On a rare sunny day last November, northern Illinois grower Norm Larson was doing what thousands of other cash grain farmers were doing – trying to deal with tough heavy crop residues on wet soils before winter weather stopped field operations for good.
To his benefit, Larson was using what may be one of the best agronomic solutions available – the Case IH Ecolo-Tiger 870 – and he was definitely putting it to the test.
At first glance, the Ecolo-Tiger 870 doesn’t appear to be a new concept. After all, tillage tools combining disc blades, ripper shanks and some sort of covering mechanism have been on the market for years. But finding one that works in the residues from 200- to 300-bushel Bt corn, and in a wide range of soil types, presents a bigger challenge.
With an agronomic background, Larson, who farms about 5,000 acres of corn and soybeans with several family partners near Maple Park, Illinois, knew what he wanted to accomplish: aggressively size and mix residue, open up compacted soil, reestablish water- holding capacity, aerate the soil, and leave a range of clod sizes that will freeze and thaw over winter to leave a level surface for planting in this high-residue environment.
Admittedly, this is a tall order for one implement, especially in the tough high-yield cornstalks, so Larson employed a Case IH True-Tandem 330 Turbo for a first pass soon after harvesting to slice residues and start stalk decomposition.
“We ran the True-Tandem 330 Turbo at an angle across the field. Its shallow-concavity blades sized the residues and mixed a bit of soil with them. The 330 Turbo doesn’t mash the stalks, which I like. It leaves them sized and whole so they can be managed by the Ecolo-Tiger 870,” Larson explains.
After the True-Tandem 330 Turbo made the heavy residues more manageable, Larson moved in with his 22-foot 11-shank Ecolo-Tiger 870 with the optional rear-mounted double-edge rolling basket. It’s also offered in 14-, 18- and 26-foot models with seven, nine and 13 shanks respectively. Before purchasing the Ecolo-Tiger 870, Larson had used a similar combination implement, a Case IH Ecolo-Tiger 9300, which the Ecolo-Tiger 870 replaces.
Two years ago, he had seen a field demonstration of the Ecolo-Tiger 870 and was impressed by its ability to flow materials. “The Ecolo-Tiger 870 has higher clearance and it’s longer than the 9300. Both features help residues flow through it,” he says.
The first part of the Ecolo-Tiger 870 to engage the soil are the 26-inch-diameter Cushion Gang disk blades set on 12-inch spacing. The concavity of the Ecolo-Tiger 870 disk blades is deeper than the Ecolo-Tiger 9300. They’re intended for slicing and mixing. With a greater diameter, the large disk blades provide more flexibility to leave more soil on the surface, if desired. Combining a two-step approach with the 330 Turbo followed by the Ecolo-Tiger 870 distributes sized residue along with more evenly sized clods, leaving a smoother surface.
“The rule of thumb is not to run much deeper than about 25 percent of the disk radius, which would be 4 to 6 inches,” Larson explains.
Following the disk gangs are the 11 ripper shanks. They’re mounted on 24-inch spacing, but arranged so that tips are spaced at least 36 inches apart for easy crop flow. The stagger effect of the ripper shanks is critical for residue flow.
These massive shanks can be equipped with various points to meet specific agronomic needs, such as shattering hardpan or traffic areas by re-establishing pore space in tight soils for air and water movement.
In Larson’s wet, heavy, black soils, he was using 2-inch Case IH Tiger straight points, running about 11 inches deep.
“I’m using the shanks to break this damp soil into clods that are sized and leave openings underneath for air and water to penetrate. Once tilled, freezing and thawing will assist in reducing clod size, and with good airflow, they will dry faster in the spring,” he says.
“Of course, the shanks are also helping to break the compaction we caused during this year’s harvest,” he adds. In the spring, he’ll use a Tiger Mate II field cultivator ahead of the planter, as a final step in preparing the seedbed.
