Farmers are no strangers to volatility in the markets, and you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone in the agriculture industry who didn’t see the downturn in grain prices coming after years of record highs. Financial experts are recommending farmers make smart plans to operate on low margins for the next several seasons, as these high/low cycles in grain prices tend to last for five to ten years.
Compact discs are a smart, effective choice when grain prices are down.
Investing in equipment—and maybe adding a few bells and whistles that weren’t really needed—is something many farmers did when prices were high. Now that prices are down, the budget for new equipment has shrunk and farmers are looking to get plenty of bang for their buck when a new tool is needed.
A compact disc harrow is one piece of tillage equipment that farmers may be able to downsize to without sacrificing performance and results. Here are four reasons a compact disc harrow may be the perfect choice for your next tillage tool.
- Compact disc harrows may carry a price tag 30 to 50 percent less than their larger counterparts.
- Typically lighter than larger models by at least a few thousand pounds, they can be pulled by smaller tractors, which use less fuel.
- Well-designed compact disc harrows offer a weight per blade close to that of larger models, so they offer similar soil penetration.
- These smaller models, especially those that fold, are easier to transport down the road and get in and out of fields.
Conspicuously absent from many manufacturers’ product lineups, the compact folding disc harrow model offered by AMCO Manufacturing Company packs just as much punch as the company’s larger disc harrows. AMCO also offers a non-folding option.
- AMCO’s F15B Double Offset Tandem Disc Harrow with folding flexwings (also called the F15B Workhorse) is a folding disc harrow offered in cutting widths from 16’6″ to 24’0″. It folds to a very manageable transport width of 12’6″. Offering 122 to 140 pounds per blade, only 5 to 7 pounds less than the company’s larger models, the F15B offers excellent soil penetration.
- The F17 Double Offset Tandem is AMCO’s non-folding compact disc harrow option. Available in cutting widths from 9’3″ to 16’6″, the F17 has a pounds-per-blade weight of 106 to 120.
As farmers examine every aspect of their operation looking for ways to save without sacrificing performance, smaller equipment like compact disc harrows rise to the challenge. Don’t overlook these more affordable options as you budget for the coming lean years.