Environmental Tillage Systems (ETS) is releasing a new three-point mounted strip-till system, the SoilWarrior Edge.
The SoilWarrior Edge combines the durability and versatility of a SoilWarrior system with a tractor mounted three-point system designed for primary tillage and zone freshening. Operators can make adjustments to the system easily from their tractor cab, such as switching from 12 to 16 rows or changing row unit down pressure.
Designed with transportation safety in mind, the SoilWarrior Edge toolbar double folds, utilizing a 6-row center section compared to an 8-row center section found on other toolbars.
“The Edge’s row unit is very adaptable. You can utilize a shank or coulter row or a combination. It does the same thing as two row units but in one,” Brent Brueland, ETS Vice President, says. “If an operator has a different brand of tillage equipment and wants to replace their row units with ours, they can because the SoilWarrior Edge is built for all standard toolbars. It also has the capability to apply multiple, different fertilizers — dry, liquid and NH3 — and from different sources: pull-behind carts or tractor mounted.”
Putting It To The Test
Among a number of reasons for developing the SoilWarrior Edge was a demand from the field for a 3 point-system, particularly by growers and custom tillage applicators. Ty Fickenscher, owner of Upward Ag Services in Axtell, Neb., had the opportunity to participate in pre-commercial testing in 2020 with the SoilWarrior Edge.
“We pushed the system during this season. We covered about 2,400 acres with it, which was about four times more than we planned to cover, and got into some really tough, dry conditions. It was very durable. The knives we used held up on those 2,400 acres we ran. On other systems, we’d run for 900 or 1,000 acres and have to switch the knives out,” Fickenscher says.
Fickenscher also pointed to how he found the residue flow to be to his liking with no plugging issues, giving him the option to go across rows while running the system.
Building On Innovative Strip-Till Technology
The SoilWarrior Edge is a complete precision strip-till and nutrient placement system that combines the seedbed preparation of conventional tillage with the economic and environmental advantages of conservation tillage. This system helps minimize equipment passes, enables precise fertilizer placement, helps reduce soil erosion and improves soil health. A single SoilWarrior Edge can replace multiple implements, including primary and secondary tillage equipment and fertilizer applicators.
Capable of operating under a wide range of conditions, the SoilWarrior Edge doesn't smear or shear the soil structure or leave voids beneath the surface. The seedbed created by the SoilWarrior Edge allows for planter ride quality, helps enable accurate and consistent seed placement and optimal plant uptake of fertilizer blended throughout the zone.