The patented double-edge rolling basket mounted at the rear of the Ecolo-Tiger 870 can be adjusted for the amount of down pressure it applies. In normal conditions, a fair amount of down pressure helps promote cutting force contact between the soil and the residues to size large clods to help prepare a good seedbed. In this year’s wet conditions, Larson has it set to lightly firm the surface to help level it.
The working depth of the disk gangs and the ripper shanks can be easily adjusted using depth stops on the hydraulic cylinders. Big clearly marked indicators provide easy visual reference for the disk and shank depths. Larson says he makes depth changes frequently, especially of the disk gangs, to work effectively in changing conditions.
An optional single-point adjustment system moves the disk gangs and shank depths simultaneously, and allows infinite depth adjustments.
At about 25,000 pounds, this tool has the weight it takes to maintain its working depth over varying terrain. “There’s good stout iron here,” Larson notes. “That’s an advantage. It maintains the depth I set it to run.”
Its draft load requires about 20 to 24 PTO hp per foot, 43 to 48 PTO hp per shank. Larson uses it with a 535-hp 535 Quadtrac tractor which is a good match.
In operation, the Ecolo-Tiger 870 is impressive. During Farm Forum’s visit, the Quadtrac tractor, equipped with the AFS AccuGuide autoguidance system, was pulling the Ecolo-Tiger 870 along at about 5.5 mph. The soil conditions were about as wet as you’d want to work, but only rarely did the Quadtrac’s monitor show slippage exceeding 10 percent. The Ecolo-Tiger 870 models are designed to perform in the 5- to 7-mph range.
The heavy damp residues flowed through the Ecolo-Tiger 870 without plugging, a tribute to its design and to the action of the 330 Turbo. In fact, Larson says the Ecolo-Tiger 870 had very little plugging during his operations. A twice-daily cleaning of soil build-up around the disk gang scrapers was the only concession to the wet sticky conditions of 2009.
In addition to its solid construction, the Ecolo-Tiger 870 is built with optional replaceable wear shins on the shanks for protection against rocks. It has poly bushings on all pivot points to eliminate daily lubrication. The components that do require lubrication, such as the bearings on the disk gangs and the rolling basket, are on 50-hour intervals.
“It’s convenient to have the 50-hour service interval that syncs with the tractor service schedule,” Larson notes.
Using the AFS Autoguidance system in the tractor, Larson runs the Ecolo-Tiger 870 confident in having accurate pass-to-pass coverage even as he angles across the field. The field had been fertilized with a dry diammonium phosphate and potash blend prior to running the 330 Turbo, so it was being mixed in well.
In the spring, prior to planting, he’ll likely use a shallow-running field cultivator ahead of the planter in a final seedbed preparation step.
“For me, in these conditions, the combination of the 330 Turbo and this Ecolo-Tiger 870 works well,” Larson says. “We have some soil issues here, and breaking this damp soil into clods to let air and moisture in is what’s needed. I’m breaking up compaction and doing a really nice job of sizing residue so I can manage it with my secondary tillage and residue managers on the planter come spring.
“I’m getting the field surface I want to see, and the higher clearance and greater overall length keeps the residue flowing through really well. I’m really happy with it.”
----------------------------Owner Profile:
Norm Larson, Larson Farms
Maple Park, IL
Acreage: 5,000
Crops: Corn, soybeans
Comments:
“Prior to using this Ecolo-Tiger 870, we plowed and chisel plowed. Now with this, we’re doing a better job of managing residues and compaction.”
“The True-Tandem 330 Turbo and the Ecolo-Tiger 870 make a good combination.”
“The optional double-edge rolling basket provides another opportunity for managing clod size.”
“This doesn’t run as deep as a V-ripper, but deep enough to get under the plow layer.”
“There’s a lot of weight here. That’s an advantage in tough spots.”
“I like the residue flow, and the way the Ecolo-Tiger 870 manages the soil.”
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