming Manawatu, has supplied Robert’s previous 2 Gaspardo drills as well as the new Gaspardo Gigante. Robert commented, “He seems to run a tight business. They give us good service and back up and we stick with them for that reason.”

Robert concluded, “All the Gaspardo drills have achieved outstanding results compared with other drills I’ve operated. It is their performance and results that keep me with Gaspardo.”

Click here to learn more about Gaspardo Gigante