German implement manufacturer Horsch, which recently headquartered its North American operations in North Dakota to better serve the Prairie market, debuted its newest seed drill at the Ag in Motion farm show near Langham, Sask., in mid-July.
The Avatar 66-10 TD drill integrates a 66-foot, single-disc toolbar and an 870-bushel air cart into one combination unit.
“This product has been in evolution from our Avatar single-shoot line of single-disc air seeders,” says Jeremy Hughes, product manager for seeding and tillage equipment.
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“We’re launching the Avatar TD, which is our double-shoot version.
“We’re using an 870 bu. carrying capacity of four different products on individual scale systems, combining that with a 66-foot toolbar on 10-inch row spacings, and using a 20-inch banding system for fertilizer application on double-shoot work.”
The toolbar uses a single row of disc openers that can deliver seed and a starter course of fertilizer into the furrow. The main fertilizer course is delivered ahead of them through mid-row banders.
Using a single row of disc openers rather than the more common shank style gives the Avatar 66-10 TD the advantage of being able to handle seeding speeds up to nine m.p.h., Hughes said.
“With shank openers, we find there is often a speed limit to it, and the only way you get more efficient is to go wider. The advantage of the single disc with our design is we have seeding speeds from the traditional four to five m.p.h. up to nine plus.
“So we can take a 66-foot machine and have the seeding power of a 70-, 80- or even a 90-foot (shank) machine.”
Another feature that sets the Avatar 66-10 TD apart from most other drills is that the toolbar is mounted directly to the back of the air cart.
“It makes the machine very compact,” Hughes says.
“It’s easy to get around, store and easy to manoeuvre in the field. The other thing we do is use the weight of the cart on the toolbar weight transfer system to stabilize the toolbar to get the openers in, in very tough conditions.”
The drill can supply up to 550 pounds of downforce on the openers. Hughes says that helps contribute to the drill’s ability to avoid stepping (placing seed at varying depths when travelling at higher speeds).
During field trials this year in North Dakota, the drill performed well at those higher speeds, he said.
The Avatar 66-10 TD is also equipped with section control.
“We have an eight-section, section control system,” he says.
“We were the industry first to use electric motors on meters, so we’re using that same technology combined with some different metering styles to get section control.”
The Avatar is only available in 66-foot working widths, although other widths may be produced in future. The drill will be in limited production in time for spring 2026.
